New Year Advice please

[ozvisiter]

We will arrive in Anaheim on 30th December and leave early on 3rd January. I know this is a busy time to visit Disneyland however that can't be changed.
I thought we would avoid the parks on New Years eve and maybe have dinner in Downtown Disney- what is it like New Year's eve?
Then we will have 2 park days, probably one day in each park. There are 6 of us, 3 have been before but Galaxies Edge wasn't opened and we have a huge Star Wars fan!
We are happy to be at rope drop- what time is it likely to be?
Any advice? How should we best approach the parks?
In Disneyland should we head straight to SWGE? or leave it to later in the day?

Thank you so much- I would really appreciate your tips.

 

[BeyondNeverland]

Wow what a great way to start off the new year . So jealous! It's an interesting idea. I never thought what Disney would be like on New Years. Sorry I know I'm not helping , but it's probably a 50/50 chance that the park will be crowded or not. Mystery it is.

 

[tarheelalum]

Anything you really want to do at Disneyland should be the first thing you do in the park. If you wait, the ride could go down or the line could be too long to deal with.

 

[poptart90]

Went for 2018 NYE. Was a super blast, but the absolute craziest & busiest time in the parks and DTD I have ever witnessed. If you are prepared for that, you can still have fun! We just puttered around and enjoyed the festivities with the kids. Riding was nuts with super long lines, even the FP return lines were huge! But there were several live musicians and a couple of dance parties. And we grabbed a spot in the promenade to watch the fireworks. Very fun night and memorable night! Have a great time and don’t plan to much. Too busy to be very “scheduled” - instead just enjoy the fun around you. My two cents!

 

[poptart90]

Oh, and the parks opened late on New Years Day. 10am, I believe. So it’s a shorter day! FYI

 

[ozvisiter]

Thanks for your help.
So would the best thing to do on January 1st, be to go straight to SWGE?

 

[poptart90]

Thanks for your help.
So would the best thing to do on January 1st, be to go straight to SWGE?

Hard to say at this point. Right now (with SWGE just opened) the advice is no. Crowds and wait times are ridiculous first thing in the morning. Dinner time hours right now seem to be the lowest waits, but that may change dramatically come January especially with the new ride expected. Stay tuned and keep asking as it gets closer is always a good option!!