New Years Eve - DL or DCA?

[deej696]

DF and I are taking our first trip to DL over New Years Eve I'm sure NYE is crazy, much like WDW as we are used to. My question is what park will be best to spend NYE? It looks like DL has fireworks at midnight, are they viewable from DCA? Which park will be best to spend the day, as I'm sure we will need to get there early and not leave!

 

[arliepooh68]

ya know the last time i did NYE at disneyland was 20 years ago! and you had to buy a special ticket for that night. I remember Richard Marx was there, the cover girls and someone else, that was back in the day of videopolis. yep i"m aging myself, aren't I????

 

[iceskatejen]

DCA usually does it's own, smaller fireworks show at midnight. Either park, expect it to me insanely busy and long lines for everything, esp food.

 

[fairycat]

I have done the past two years at DLR for NYE and love it!

First DLR is going to be PACKED if its anything like the last two years, if you want to get into DL you need to be there early in the day (even if you decide to leave for a bit in the afternoon you HAVE to get into DL early) or you will not get in. The last two years the park sold out. DCA will also sell out (again if history repeats) but tends to sell out later. You can get back into a park after a sell out IF your ticket has been used earlier that day in that park.

We went only to DCA the first year as we had reservations at Vineyard room which was very nice. We stayed in the park afterwards and rang in the new year and had a great time with the music, the fireworks and so much more. We also liked that the park is roomier and was less crowded.

The next year we just barely got into DL did a few things but it was so crowded we went over to DCA. We did a lot of more unusual things that had shorter lines then the big rides, but having AP's we didn't mind and did some things we have had never done before. Then we went to Napa Rose for our special NYE dining. That was AMAZING!! We rang in the new year at Napa. Then went over to DL for the last hour our so before leaving the park.

It looks like we will be back again this year since we have had such a great time that past two years. It can be fun but its good to know what to expect so you can be ready for it.

 

[CruisinEars]

Thanks for posting your experiences. We made last minute plans to go to Arizona for Christmas but decided to fly into LAX. So we are driving to AZ with stays at my aunts place near DL. I really want to go to DL for NYE since we are flying home Jan 1. I don't even care about the crowds. I have done DL on July 4 and WDW in August, so not a big deal for me. I just wanted the atmosphere and my Disney fix before our cruise and WDW in May. My dh doesn't think it will be worth the cost if we can't even do rides because of crowds. Is it really horrendous? Or can you get on rides and have a reasonably fun time?

 

[fairycat]

Yes, you can get on rides we did, many people seem to be hanging out and doing other things, but expect things to get crazier as the night goes on. The only thing I can not express enough is to make sure you get there early in the day, if you want to get into DL (even if you take a break in the middle of the day, you just need your ticket to say you have been inside the parks). Also if you are more open minded about what you do you will find lots to do. We did more shows then usual, but still got on my favorites, POTC and HMH at DL. If you are prepared for the crowds and ready to have fun you will its a great place to ring in NYE!! And we might just see you there!

 

[tinkermell]

A word of caution..........if you leave DL, you may not get back in. Even with your used ticket and stamped hand. So I would be prepared to stay put, or wait until way late in the evening, and maybe they'll let you back in to DL. I'm not very sure about DCA's policy.

I been to DL a couple of times on New Years Eve, and had a blast. Yes, it is super busy, but very festive and fun.

Enjoy, and a Happy New Year to you!!!!

 

[fairycat]

A word of caution..........if you leave DL, you may not get back in. Even with your used ticket and stamped hand. So I would be prepared to stay put, or wait until way late in the evening, and maybe they'll let you back in to DL. I'm not very sure about DCA's policy.

I been to DL a couple of times on New Years Eve, and had a blast. Yes, it is super busy, but very festive and fun.

Enjoy, and a Happy New Year to you!!!!

How strange we were told last year that as long as we had our ticket used in DL that we could go over to DCA and still get back into DL (in fact we did this later in the night) even if the park was sold out, since you are included in the original numbers used for the sell out. I would not want to give anyone bad advice so I would suggest checking their sell out policy (I will try and get some info. when I go tomorrow).

 

[tinkermell]

How strange we were told last year that as long as we had our ticket used in DL that we could go over to DCA and still get back into DL (in fact we did this later in the night) even if the park was sold out, since you are included in the original numbers used for the sell out. I would not want to give anyone bad advice so I would suggest checking their sell out policy (I will try and get some info. when I go tomorrow).

Looking forward to your info!! There was a discussion not too long ago on this topic. Some of us thought that as long as you were a guest at one of the onsite resorts, you were guaranteed entrance back in..............but then someone else didn't think that was true either. So it will be nice to know for sure!

Thanks!

 

[CruisinEars]

Thank you for answering my questions. We probably wouldn't even be able to stay up late enough anyway so we would get there early. My dh is an early to bed kinda guy plus we are flying out the next morning. I still want to go and will talk him into it. I may be getting another raise and promotion at work, so hopefully $$ won't become an issue.

 

[Jen72386]

to my understanding about sell out policies and who gets shut out is that they have certain levels.. 1st is no more tickets sells 2nd no more new entries 3rd no reentering 4th no reentering by ap holders 5th no reentering by hotel guests... Something along those lines anyways..also this is onyl until some people exit the park so if you do get shut out, wait around for a little bit or go into DCA and check back later.. To my knowledge DCA has never been gone past no new ticket sales or new entries...