New Years Eve at Epcot ???

[nasmith]

Tell Me what I need to Know!! We've been Christmas week before -so I know about the crowds - in fact we've been to WDW maybe, um, 50 trips...so, I guess you could say I know my way around the park.....However- We've never been on New Years Eve! This year, I threatened to take my family to New York on NYE - and DH finally gave into my request to go to Epcot! Sooooo- What time has Epcot closed to new guests in the past? Did it reopen in the afternoon? Anything else you can think of that would help me plan this so DH isn't mad at me for the rest of the vacation?? Thanks! Jill

 

[pennylynn]

I can only tell you about when we were there in 2000. Epcot was closed by 11:00 in the morning except to people who were staying at Disney. We were also told that it was only people staying at Disney who had a multi day pass that had already been used. Not sure about that part. I can't say weather it re-opened in the afternoon because we never left once we got there. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder. We snagged a couple of seats early for the fire works and my sister hung onto them while the rest of us took turns doing what we wanted. By the time the fireworks started I don't think we could have moved if we had wanted to. It was packed but worth it because the show was spectacular. After the show ended we just took our time getting out and let the crowd go ahead of us.

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

We're going to be in Epcot on NYE too, the boyfriend's first trip ever and my first trip in 12 years. The idea of shoulder to shoulder crowds makes me nervous!! Should we go ahead and plan on staying from open to close on NYE or should we maybe plan to go somewhere else like Pleasure Island, Poly Beach, or the hotel after our dinner reservations? I'm so excited about the trip but now the mention of how bad the crowds really can be is making me nervous!

 

[PiRSquared]

We've been to Epcot twice in the last 4 years for New Year's Eve. We were off Disney, so we got there by 9 am (opened at 8 am). I think they closed by 11 both times to off site visitors. Not sure about others. Mornings weren't so bad, but by 5 or 6 it was MISERABLE. My kids told me this year they don't want to go in a park for NYE again. It can become overwhelming and we are Disney addicts. We got a lot accomplished during the day with Fast passes and just knowing the park well, so it is possible to enjoy yourself. About 4 years ago, we got in a people traffic jam somewhere in World Showcase. We were literally standing still unable to move for about 20 minutes, shoulder to shoulder with people. Eventually it cleared and we were on our way (Rumor was that some people had sat down to watch the early Illuminations and had blocked the pathway. Not sure if it was true). Have fun, just be prepared!

 

[KCMiller]

I would strongly suggest that you do a search on the DISboards for NYE - there are dozens of posts about how to prepare for a great, but very very crowded day.

Don't take any one persons review (even MINE ) as the gospel truth, though - your milage may vary, as they say. Yes, at times the parks have closed. Sometimes, the weather is great. Sometimes, they cancel the fireworks because of rain. It all depends, so reading as many reviews as possible will give you a nice overview of what HAS happened, and what MAY happen - as for what WILL happen, it's anybodies guess.

KC

 

[aztecgoods]

Is Epcot and MK the 2 places for NYE or are the other parks doing things as well (MGM and AK)?

 

[conniehar90]

Has anyone been to MGM on NYE? Advice?

 

[krismas29]

We spent New Years Eve 2005 at Epcot and when we arrived it was almost at capacity. We got there around 7 pm and I was directed to park on the grass and was told it was one of the last 10 spaces available in the lot. There were pros and cons to the evening, but overall we had a great time. There was a dance party in the main area, just past the fountain and many families were dancing to current pop songs and wedding classics like the Electric Slide. As a fun extra, there were video screens set up that kept showing live images from Epcot Tokyo and other world wide Disney locations.

We didn't linger long in FW because of the crowds.

It was so packed that the CM's had formed a line to allow people to walk past the dance party from FW to WS. It was a narrow walkway and people kept stopping and blocking the path. My family made a human chain so we didn't lose anyone and laughed about it later.

It was less crowded in WS, however, it was impossible to get a drink which annoyed some of the group. The wait to buy a beer in Germany was over 45 mins, the line was outrageous. Once you got to the front, you could only order one beer per person so if someone had run to the bathroom (as happened to us) other people cannot order a drink for them. Nor can you order yourself 2 at a time. Still, it was only a minor issue.

We found an empty bench near Italy and were able watch the fireworks from there .. that was wonderful.

We waited a bit after Illuminations and it was practically deserted as we exited .. no one moves people like Disney! We found a dance party still going on in China and the kids got to dance to the last song. As we exited China, a CM in a kiosk gave us a few leftover flutes full of champagne!

We had a great time, though I don't think we would go back again on NYE. As I became more knowledgeable about WDW, I realized we were incredibly lucky just to get in that night because we came so late!

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Mornings weren't so bad, but by 5 or 6 it was MISERABLE.

Good thing we have Coral Reef reservations at 5:15 then! *grins* I still don't know how we got away with getting those... the CM that helped me make it held her breath for me while she looked it up!

Would anyone suggest resort hopping or anything like that in the evening if Epcot gets too crowded? My boyfriend and I aren't real big partiers or anything like that, he's just determined to see the fireworks somewhere! I'm afraid that if we are there from open, we're going to be awful burnt out by midnight!