New Year's Eve!!

[remfam5]

HI!
Just hoping someone could give me some info about Dec. 31 & Jan. 1
What do the crowds look like throughout the evening??
Any helpful tips to navigate the night?
Thanks!!

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

Disneyland park is packed! We have gone several times, and it is a lot of fun. You need to bring your patients and not let things get to you. Our Season Passes expire on the 30th, but we are thinking of renewing so we can stay for the 31st.

 

[Disney127]

Disneyland park is packed! We have gone several times, and it is a lot of fun. You need to bring your patients and not let things get to you. Our Season Passes expire on the 30th, but we are thinking of renewing so we can stay for the 31st.

We will be in the parks on Dec 31 and Jan 1 too - which park would you recommend to spend New Year's Eve? Crowds doesn't bother us much, just wanted to find out which park has more fireworks, party atmosphere (?) etc.

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

Disneyland has the fireworks somewhat, but it's so crowded it's wall to wall people EVERYWHERE. There literally are no walkways, the places that are supposed to be walkways are people just standing around doing nothing. It's a lot of fun but people can be so rude because they don't want to move in a walkway and get mad at you for actually using it for its purpose. The lines will be long, Indiana Jones was 100+ minute wait, as was Space Mountain and all the other attractions. [I went just this past New Years]

I spent 10:30-12:30 in DCA because the crowds were lighter, and hung out at Freeze The Night [Which will probalby be Mad Tea Party instead] and it was a lot more relaxed. There was a nice atmosphere with dancing and music. We also got fireworks, but I am sure they were better at DL however I feel like I didn't really miss much. It was great. We didn't have to fight leaving the park because most people were leaving DL instead of DCA.

 

[Malcon10t]

It is PACKED. We have done NYE every year since 1999 or so (we skipped 2003). DCA is pretty much wide open but DL is crowded. There are parties and dance floors around both parks. We think we will be doing DCA this year.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

We have never done DCA, but that is where we are thinking we will spend this NYE if we renew our passes, it depends on our mood that evening.

 

[Disney127]

It is PACKED. We have done NYE every year since 1999 or so (we skipped 2003). DCA is pretty much wide open but DL is crowded. There are parties and dance floors around both parks. We think we will be doing DCA this year.

Does DL ever reach capacity on NYE and close the gates? I guess that we will just see how it goes with the crowds and what we feel like doing that night.

 

[SMD]

Does DL ever reach capacity on NYE and close the gates? I guess that we will just see how it goes with the crowds and what we feel like doing that night.

Yes. It is the single busiest day of the year. It will reach capacity.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

We have always gone in when they open and don't leave!!! The gates will close.

 

[Disney127]

Yes. It is the single busiest day of the year. It will reach capacity.

Good to know, we will have to decide on which park to be in and stay put. We are not even sure if we can stay up that late! LOL

 

[remfam5]

Disneyland park is packed! We have gone several times, and it is a lot of fun. You need to bring your patients and not let things get to you. Our Season Passes expire on the 30th, but we are thinking of renewing so we can stay for the 31st.

Do you think any of the days between Christmas and New Year's are less busy than the others?? Or are we just needing to prepare ourselves for BUSY BUSY BUSY days EVERYday of that week??

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

It will be BUSY everyday in my opinion, some years it will reach capacity the days leading up to NYE!
That being said, one year we were there and it rained and that really slowed down the crowds (Not NYE, just several days prior)

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

Do you think any of the days between Christmas and New Year's are less busy than the others?? Or are we just needing to prepare ourselves for BUSY BUSY BUSY days EVERYday of that week??

It tends to be busy even then, but if we have a really rainy winter like it's been predicted you may luck out on those days with not super busy crowds. I guess we'll see! Just know that NYE will hit capacity at DL.

 

[SMD]

Do you think any of the days between Christmas and New Year's are less busy than the others?? Or are we just needing to prepare ourselves for BUSY BUSY BUSY days EVERYday of that week??

It's the busiest week of the year, leading up to the busiest day of the year. Any of those days have in the past and can again have capacity closures. There is no way to guess which ones will, it could happen every day. There are levels of closures, with the first being readmissions only. So one plan is to go early if you think you might leave. There is no pattern, like it's never happened on the 27th or it always happens on the 30th or always on the Friday of that week. It is just different degrees of crowded through the day all week long.

 

[Malcon10t]

Does DL ever reach capacity on NYE and close the gates? I guess that we will just see how it goes with the crowds and what we feel like doing that night.

Unless it is raining, the gates will close, often several times a day, and often they do not reopen after about 6pm. I've been there when they have closed as early as 11am. It doesn't matter if you have an AP or if you are staying on property. If the fire marshal closes the gates, you won't be allowed back in.

Do you think any of the days between Christmas and New Year's are less busy than the others?? Or are we just needing to prepare ourselves for BUSY BUSY BUSY days EVERYday of that week??

Dec 26th is the introduction of the ROse Bowl teams in front of the castle. You will see the crowds really ramp up from the 26th on, with all the friends and family from the teams, bands, parade groups coming to watch!....