New Years 2012?? Is it too busy?

[disneyfanbcv]

Tossing the idea around. I'm thinking about booking for New Years Eve 2012. Any thoughts on that? The blogs I have read say get to the park early and plan on staying until the very end. You might not get back in. Are the parks that busy? Any special events you would recommend for a 10yr and 8 yr and 2 adults? Probably Magic Kingdom? Lots of questions that will probabaly lead into more. Has anyone been? Give me you story so I can either start planning or not. THANKS for your help, ideas!

 

[Deb & Bill]

The Mayan calendar says it won't be busy at all.

 

[mdsd8700]

It has been several years since we have done NYE, but when we did, we typically avoided the parks as an all day excursion. We don't really mind crowds but this a bit beyond crowded. Once we were in EPCOT at opening on NYE and by lunch time you literally couldn't move and the park had been closed. We had planned to leave mid day so it worked out just fine for us. We had reservations at Narcoosse's at the GF that evening and it was one of the best experiences we have had thus far in our Disney years. We received menus peronalized with our name on it, first class service, a fantasitic meal and a front porch seat to the fireworks in the MK at midnight. Not sure if they still do that, but it was awesome! Planning is the key to a NYE night at WDW, but it is truly magical!!

Enjoy

 

[rice00]

We have been a few times for New Year's and yes it is all you heard about and more. They say it is the busiest time of the year to go to WDW. Even though it is crowded it's also one of the best times of the year. Extended hours everyday in all parks from Xmas to New Years, plus WDW decorated is pretty incredible!

NYE can be crazy. We have never gone to MK on NYE because the park does fill to capacity but they have great fireworks. You don't have to go to MK on the 31st to see the fireworks though. You can go on the 30th to MK to see the same fireworks. They shoot them off both nights.

We go EPCOT or the Disney Studios. They usually have live bands or DJs playing music. It has always been fun. Both also have special fireworks shows for the night.

 

[Pirate Granny]

OMG. Stay away from EPCOT...they start putting blankets on the sidewalks around the water at 3pm...can't walk without a zillion people after 9pm...it took most people three hour waiting for a bus to get back to POP. I vote for MK...crowded, but less people...we arrived at 9am, and stayed until 1am...

 

[drusba]

Christmas Week is the most crowded time of the year. NYE is the most crowded day of the year.

Imagine yourself in a clothes closet that is 6 feet long and 3 feet deep. By yourself it is not too bad, a little claustrophophic. Now invite your family, adding your wife and two kids. It is starting to get crowded in there but you can still move about a little. Now stuff 100 sumo wrestlers in the closet with your family and close the doors. That's NYE in Epcot and MK.

I always try to remember the Christmas decorations, the shows, the festivities at the nations, the good things about NYE in both MK and Epcot but then my mind always flashes back to our being in the streets in the evening and literally not being able to move. You just kind of creep along at the speed of very slow turtles, hoping you can find somewhere off to the side where no one else is standing so you can just feel for a moment what it is like again not to be in a sardine can.

If you go, prepare yourself for crowds the size of which you have never imagined much less seen before.

 

[mgroshans]

The Mayan calendar says it won't be busy at all.

 

[nolanboys]

Very curious about this thread. We've never gone for NYE either and are planning to for 2012 as well. I don't know if I'll be able to handle the crowds. Do you really have to stay at the parks all day? Do some of you just try and get reservations at restaurants instead of being in a park. Would love to be at the California Grill, but that has to be a nearly impossible reservation to get. Any other good restaurants that you could eat at outside the parks, but still see the fireworks at MK or Epcot? Do any of you just celebrate back at the resort? I'm turning 40 on Christmas Eve that year, so NYE at WDW was going to be my big party with the family. Sorry to hijack this thread, but I was wondering the same thing.

 

[MinnieGi]

We just returned (29th) for an over Christmas stay - checked in on the 20th. I just have to say it is CROWDED!! And we really noticed how much the crowd picked up starting Christmas day and I'm sure runs through New Years Day. However if you PLAN to either be at park opening or come in late and stay until 3:00 am you CAN do it and have loads of fun!! Seriously one of the great things about Christmas week is that the park hours go from 7:00 am to 3:00 am depending on park and which park has EMH etc...

Our kids are 10 and 6 so we were at park opening times and we got on everything we wanted to and saw the shows we wanted too etc... However you really have to be okay with large crowds even if you are there at opening time b/c the people keep pouring in all day. We elected to not go to a park on Christmas day but after our normal Christmas morning of opening presents we headed to DTD for DD to have her hair done at BBB and even DTD at noon was PACKED, probably b/c we saw MK was already closed as they had traffic signs up at the gates to MK and cars were being circled around the gate back to the main road. It was quite a sight at the cars were stacked about half a mile back trying to get in with all gates at MK opened.

The decorations are beautiful and it was very fun to be there over the Christmas holidays so much that I think in a few years we'd try it again and maybe include new year's eve. However I know we'd watch the fireworks from the CR observation deck or BLT TOWL lounge.

 

[dianeschlicht]

OMG. Stay away from EPCOT...they start putting blankets on the sidewalks around the water at 3pm...can't walk without a zillion people after 9pm...it took most people three hour waiting for a bus to get back to POP. I vote for MK...crowded, but less people...we arrived at 9am, and stayed until 1am...

Interesting, because we have done Epcot 3 diffrent New Years Eves (Including 2000), and while the Millennium one was horribly crowded, we have not had any issues with subsequent NYE celebrations at Epcot. LOVE the whole vibe of the different countries celebrating in their own time zone!

 

[caskar]

Epcot is so crowded yet so fun! We have been there twice. As long as you understand what you are getting yourself into you should enjoy yourself. Party atmosphere in the evening. 2 Illuminations show. The second is followed by the big fireworks display at midnight. Wish we were going this year!

drusba - so funny!!! My family laughed so hard!

 

[FigmentLady]

NYE 2009 was DH's very first time at Disney.
We got to the park around 11 and I'm glad we did. They closed the park very early in the day.
By 9:00 or so they had closed off moving to other parts of the park. We were right by the castle so weekend mind.

It is CROWDED. 90-120 minute wait for most rides.
No walking room.

BUT other than when DH proposed at midnight 2 years earlier, it was the most magical new years eve I could ever imagine.

 

[bobbiwoz]

OK, DH and I have AP's so we didn't burn an admission, but this NYE we enjoyed some festivities at the Village Green area, and then went to Epcot at 11:30 PM, we walked to the bridge where we like to see Illuminations and the NYE fireworks, then turned around and saw much of the high fireworks at DHS, then walked back to BWV. DS/DGD (8) left our BWV to walk to DHS around 7, they made it for (I think) the 8PM Fantasmic, saw Osborne lights and everything they wanted to do and they enjoyed the DHS fireworks. Apparently there is a live orchestra playing that sets the mood of the fireworks and they loved it. DDiL saw the upper fireworks on NYE from our Boardwalk balcony as 2 of our DGC slept. The MC at the Village Green NYE party did mention that they piped in the Epcot music, so that people at the party get full enjoyment of the NYE festivities at Epcot, but I didn't think that they would see it all, we wanted to be there.

We did not go into the parks every day during our 4 night stay, but we did MK on December 30th. We got to MK around 6PM and saw the lighting of the castle. It was crowded, but not VERY CROWDED! We got a place in the front for the Main Stree Electrical parade in the Frontierland just about 30 minutes before the parade got there. We found a good place to see Holiday Wishes just 10 minutes before they began. We did loads of fun things between 6PM and most of us left after the NYE fireworks. DS and one DGD stayed for the Extra Magic Hours when they did the mountains and other things.

If you don't plan on doing it all, and pace yourselves, going over NYE can be fun. We all took a 2 hour nap on the 30th, we went swimming in the morning, and that's why we were totally refreshed for the MK crowd, when we got there at 6PM.

You can have fun! We did....am not sure about next year, the family is talking about doing things on Marathon weekend, and I don't want to pay air fare 3 times in December/January.

Bobbi

 

[ariel5884]

Yes it is definitely very crowded. You know when you call member services and you can't get any kind of room availability at any resort including the one that generally always has rooms available "saratoga."

 

[Vincent Vega]

And as someone posted, where can you have the dinner? Or it's nearly impossible to book a TS reservation?

 

[iluvtheworld]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have questions about New Year's also. We own at BLT and are going to go for our first stay. We were originally thinking we would have a check in date for Jan 1st, but are now thinking that maybe the 30th or 31st would be fun for check in. Here are my questions:

1) Will it be impossible to secure a reservation at 11 months out for check in on NYE?

2) How busy was the TOTWL on NYE? We would avoid parks that day but hope to see the fireworks from the lounge.

 

[minnieandmickey]

The Mayan calendar says it won't be busy at all.

LOL should be ok that day it those who are planning a Christmas (12/21) 2012 vacation that should worry Seriously remember the fanatics for 2000, 2012 should be an interesting year.
Good thing we are planning on a 2011 vacation.

We did NYE in 2006 and it was crazy @ the MK. Next year I'm planning on Epcot or DHS, or maybe just catch the fireworks on the Poly beach.

 

[bobbiwoz]

And as someone posted, where can you have the dinner? Or it's nearly impossible to book a TS reservation?

I am not one for doing the check in +10 days dining ADR, but we were able to get a 6 something ADR for NYE at Garden Grill in Epcot for 7 people. As it turned out, we didn't want to be in Epcot and wait for the New Year, so we canceled that and only entered Epcot around 11:30 PM.

 

[DeerIsleDisney]

We're thinking of New Year's for 2012 as well. This is a helpful thread. We'd arrive Dec. 30 and then stay through the first week of January, so we wouldn't plan on trying to get on rides that first day or two. But if it is too crowded to even enjoy the parks, maybe we'll wait and go down Jan 1. I thought it might be fun to try to catch some of the Christmas decorations, parade, holiday tag at Illuminations, Osborne lights on Dec. 30-31, then focus on attractions the rest of the trip.

If we do go on the 30th, we may try getting a reservation at the Swan or Dolphin for the first 2 nights rather than paying a premium in points.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We're thinking of New Year's for 2012 as well. This is a helpful thread. We'd arrive Dec. 30 and then stay through the first week of January, so we wouldn't plan on trying to get on rides that first day or two. But if it is too crowded to even enjoy the parks, maybe we'll wait and go down Jan 1. I thought it might be fun to try to catch some of the Christmas decorations, parade, holiday tag at Illuminations, Osborne lights on Dec. 30-31, then focus on attractions the rest of the trip.

If we do go on the 30th, we may try getting a reservation at the Swan or Dolphin for the first 2 nights rather than paying a premium in points.

We did that a few years ago. Stayed at the Swan or Dolphin (can't remember which) and walked to DHS for NYE. Then we moved over to a DVC resort for the rest of the trip. It worked out fine.