New Year's Eve in Disney??

[love__goofy]

We have never been to Disney between Christmas and New Year's. Last time we were there around the holidays was about 5 years ago...beginning of December.

How bad is the park on New Year's Eve? Do I really want to be there? Do the parks do anything special? Which park would you recommend? I am crazy, HAHA?

 

[love__goofy]

Forgot to add I have 4 kids ages 10-16

 

[glassslippergirl]

It's probably the most crowded day of the year. I was there NYE a few years ago, and by midnight there were 90,000 people in MK. You couldn't move on Main Street. Fireworks were awesome, and I really loved the energy-- so many people celebrating one thing together.

Are you crazy? If you have unrealistic expectations, you will be miserable. If you get there early prepared to stay late, prepare to spend a few hours waiting for midnight stuck on MS, and spend the day in big crowds, it can be one of the most exciting experiences ever. I've heard the crowds are better at Epcot, but I'd be uncertain with kids and all the people drinking. I guess it can't be worse than the drinking at a NYE celebration in your hometown.

 

[Jenna319]

We spent NYE at Epcot in 2012. I recommend staying at a resort that you can walk to the park and avoid transportation at all costs. (MK- Contemporary; Epcot - Beach Club/Boardwalk) When we went, it was just me and my husband and I had a blast. It is extremely crowded but the atmosphere is so fun. I'm not sure I would do it with younger children and I would go more for the experience, entertainment, and people watching, rather than riding on the rides. The fireworks at MK are shown on 12/30 and 12/31, a must see!!!

 

[Harambe]

The only NYE that we spent at WDW was 1999-2000, so you can imagine the crowds! We were given flashlights in our room, in case the Y2K thing really happened - LOL! We chose MK for the day, and got in EMH, and the park was closed by 11am as it was at full capacity. Our kids were little, so we did end up heading back to out resort by dinner time and just hung out. There were fireworks everywhere! We got to bed fairly early, and got up for EMH the next day - the park was empty!! Loved that. By Jan 3, all the parks were pretty empty!

 

[Hunterr]

I just made a thread about EPCOT on New Years last night. If you care to see what others had to say about that night here:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/epcot-for-new-years.3446989/

 

[Clawdya]

We did NYE at MK last year (2014) and had an amazing time. It was a long and crowded day but with reservations/fast passes it was manageable. We were there at rope drop and took advantage of EMH. It was crazy but we would definitely do it again.

A summary of rides and meals in order:
Peter Pan Flight
It's a small world
Tomorrowland Speedway
Buzz Lightyear
Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tortuga Cavern Coffee Break
Pirates of the Caribbean
Shopping
Crystal Palace (lunch ADR)
Mad Tea Cups
Haunted Mansion (FP+)
7DMT (FP+)
Be our guest (dinner ADR)
Space Mountain (extra FP given to us by a CM)
Space Mountain (FP+)
Stitch great escape
NYE Fantasy in the sky dessert party (prepaid reservation)

We did so much (considering we didn't expect to ride any other rides other than those we had fast passes for) and we were exhausted afterwards. It was worth it to wake up early 180 days (you can still get these, people cancel all the time as they finalize plans) in advance to make ADRs and scheduled our fast passes at 60 days out.

 

[madsmom22]

We will be there this year - our first trip during the holidays. I was planning a trip with my niece for the WDW Half Marathon in January and my family couldn't stand that I was going without them, so this trip evolved. DH and DD(19) do NOT like crowds AT ALL so I am a little leery about that. BUT our expectations have been set that it will be crowded, crowded and MORE crowded! We even upgraded to the Beach Club so we would be within walking distance from Epcot (where we plan to spend NYE) in case it gets too much for them. DD(15) and I will stay and PARTY! LOL

We plan on going to MK on 12/30 because they have the same fireworks show that night as a preview. So best of both worlds! MK NYE fireworks and then the party atmosphere of Epcot on NYE.

 

[jmccoy18]

We have been to Disney many times during NYE, but we have only done it in the parks once. We went to DHS for NYE 2008/2009 and it was amazing!!! We chose DHS because it is historically the least crowded park on NYE, although that doesn't mean it isn't at or near capacity. We gathered at the hat around 10pm because they had music and dancing and counted down the New Year there and watched the fireworks. Afterwards, we stayed for EMH and rode TSM

The most important thing to remember is that they start to close parks as early as 10am (usually starting at MK) because they are at capacity. So, plan on getting to the park you want to go to at RD and plan on staying the whole time. Disney has different levels of closings, starting first with drivers and off site guests. Here is a link to the different levels: http://www.wdwmagic.com/park-closing-phases.htm (I looked to see if DIS had this info first, but couldn't find it, so if I missed it I'm sorry!)

I do have to say, it was one of the best NYEs I have ever had!

 

[myjourney]

NYE is the one day I never want to do at Disney again. We went this last time and it was crazy crowded. I mean we never got to main street because they funneled everyone through the back towards Fantasy Land. The lines for food and the bathroom were very long; but for us the worst was, they passed out horns hours before and people went nuts blowing them for hours.

 

[wilkeliza]

I worked NYE 2013 at Epcot. I was a crowd control CM in between China all the way to Italy. It was the single worst and only terrible day I worked. I was spit on by one patron, threatened by 2 adults, and cursed out by many many more people. It is funny that people don't understand that there are still fire codes for outside and that a path must be clear in the many different viewing areas. I had a guest call me a Nazi for keeping a path clear. That was one sole job as fireworks started was keeping that path clear in case of an emergency. The only saving grace was at the end of the night having my manager tell me they were impressed that I didn't give in and was always nice when telling people they couldn't stand or sit outside the taped areas.

Best advice is if you are in a walking path walk and if a CM tells you that you can't stop somewhere there is a reason so just do as they ask and move into an area you can stop or keep walking.

 

[jmccoy18]

A perk to not going into the parks on NYE is that the next morning at RD there is hardly anyone there

 

[JOE DELL]

The fireworks and atmosphere are definitely worth it, even last year being wet and cold, you forget all about that with the first boom. You definitely need to get a spot early like 3-4 pm and plan to sit there. If your on the backside of the park I'd stay put till about 1:30 before attempting to hit the exit because the line to the monorails will look like the line to get on 7DMT lol.

New Years at MK is a definite must do.