My husband and I were at US/IOA for NYE in 2001. I can only give you thoughts about it minus children. It was just the two of us....
After many questions, and reviews from this board, we decided to visit Orlando for NYE...In our 12 years together we have never traveled for the christmas/NYE holidays, so we knew were in for a real treat!!! (keep in mind, we never go anywhere with our expectations to high).
Let me say first, the parks are very crowded. I will not kid about this, but with planning they are easy to navigate even during the busiest time of the year. We knew what we wanted to see and do first, and mapped out our itinerary from here. Of course it was not exact, because you always stumble across the unexpected, but all in all, we got to do and see 90% of what we wanted. The weather was definitely a plus and played a major role in our vacation. We could not have asked for better weather, High 60's low 70's... Evenings were coolest, but comfortable. Starting out early morning, or around dinner time is the best in our opinion. You beat the late sleepers or the folks who like to eat dinner at a certain time...However, we always found ourselves eating dinner between 4 and 5pm..It may be a little early for some, but it was perfect for us....Less crowds, and sometimes we even caught specials when we ate before 6pm.
The parks are great, with Islands of Adventure being the best. My husband loved this park... We are heading back again this year.....
NYE night is also very crowded but doable. IF you are planning to attend any of the festivities, arrive early...
TIP: For the festivities, citywalk nye party or US fireworks display, arrive early, but leave just before things start to end....We made a major mistake by leaving just after the fireworks ended...Anyone who is not at the clubs are leaving at the same time, and it can be a madhouse!!!!!!!!!! IF your at the clubs, try and hang in there as close to 2am as possible...There will be a lot less people leaving than at midnight. If we could afford it we would have preferred staying onsite, but we did stay at the Holiday Inn which was fine, and very close to the parks.
The NYE party at Citywalk is fantastic!!!!!!!!!! Hot and cold buffets, party favors, live entertainment, etc. The tickets are pricey, but if you arrive when the gates open, you have a better chance of eating some good food, and getting in and out of the clubs easier, until big crowds really show up....Everyone was having a good time though, so it made for an enjoyable evening...
P.S. There were many many families at the parks!!! All ages. On NYE night was the same, young and old. There are more teenagers at IOA than at US, but I think the younger kids will enjoy IOA just as much......The theme and design of this park is amazing, and your kids will love it!!!!!!!
If you have any more questions, feel free send me an email.
See you at the parks in December!!!!!!!!!!!
