New Years Eve

[Cdlam]

My husband and I will be in the world from Dec. 26 thru Jan. 1st. We realize this is the busiest week of the year but his only other week off is the week of July 4th. Between the two weeks, I will gladly take the holiday decorations and cooler weather! That being said, I am having a difficult time deciding on what to do for NYE. We would like to go to Epcot as long as it is possible to move thru the shops and such during the afternoon. We aren't worried about rides (my husband doesn't ride). I currently have an ADR for 5 at Tokyo Dining but am thinking of chucking it and maybe just going to the Boardwalk or DTD. Will they be insanely crowded as well?

 

[mortimor]

Everything and place will be crowded. We have done EP on new years, but keep in mind that it will be packed and they hand out hats and horns to everyone. I still have nightmares of listening to all of those horns throughout the night. We will also be on property, but we leave for home on Jan 1 so our plan for the 31st is still in the making. We have never done HS on new years, so we may head there or just stay in our resort (All Star Sports) and enjoy what we can see for fireworks and call it a night. We arrive on Dec 21 with free dining, so it will be a long trip and may be burned out by then. Don't get me wrong, EP is fun and with FP+ you may have some luck with securing some rides for the evening hours, but prepare for a ton of people and if you want to be near the front row of lakeside viewing, 2 1/2 hours in none to early to stake a spot.

 

[gzmtlock]

Just did Epcot last NYE. Or should I say, tried to do Epcot. We had read about the wall-to-wall people, but wanted to give it a try. Was just too crowded for us. We were staying at BWV, so easy access. DD18 doesn't like crowds, starts to feel "not safe." We had a late lunch (4 pm?ish) at R&C, it was very nice. And the crowds had been manageable before that. But after lunch, it was very crowded. DD needed a break, so she and I cut out, leaving DH and DS20 to see the first fireworks show. They did, and enjoyed it. But then after the show, crowds were so thick that they literally moved about 5 feet in 15 minutes. Some folks were getting so frustrated, they jumped the chains and started walking through the flower beds. So rather than DD and I going back, DH and DS bailed and came back to the villa.

The evening was not lost, though! We bought a bottle of champagne and watched the fireworks from the Boardwalk. It was a lovely evening!

I know many folks (thousands!) stay through the night and enjoy it. I would certainly recommend everyone try it once! But, if like my family, you find it's not for you, the Boardwalk is a wonderful alternative.

 

[Cdlam]

Thank you. I think we will probably just keep our reservation and see how it goes. We can always leave after if it is just too much.

 

[supersnoop]

I was also at Epcot last NYE and my experience couldn't have been more different. Yes, there were crowds, but the CM's kept people moving better than I see during slower times. They stand out in the middle of the walkways telling people to walk to the right, which really helped with getting around the park. We got to the park around noon and had dinner at 8. We did a couple of rides with FP+ but otherwise just wandered around the shops. We watched the fireworks and left. They open some back entrances to help people get out, so we hopped on the monorail right away and made it to our room at Bay Lake Tower in less than 30 minutes.

Epcot will be the least crowded park that day, and it will be crazy. The wait time for Test Track was posted as five hours (300 minutes) at 9 pm. But it was still possible to move around and enjoy ourselves.

 

[OhThePain]

My wife and I did NYE at EC a few years ago ('08 into '09). We had an 8PM ADR at Biergarten. We watched some of the first showing of the NYE IllumiNations. The crowd was extremely tough to maneuver before that first IllumiNations showing, but by the time we were done with dinner, getting around the WS was a bit easier (as people started to find their places to bring in the New Year). As long as you know and understand what it means to be going at the busiest time of the year and what the absolute heaviest crowds might feel like, I think that that is 3/4 the battle. You might miss out on things, it might be tough getting around at times, but it truly has a different feel than other times of the year (and those who don't know what they got themselves into will give you hours of people watching entertainment).

Keep in mind that you can actually bring in the New Year twice... MK does their NYE Wishes at 12 AM on 12/31.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Hey there!

I love that the christmas/NYE discussion is popping up now! We're getting closer!

I've been doing it 6 of the past 7 years, so I'd like to consider myself an expert on the subject. We go to Disney from 12/24 through 1/2. A few things...

You're going at an interesting time. People usually go from 12/23 or 12/24 through 12/26 or 12/28 through the new year. You'll notice a slight lull on 12/27 and part of 12/28 before the crowds get crazy again. Soak in as much as you can during this time.

Magic Kingdom gets RIDICULOUS on NYE. We've never been, but have heard horror stories. On 12/30, Magic Kingdom actually does the same show that it does on 12/31. At 11:59 the night of 12/30, they do the countdown to the new year and show the firework display. There's a DJ and a huge party after. It's nice - because if you don't want to face the crowds on NYE or want to go to a different park, it's a nice experience. It's even worse on 1/1. We stopped by there the night of 1/1 and it was too much. The crowds don't normally bother us, but it was too much.

EPCOT is nice if you enjoy the party atmosphere. It's definitely VERY, VERY crowded, but it's much more palatable than Magic Kingdom because it's so spaced out. Whereas Magic Kingdom gets too crowded and Main Street is hard to get through, EPCOT is easy to get around as it's so big and open. The CMs do a great job of keeping people moving and organizing pedestrian traffic. You will run into a different crowd at EPCOT. Because of the vast amount of drinks and the DJs in China, Italy, America and I believe Canada, it draws a younger crowd. It doesn't feel like Disney, it feels like one giant party to be honest. It draws a lot of non-Disney fans and locals as it's one giant party and there's fireworks. It's not a problem - just be prepared. There won't be much Disney "magic" - it's just a cool experience thats driven toward millennials (drinks, loud music, etc.)

Hollywood Studios is a bit toned down. It's token Disney - it feels like one giant Kids Bop party. Let me explain - there's a DJ and a cover band that play a lot of top 40 music and oldies but goodies. Of course, because it's Disney there's no cursing in the songs - the songs are Disney-fied. As a guy in his mid-20s, it felt like the place you bring your teenagers to give them the PG-13 NYE experience. There's drinks flowing, but it's much more toned down than EPCOT. It's more family friendly. Yeah - that's the perfect analogy. If EPCOT is PG-13, Hollywood Studios is the PG park for NYE.

Magic Kingdom is your rated "G" park. It's totally Disney and family friendly. There will be a DJ in the hub playing things like the Cupid Shuffle and other cheesy songs. The only downfall is that it's EXTREMELY crowded.

I'd recommend heading to MK on 12/30 and EPCOT on 12/31. Now - if you're staying onsite, enjoy the day on 12/31 and head to the park later on. I know, every site and blog will tell you to get there early and stay there! That's true if you're off-site. We've never had a problem entering the park. We've entered EPCOT as late as 10pm. We'll normally hang out by the pool or go to DTD, then head to EPCOT around 7 or 8pm. If you have a reservation, save around an hour for transportation - there will be a ton of traffic. Now, I'm not saying we'll be so lucky every year. Who knows - maybe this year is the year that we get turned away (hope I'm not jinxing it) but in our 6 years we've never had a problem going late. We refuse to spend the day in the park after making that mistake a few years ago.

 

[gzmtlock]

We did MK on 12/30 - it was fantastic! It had rained late afternoon/early evening, and was a tad chilly - these probably contibuted to (comparitively) low crowds. Don't get me wrong - it was very crowded! But was fairly easy to move around and get places. DD (the one who doesn't like heavy crowds) didn't have any issues. And we all LOVED the NYE fireworks! Best I've ever seen!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We did MK on 12/30 - it was fantastic! It had rained late afternoon/early evening, and was a tad chilly - these probably contibuted to (comparitively) low crowds. Don't get me wrong - it was very crowded! But was fairly easy to move around and get places. DD (the one who doesn't like heavy crowds) didn't have any issues. And we all LOVED the NYE fireworks! Best I've ever seen!

Yeah - I wish our trip was reversed weather-wise. It was in the 80s until 12/29.. then the weather took a turn!

 

[andyman8]

Your experience really depends on your group's comfort level with crowds. Everywhere you go, from restrooms to restaurants to shops to restaurants to rides to even the tiniest corridors, are beyond packed, but if you've never felt extremely bothered by crowds, you'll have a great time. Crowds don't really get to me, so I had a blast on NYE. If you go for the experience and not for the rides, you won't be disappointed. The holiday decorations are, of course, still there, plus the atmosphere is really any other day, it would drive me bananas, but I found it to be fun and festive. They've got

Went this past NYE to MK and had a blast. I really managed expectations when it comes to rides for that day and made it kind of a low priority for me. Of course, I still made FP+s and got on a number of rides with my longest wait being 35 mins for PotC I think. How I did it was we decided, because we were going to be up late, to sleep in and do a 10:30 breakfast at Chef Mickey's before heading into the parks. We had FP+s that afternoon for Space, Splash, and 7DMT. According to MDE, we also scored additional passes for BTMRR, Buzz, and Peter Pan. I thought it was particularly cool how MK did two sets of fireworks that night. We saw the 7:30 Holiday Wishes from the back of MSUSA and then bee-lined it to the bus to YC to meet the saner half of our party (who chose to spend the day relaxing at our hotel, the Dolphin) for dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse at 8:30. They brought us a change of clothes and we had a nice relaxing meal and head out at about 11 to go back to MK, while they had desserts and chatted. It was tight but we made it and got a decent view of the fireworks towards the end of MSUSA. We did a few more rides before the park closed at 1. Yeah, we were exhausted and there were certainly parts of the day that were very stressful (mainly the leaving for Yachtsman and getting back in time for fireworks), but looking back on it, it was a lot of fun.

If you go for the experience and not for the rides, you won't be disappointed. The holiday decorations are, of course, still there, plus the atmosphere is really exciting. Starting at about 4pm, they'll be handing out hats and horns for free, so from that point on, everyone's going around the park blowing their horns. On any other day, it would drive me bananas, but I found it to be fun and festive. They've got upbeat, pop music playing throughout the park at night too. Like others have said, MK is very family-friendly for NYE, but sometime, I'd like to try Epcot's NYE. I've also heard the Fantasia dinner is great fun there, and you get the added bonus of reserved seating for IllumiNations. I believe bookings for that open within the next month.

Also, just a little known tip, the restaurants do not charge no-show fees on NYE due to the crowding and capacity closures, so if you're feeling like it's too much and you won't make it to dinner, that's fine. Obviously, if you know in advance that you're not going to show, cancel the ADR, but if you're unsure, you won't be charged.

 

[Cdlam]

I really appreciate all the advice! We really plan on focusing on soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the holiday shows rather than just rides. I definitely think we will plan on heading to the MK the evening of the 30th (looks like EMH evening) and then try heading into Epcot the afternoon of the 31st. I know we wouldn't make it to RD if we stay late at MK on the 30th, but if the park is so full in the afternoon to close to onsite guests (we are at POFQ), I'm pretty sure I'd rather skip it anyway, lol.