New Years Eve at Disneyland?

[Natasha79]

I have had a ap to Disneyland for at least ten years. Some years my husband and I have gone a couple times a month and some years just a couple of times. We have started going more frequently again and I was thinking of surprising him with a trip at the very end of the year dec 29-jan 1. Does anyone have any experience with being there on New Years Eve? We usually like to stick to week day visits to avoid crowds. One year we did go on Christmas Eve and there were no crowds at all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

It has been a long time since we went on NYE, but it was PACKED. I believe it's the busiest day of the year. We go during busy times and even I said I would never do NYE again.

 

[DDhunter]

We went on NYE 2011/2012 and by that evening it was insanely crowded, wall to wall people. It was the most crowded I had ever seen the parks. However, it was fantastic to be there and we are going to do it again this year.

You have to get into the park early in the day so you can get your hand stamped. They stopped letting people into the park who didn't have a hand stamp between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. (I don't remember exactly).

We figured even though it is crazy crowded what better place to be to start the New Year . I booked our hotel last week and actually found some places were already sold out for December 31st.

 

[sonnyjane]

It is statistically the most crowded day of the year. Many people like it. Many people say they'll never do it again. Many people say it's worth trying at least once to see which group you fall into lol!

 

[Stepster]

i would love to experience disney at new year-what a dream tht wud be

 

[Malcon10t]

It is statistically the most crowded day of the year. Many people like it. Many people say they'll never do it again. Many people say it's worth trying at least once to see which group you fall into lol!

We are in the "Love it" group, however, I don't plan on doing rides. We've been known to play cards in Hungry Bear... It is a fun day, just being there...

 

[chabelita545]

QUOTE="DisneyJamieCA;51929636"]It has been a long time since we went on NYE, but it was PACKED. I believe it's the busiest day of the year. We go during busy times and even I said I would never do NYE again.[/QUOTE]

Me, too.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

NYE is the most insanely, crowded day/night I've ever experienced at the park! By night you literally cant move, you can only shuffle tiny little steps and it's shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-front people. If you can even get there, it would probably take an hour to get from one side of the park to the other. BUT, if you know this going in, and don't have high hopes to do a lot of rides, it can be a fun experience. If you're claustrophobic at all, I probably wouldn't attempt it. I've heard some people say the high level of crowds made them panic. I must say though, everyone was in great spirits and having a good time, even if it was just sitting and doing nothing, or playing cards like Malcon10t. That being said, if you want to AVOID crowds, NYE is the one day you'll want to stay home!

 

[I❤MICKEY]

In 2012 we spent the day in California Adventure. Wasn't bad at all. Little to no wait on most rides. I think most of the events... Fireworks, concerts, etc were at DL so it was way busier.

 

[5forMickey]

I was interested in this also as we will be there this NYE . So what would you think about getting dining reservations somewhere like Carthay Circle and then just enjoying fireworks. We will have people in there 20's all the way to 70's so looking for kind of low key but hoping for the younger ones.

 

[ClaraOswald]

It's been a long time since I was there on NYE. I think it was 2005/2006. It was insanely crowded. Hard to walk through some portions of the crowd. And they handed out noise makers. People blew them into our ears in line and whatnot. It was pretty horrible. We didn't stay very long. The only reason we went was because we lived near by and thought we'd give it a shot.

Now that we live far away, I will NEVER plan a trip for NYE. Too crowded to have any fun.

 

[Malcon10t]

I was interested in this also as we will be there this NYE . So what would you think about getting dining reservations somewhere like Carthay Circle and then just enjoying fireworks. We will have people in there 20's all the way to 70's so looking for kind of low key but hoping for the younger ones.

What do you mean "enjoying fireworks"? Generally, most of Main Street is staked out by noon for the midnight fireworks. If your dining reservations at Carthay are after 4-5 pm, you risk the possibility of not being able to return to Disneyland. Gate closures can happen as early as 3pm, and rarely can you enter after 7pm until just after midnight.

 

[5forMickey]

What do you mean "enjoying fireworks"? Generally, most of Main Street is staked out by noon for the midnight fireworks. If your dining reservations at Carthay are after 4-5 pm, you risk the possibility of not being able to return to Disneyland. Gate closures can happen as early as 3pm, and rarely can you enter after 7pm until just after midnight.

Maybe more like world of color I guess -- my bad. I was wondering if dca would be a little more appropriate for the grandparents as they have a few mobility issues, but still enjoyable enough for the 20 something crowd. I was thinking dining reservations would give us someplace nice for them to hang out in for a few hours together that was not to crazy but that the kids would still at least be in one of the parks. I can see some of our party turning in early and others staying till close so trying to find something a little lower key for the first few hours of the night, even though I realize there will be crazy crowds. The grandparents wanted to go to steakhouse 55 for dinner but like you mentioned I was afraid the others wouldn't get in either park if we did that.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

Maybe more like world of color I guess -- my bad. I was wondering if dca would be a little more appropriate for the grandparents as they have a few mobility issues, but still enjoyable enough for the 20 something crowd. I was thinking dining reservations would give us someplace nice for them to hang out in for a few hours together that was not to crazy but that the kids would still at least be in one of the parks. I can see some of our party turning in early and others staying till close so trying to find something a little lower key for the first few hours of the night, even though I realize there will be crazy crowds. The grandparents wanted to go to steakhouse 55 for dinner but like you mentioned I was afraid the others wouldn't get in either park if we did that.

If you're looking for low key and have grandparents with mobility issues, I would honestly stay away from Disneyland. There will be 80,000 people there causing mobility problems for everyone! LOL. The crowds are so intense you can not walk where you want to walk. There are one way paths guided by cast members and you shuffle along inches at a time. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to break out of the path to go a different direction because it's so crowded. Would I do NYE again though? Maybe! As long as you go in with the right attitude and know what you're getting in to, you can still have fun. We had reservations at Club 33 and stayed there as long as possible. It was the only place in the park that wasn't crowded!

I can't comment on how it is over at DCA on NYE though. We knew if we left Disneyland we would not get back in.

 

[5forMickey]

If you're looking for low key and have grandparents with mobility issues, I would honestly stay away from Disneyland.

Yeah, maybe we will just have to send the youngsters over and the old farts can stay and enjoy the Hotel for the evening. I guess we can watch the 10:00 fireworks from the club lounge assuming they have them at 10:00......but I'm dying to try it just once!!

The grandparents typically use an etv and I know there is no way I would dare take it in the park on NYE. They can get around without it but it is difficult for them.

(by the way......lOVE your driver license picture )

 

[Disneyluvr2]

(by the way......lOVE your driver license picture )

Thanks 5forMickey! I love my drivers license pic also. Mostly because it makes everyone that sees it smile! It's always fun to turn a grumpy TSA worker's day around when I hand them my ticket and license. Just my way of spreading a little Disney magic.

 

[SammiL]

As others have mentioned, it's best to go early in the day to make sure you are stamped. At some point in the early evenng the crowds reach max capacity and they will not allow people to come in for periods of time throughout the night. Once it gets crowded i would cozy up at a spot! It's too difficult to maneuver through the park. It's fun to countdown at Disney on NYE as long as you're prepared!

 

[dismomofbn]

We went this last New Year's Eve- 13/14. We knew we would be getting into Anaheim early evening on New Years Eve for the start of a week of vacation. We decided to take a chance and walk over to the parks to see if we could get in about 7:00 pm. We were shocked to find that neither DL nor DCA had reached capacity and they were not restricting attendance. Since we were planning on starting the next morning at DL, we went into California Adventure. It was crowded but very manageable. We found it to be a very fun atmosphere with the bands playing throughout the park. We are a family of four adults with both of our kids in their late teens so I realize we have less restrictions than those that may have younger kids or seniors with physical accommodations but we would totally do it again.

 

[AussieCaribou]

So, Disneyland on NYE is insane. What about DCA? And what is New Years day like in the two parks?

 

[superlarz]

Everything I saw, showed DCA was very manageable and had a nice little show in
Paradise bay at midnight.