new year's holiday

[LoriB]

WE will be on our first visit at a dvc resort since joining over the new year's holiday. We need some suggestions as to what we can do for the 30th and the 31st since everyone tells me the parks are terrible. We will be staying at a 2 br. at OKW and we would like to use our time wisely but avoid as much of the crowd as possible. Also...is there somewhere where we can go as a family to watch new year's fireworks without trying to get into the parks? thanks

LoriB

 

[PamOKW]

The 30th will be very busy but the 31st will be incredibly crowded (depending on the weather it could be a little less so but still packed).

It's possible that you might see the fireworks by stepping outside your OKW home, depending upon where you are. The fireworks at all the parks on the 31st are super spectacular extravaganzas. You would for sure hear them in your OKW home or else think you were under aerial attack. You might consider spending time at the Boardwalk and then be that much closer to see the Epcot fireworks. However, you will have a lot of traffic on the way back to OKW.

It's true that the parks are busy on NYE but it also a wonderful experience to be in that crowd. You don't have to be riding the rides, you can enjoy the other entertainment that is happening. They have all kinds of special events going on in all the parks. Think about going to a park for the best fireworks of all.

 

[disynut]

I have been at NY, and it is wild, but there are lots of activities. I would say use Early Entry, and then after you do the EE at a park, leave and either go back to the hotel for a swim and a rest, or go to another park. Eat during off times(late breakfast, early dinner, etc.) to avoid food crowds. See the Osborne Lights at MGM-it is a walkthrough and so crowds aren't really a huge problem. As far as the fireworks, I don't know of anywhere that won't be crowded, but someone else here might.

Oh, and be prepared for cold weather!!
Have fun-it really is a great time to visit!

 

[kem330]

I hate crowds, but I have to say that nothing beats the atmosphere of NYE at Epcot. And it really didn't seem that bad- just being there, walking around, having a nice meal in one of the "countries" and watching illuminations was great. And yes- be prepared for cold weather! We like to wait around until the crowd thins out and take a leisurely stroll around WS in the almost empty park. We'll be there this year!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We were there for the "biggie" Dec. 31,1999. It was very crowded, but we arrived at Epcot about 3 pm and had dinner ressies in Germany at 6 pm. We tried to see world showcase, but got frustrated with the crowds, so went to future world and nearly walked on everything! We were quite surprised at that. Of course, when we needed to return to Germany for our ressie, we had to allow a LOT of time to get there, and it was a mistake to plan that time seating, since Germany was celebrating their midnight at 6 pm!

After our dinner, we went to Canada and progressed to the top level where we secured a spot against the wall and had a good view of the fantastic fireworks and millennium count down. After the fireworks, the crowd kind of moved slowly enmass to the front exit and the buses, but we knew all the short cuts, and we were back at our OKW villa by 1:15 am. Would I reccommend it? ABSOLUTELY! It was the highlight of our trip! Will I do it again? Yes, but probably not for awhile. It was definately worth it once though!
ps; FYI, the parks were nearly empty on Jan. 1st!

Disneydiane

[This message was edited by dianeschlicht on 04-05-01 at 09:16 AM.]

 

[NFalzon]

1999-- I anticipated the parks would be too awful to try. PLUS, we had reservations for the Cirque du Soleil Pary (Dinner/Show/Champagne & Dessert) at DOWNTOWN DISNEY. Believe it or not, we went to Typhoon Lagoon. Was it colder than I'd prefer? Um, yes... but... it was also entirely empty! (This could not have been done 12/31/2000 though--that was almost artic cold--but I suspect it out of the norm...)

2000-- We actually arrived on the 31st, so we just rested and then went to the Narcossee's Party (5 Course dinner with top notch viewing of INCREDIBLE fireworks). So what's my suggestion? Plan to go to one of the parties (there are several available) and just spend the morning doing something very leisurely.

I have yet to try the parks on NYE... I don't think I would either.
Nick

 

[MikeJ]

We arrived in Orlando around 2:00pm on December 31, 2000 and figured we'd not be able to get into any park. We'd made PS arrangements at Epcot, MK, MGM, and at the GF (if we couldn't get into a park). The front desk at OKW told us that the lots to both Epcot and MK were closed but we could get there via Disney transport. When we got to MK we exchanged our vouchers for APs and just walked in. A cast member at City Hall told us that nothing had been closed that day (contrary to what we'd been told) and that the crowds were lighter than they had been expecting.

We watched the fireworks from in front of the Crystal Palace and there was plenty of room to move around. I was surprised at how light the crowds were, particularly after the reports I'd read about NYE 1999. Of course, the temp was around 37 that night and I suspect it may have been too cold for a lot of the locals.

We then spent the next five days recovering from the stomach flu which our son had contracted before we left home. Thank goodness for the extra living space you get in a 1BR at OKW. It was bad enough getting sick on vacation - it would have been immeasureably worse in a regular hotel room.

- Mike

 

[kem330]

N Falzon has great suggestions for parties they have at the different restaurants, etc. But I'm afraid they are very pricey. How much was Cirque and Narcoosees? California Grill was around $200/person and I just kept thinking I could eat there 3-4 times for that much money.

 

[bres@westernMA]

We have spent the last two Christmas Seasons at WDW and have loved every minute of it (including the crowds). No matter what you end up deciding - my only advice is make dinner reservations (PS) as far in advance as possible. For some reason, this year (2000), we didn't. As the result of this oversight, we couldn't eat (or at least from about 4:00PM till 10:00PM) at a number of our favorite spots. We also had to wait for 20 minutes each time we tried to call MS for any of these PS attempts. Have a great trip. It will be cool but way warmer than in PA

 

[PamOKW]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>. Of course, the temp was around 37 that night and I suspect it may have been too cold for a lot of the locals. [/quote]

Weather is the wild card. If it's bad or cold (or if NYE is in the middle of the week) you'll cut down on the "drive to WDW" crowd. If it's a beautiful, warm Saturday....look out!

Kem330 I think $200 is low for CG, I think it was more. The Atlantic Dance was $300 per person and PI was something like 5.

 

[Buttercup]

This may seem boring, but we hate crowds and went for New Years last year anyway. Our strategy: we went to the parks early in the day and enjoyed the happy busy atmosphere. We had an early dinner at Citricos, walked the beach, then watched the MK fireworks from a swing on the Poly beach. We also watched the Electric water pageant. It was such a great night. I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you decide to do.

 

[NFalzon]

CG was more like $500 and Narcossee's was $300.

Now I realize that it's pricey, but these meals were not your standard fare... My Narcossee's meal was:
Soup w/ Chamagne
Scallops w/ White Wine
Lobster & Filet Mignon w/ Red Wine
Dessert w/ Dessert Wine
Cheese w/ Champagne

In addition to an entirely open bar, entertainment, and a great view of the MK fireworks.

CG had something very similar, but there's also included an open sushi, caviar, and truffles bar. I know I can eat $500 of sushi in a 5 hour timespan!
Nick

 

[JohnG]

Our experience 12/30/00 - 1/5/01

The parks were not nearly as crowded as we expected. We chose MK and - being AP holders, DVC Members and staying on site - we expected little trouble delaying our arrival until 10AM (nothing was guaranteed, but I just had a feeling we would get in no matter what the situation). As it turned out, there were no problems whatsoever.

I'm sure part of it was the chilly forecast, but still, NYE was on a Sunday night, so there were LOTS of locals there.

The one mistake I made was not securing a dinner PS way in advance, but we got dumb-lucky and ended up getting one for the 7 of us at Cinderella's Royal Table in the Castle(!) for 8PM on NYE. Don't even ask how many times I called trying to get the ressie! o)

We were able to book lunch (1:15 PM) PS for Tony's Town Square Restaurant at 10:15 AM that day! More dumb luck?

We checked with Town Hall several times to find out if the park was going to be closed for re-entry. Early in the day they could not predict if the park would ever be closed, but by 2PM they told us re-entry would be no problem. We went back to DVC via Disney bus (didn't want to take the Monorail and go through Epcot because that COULD jeapordize our MK re-entry status). After a 3 hour nap, we went back to MK and it was GREAT!

Overall, the only rides that had ridiculous wait times were Splash and Space, but with FP at least you didn't waste the time standing in lines. Also, we took the opportunity to visit and view all sorts of small things we either had never done before or hadn't for several years, which were all super.

We staked out our favorite spot (not telling where!) at about 10PM while the kids took turns going off 2 at a time to do AE and Time Keeper.

The midnite show was WORTH THE WAIT. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Good luck with your plans.

JohnG
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