New Years Eve

[djbogue]

My wife and I will be at the Fort the week of New years. I was wondering if someone could tell me what activities are going on during that week especially New Years Eve. Is there special fireworks that evening?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[des1954]

Oh yeah!!! There are very special fireworks at midnight on NYE!!! The very best way to see them are from the Hayride at FtW on NYE. The fireworks displays in the past, oh, 8-9 years or more (that I know of), have been panoramic.... meaning if you are looking at the Castle from FtW, they spread out a mile or perhaps more across the sky. Words cannot describe how awesome they are!! We've viewed them from inside the MK in front of the Castle, from the train depot at Main Street, and from the hayride. The hayride view wins, hands down!! In the past you could only purchase tickets for this hayride first thing in the morning at the Outpost Kennel. They were (IIRC) $10.00 per person. Very well worth the price!!

If you don't want to spend $$ on the hayride, just go to site 328, hang a right & follow the path back to the beach on Bay Lake. It's the same viewing spot the hayride uses.

 

[pell]

Thanks for the heads up on the New Years Eve Hayride! I had never heard of this, and I love the idea of enjoying the magnificent show without being packed in like a sardine. Can you clarify... you get the tickets on that same day? There's no way to book in advance? Thanks!

 

[des1954]

No, you can't get them in advance - or make a ressie for it. Sorry I wasn't clear - I see that now that I re-read my post. The tickets go on sale NYE morning. In past years you had to go to the FtW Kennels to purchase them. If all the tickets are not sold, you can line up at the hayride & purchase... but that is a BIG IF!!!

 

[LarryJ]

My wife and I will be at the Fort the week of New years. I was wondering if someone could tell me what activities are going on during that week especially New Years Eve. Is there special fireworks that evening?

Thanks,
Dennis

As far as I know there are 5 "Special" fireworks/shows, 3 at MK, 1 at EPCOT and 1 at MGM. Three of those occur on 31 Dec at the MK, EPCOT, and MGM. The other two are on 30 Dec at MK and 4 July at MK. Like the MK the EPCOT ones have fireworks going off from the various lands and the three at MK not only have fireworks from behind the castle and in the various lands and along MS, but from a barge in the lagoon. When we are there over X-mas we do MK on 30 Dec and either EPCOT or MGM on NYE. In 2005/06 we did MGM and this last year did EPCOT and personally I liked MGM better for NYE. They stared the dual fireworks at MK from both behind the castle and from the lagoon (the ones from the lagoon are the exact same as the ones from behind the castle) back in either the late 1980's or early 1990's, but the stuff from the lands and along MS are more recent like from around 2000.

We have been at WDW for Xmas in 1996/97, 2000/01, 2005/06 and 2007/08, but the last time for a 4th was 1998.

What is really neat is starting in 2005 or between 2000 and 2005 they started doing simple images like circles, rectangles, squares, etc. and this last time they had "Mickey Ears" twice in their fireworks. You really have to watch for these since somethings they don't turn out perfectly, but IMHO the desire is definitely there to do these more interesting fireworks. Each fireworks has probably no more than 5 to 8 of these special images.

Larry

 

[djbogue]

Thanks for the information everyone. Can you tell me where the Outpost Kennel is located to purchase the tickets for the Hay Ride?

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Same parking lot as where you check-in, I believe.

 

[lisa8200]

I believe the kennel is that little building on the left just as you go through the automatic gate into the overflow parking from the check in parking lot.

 

[LORNADUCK]

2 NYE's ago we booked the hayride because I heard it was great. The night before we happened to be taking the monirail from Epcot to MK and got off @ midnight in from of MK, just as we go there the fireworks started and they were unreal, this past year we just made plans to go to the front of MK again. You feel like you are in the middle of them, have reses for next NYE and we are doing the same thing. The hayride was great, but nothing like the view from MK.