Questions about NYE trip

[kelmac284]

I know I know I am nuts to even THINK about going for NYE BUT my daughter's birthday is that day and I have always wanted to go just ONCE for NYE to see the fireworks etc and I thought it would be a fun way to spend her 13th birthday.

We are thinking about going next year (2012/13) and what my question is I have heard that if you stay on property that you are guaranteed entrance into the parks. Does anyone know for SURE if this is true? It would be worth paying whatever god awful price they would charge to stay over that time if we were guaranteed to get back in because I certainly don't want to have to go in at opening and stay till midnight. Esp since my daughter would like to eat at one of the hotels for her birthday.

Also does anyone know what the first week of Jan is usually like? We would be there for NYE of course but then stay through the rest of the week till the 7th as my kids have that week off school.

Would love to know from those who are in the know because I would hate to go and find out that the info I heard was not correct.

Thanks.

 

[Malcon10t]

and what my question is I have heard that if you stay on property that you are guaranteed entrance into the parks. Does anyone know for SURE if this is true?

This is NOT true. While it sounds good in theory, to hold enough space for every room to have 5 people admitted to the park you would have to keep it open to thousands of guests, not knowing if thy were in the park or not. It isn't practical.

Only Club 33 members are guaranteed entrance if the park closes due to capacity crowd.

ETA - A couple years ago, a family was staying at the GCH, and had purchased 12 seats to the midnight showing of Fantasmic!. They did not attempt to enter the park until 830pm, thinking since they were hotel guests and had Fantasmic! seating and thought they were guaranteed admittance. They were VERY upset they had spent so much money and were locked out.

Get there early and stay in the park. And DCA is usually open if Disneyland hits capacity. We are there every year for NYE.

 

[Belle Ella]

I was there for NYE last year and it was an absolute blast. I think as long as you know what you're getting yourself into, it doesn't make you crazy to attempt it.

Yeah, that sounds like wishful thinking. When the gates close to capacity - they close.

As for the following week, crowds should be very, very light. The first week of January was easily the least crowded time I have ever been there. I skipped January 1st, but I was pretty much there the 2nd through the 6th and it was such a breeze. And fun - you get to keep seeing the transition from the Holidays to back to "normal". It was interesting to see what of the holiday decorations I could spot each day after the official season was over.

 

[Sherry E]

Kelly -

I haven't done NYE since NYE 2000, and even then the park was closing to capacity and not letting people back in. But I have not been recently for NYE so I can't comment on crowd levels. I know what Jessica has said and what others have said, and that sounds much better than what it was like when I did NYE years ago (it was scary and claustrophobic). I think this is because, when I was there, DCA was not open yet, DTD wasn't even fully open and functional yet, and there was no GCH lobby for people to go and hang around in. Quite frankly, there was nowhere for anyone to go back then except into Disneyland, the Disneyland Hotel or the PPH. Now, there are more options, and people don't all have to crowd onto Main Street like sardines, I suppose.

In the Christmas thread, there have been a couple of other DIS'ers mention that they plan to do New Year's Eve again this year. Tksbaskets has also done NYE too.

As for the first week in January - keep in mind that 2012 is going to be a tad different. The holiday season is officially extending all the way to January 8th this time around - which is much, much different than what has happened in previous years. Usually, DLR announces that the holiday season will last until 1/2 or 1/3 or even 1/4 (this past January, the official season ending date was Sunday, January 2nd), and then they begin the slow dismantling of the holiday decor over the next week. IASW Holiday generally stays open until after MLK Day, but a lot of folks don't know that.

But January 8th is quite surprising for an official season ending date. That's a full week past New Year's Day. So, while I do think that many people will have gone home, back to work and school, and it will be a less crowded time than that week before Christmas or the week between Christmas and New Year's, I am thinking it will be more crowded than it would normally be in the first week of January (probably a bit more crowded than when Jessica was there this past January) because DLR is actually publicizing January 8th as the official season ending date. For anyone who is not able to make it to DLR to enjoy the holiday season before New Year's Day due to family obligations or whatever, now they know that everything will up until January 8th and they have until 1/8 to get to DLR and enjoy it.

 

[Malcon10t]

Our family has been going annually for NYE since 1999. (We missed 2003.) It is crowded, but if you plan to eat at odd times, get reservations for a dinner ahead of time, and don't plan on doing much, you can have a great time. We always bring card games with us. (Phase 10 is the popular one.) And book games. A couple years ago, we parked in Pizza Port for an hour after lunch and were playing cards, when a gentleman came up and asked my kids if they were aware there were rides out there! Well, since we had already been at Disneyland for 10 days, cards were a blast!

Don't plan on riding a bunch of rides, plan on enjoying the atmosphere, and you will enjoy.

 

[Belle Ella]

Ack, I forgot that the Holiday season was lasting longer

And don't get me wrong, it's still packed like sardines. But I had fun with it and didn't mind it in the least. I think what gets a lot of people is that they go into it thinking it's going to be packed in a negative way and get frustrated that they can't do anything. I did the Holiday Tour on NYE last year and found that to be a blast, even though it could get hard trying to keep up with our guide because of the crowds, but it was great to feel like we did a lot without actually doing a lot. Then afterward, just parked it in one spot for the rest of the night and had fun with the music. That was the best part. It was a huge party.

 

[Sherry E]

Ack, I forgot that the Holiday season was lasting longer

And don't get me wrong, it's still packed like sardines. But I had fun with it and didn't mind it in the least. I think what gets a lot of people is that they go into it thinking it's going to be packed in a negative way and get frustrated that they can't do anything. I did the Holiday Tour on NYE last year and found that to be a blast, even though it could get hard trying to keep up with our guide because of the crowds, but it was great to feel like we did a lot without actually doing a lot. Then afterward, just parked it in one spot for the rest of the night and had fun with the music. That was the best part. It was a huge party.

Yes - this is going to be an odd, long holiday season, isn't it? I'm not sure exactly why DLR is stretching it to 1/8, really, and not just ending the season on a weekday before that, but there you have it. I still think that many, many people will have returned to work and school, but there will probably be some extra people in the parks in that first January week who might not have been there otherwise, just because of the holiday season still going on.

I definitely agree that one's mindset going into a NYE trip affects the outcome. We certainly did not expect the crowds to be the way they were when we did our NYE outing (though I'm not sure why we didn't expect crowds like that, seeing it was the year 2000 going into 2001, and that was a big deal to people at the time). Add to that that there were fewer places for the mobs to disperse to and it was a stressful time for us on Main Street as we clawed our way out of the crowds. Now, if I were to ever do a NYE trip again, I would have a different approach to it and know what to expect...and I might stay away from Main Street.

I think you have to be mentally prepared for it - because if people don't prepare for it, they might get there and panic (if they are particularly uncomfortable with large crowds) or not want to do anything, or even move around in the parks. But I think it's possible to mentally prepare for it in a positive way (going into it without being afraid!) and have a back-up plan (or two) in place so the whole trip is not ruined. You can go into a NYE trip knowing that if DL is too crazy, there are other places to go in DLR, or there are certain places in DL that are not as sardine-like as others.

 

[disneychrista]

Yes - this is going to be an odd, long holiday season, isn't it? I'm not sure exactly why DLR is stretching it to 1/8, really,.

I think think it is because of how the holiday's fall this year. Plus schools (at least in my area) are out until 1/8.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

OK we went for NYE last year for the first time...just my DH and me. I was very worried after all the research I did here on the boards and other sights, because my DH can get very impatient. I talked to him about it and made sure he understood how many people would be there, that we would go into the park first thing in the morning and we were not planning on leaving until they closed.
We took a long lunch at BB and stayed for almost 2 hours eating very slowly. The park was packed but we never felt the lines were unbearable, Disney knows what they are doing with them. We collected fast passes all day and used them after midnight. After the second parade we camped out near Its A Small World and took a good long rest listening to music and eating a picnic dinner. The worst part of our day was trying to get breakfast in the morning...the lines were a mess. This year we will make reservations for both Breakfast and Lunch and do the same for dinner. We had a great time we never let the crowds get to us and were looking forward to going again this year. Now I have tried to talk my kids into going with us this year, but as much as they love Disney they do not want to mess with the crowds. Maybe next year for them

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks so much everyone for your responses!! That is def interesting about them extending the season and I have a feeling they may do that next year as well when we want to go because THIS year my kids have to go back on the 2nd I think but NEXT year is when they get off till the 8th so I would think they might take that into consideration. That is why we were thinking about doing it.

And I agree with what everyone has said. I KNOW it will be crazy packed and I had planned all along on getting there early, having ressies for all meals and just mostly kicking back and riding what we could be not worrying about rides too much and mostly just "hanging" out. I thought if it WAS possible to get back in it would have been nice to go back and take a nap but I didn't THINK that sounded right so that is why I wanted to get it confirmed and glad I asked the "pro's" I sure would have hated to go thinking that were true and then find out otherwise!! Plus I seriously doubt we would want to spend whatever it might cost to stay on the holiday at the Disney hotels. EEK!

I think we will stay away from the parks on NY day as well. Probably go up to Pasadena and do the float viewing or something.

But thanks again everyone for the great advice!! I think it would be great fun to celebrate my daughter's 13th b-day and prob a one time thing but something we will always remember!!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks so much everyone for your responses!! That is def interesting about them extending the season and I have a feeling they may do that next year as well when we want to go because THIS year my kids have to go back on the 2nd I think but NEXT year is when they get off till the 8th so I would think they might take that into consideration. That is why we were thinking about doing it.

And I agree with what everyone has said. I KNOW it will be crazy packed and I had planned all along on getting there early, having ressies for all meals and just mostly kicking back and riding what we could be not worrying about rides too much and mostly just "hanging" out. I thought if it WAS possible to get back in it would have been nice to go back and take a nap but I didn't THINK that sounded right so that is why I wanted to get it confirmed and glad I asked the "pro's" I sure would have hated to go thinking that were true and then find out otherwise!! Plus I seriously doubt we would want to spend whatever it might cost to stay on the holiday at the Disney hotels. EEK!

I think we will stay away from the parks on NY day as well. Probably go up to Pasadena and do the float viewing or something.

But thanks again everyone for the great advice!! I think it would be great fun to celebrate my daughter's 13th b-day and prob a one time thing but something we will always remember!!

Can you do the float viewing before the Rose Parade happens? I've never done that. I know you can go and volunteer to work on the floats pre-parade, but the actual parade is not happening until Monday, January 2nd in 2012 (Rose Parades are never held on Sundays, ever).

Again, it's been ages since I did a NYE/NYD trip to DLR, but I found that those first few hours on New Year's Day are golden in DL. Try not to miss that window of opportunity if there are rides you want to do with short or no lines! If you can, you should stick around DLR until just before noon or so. People are sleeping and hungover from the night before, and the crowds are minimal until about 12 p.m.

 

[kelmac284]

I think you can view the floats ahead of time but we are actually going NEXT year which would be 2013. I know I am probably being confusing cuz I say next year and technically next year IS 12 but to me that is pretty much already here LOL. So I mean the NEXT NYE not this one coming up. So we would go down the last few days of Dec 2012 and be there for NYE 2012 and NYE 2013 does that make sense? I think NYE is on a Sunday and NY day is on a monday that year.

And you are right about them not being held on a Sunday because the first time I ever went to the Rose Parade it was like that that year. We were able to drive down ON NY day I think it was cuz it was a sunday and then we went to the parade the next day which was a monday and then drove home right after. That was the year it rained like crazy!! So then we did a do over the very next year. The year George Lucas was grand marshall. MUCH better that year!! I would actually like to go back to the parade but can't do NYE late AND the parade all in the same day! LOL

 

[Sherry E]

I think you can view the floats ahead of time but we are actually going NEXT year which would be 2013. I know I am probably being confusing cuz I say next year and technically next year IS 12 but to me that is pretty much already here LOL. So I mean the NEXT NYE not this one coming up. So we would go down the last few days of Dec 2012 and be there for NYE 2012 and NYE 2013 does that make sense? I think NYE is on a Sunday and NY day is on a monday that year.

And you are right about them not being held on a Sunday because the first time I ever went to the Rose Parade it was like that that year. We were able to drive down ON NY day I think it was cuz it was a sunday and then we went to the parade the next day which was a monday and then drove home right after. That was the year it rained like crazy!! So then we did a do over the very next year. The year George Lucas was grand marshall. MUCH better that year!! I would actually like to go back to the parade but can't do NYE late AND the parade all in the same day! LOL

Oh, okay, I got ya! Yes the "next year" wording was throwing me off (even though you clearly said 2012/2013 in your first post, and I think I looked right past that part of it!), so I was thinking you were talking about going this coming New Year into 2012, rather than 2012 into 2013.

But will New Year's Day in 2013 be on a Monday? This coming New Year's Day will be on a Sunday. Then 2012 is Leap Year, so shouldn't New Year's Day 2013 be on a Tuesday? I think so! Quick! Someone grab a 2013 calendar!!

It always feels odd on those rare occasions when the Rose Parade does not happen on New Year's Day. It only happens once in a blue moon, but it is so tied into New Year's Day that when the parade is held on a day other than NYD, it feels weird!!

I am guessing, then, that the DLR holiday season in 2012/2013 will likely carry through Sunday, January 6, 2013.

 

[kelmac284]

Yeah you know you are probably right. I don't have a 12/13 calendar in front of me. I always have to look on my tablet LOL. But I do think you are right now that you mention it. But either way that was our plan. To go to Disney on NYE and then somewhere ELSE on NY day and then back to the parks the rest of the week. Although now you have me curious as to if it will be crowded next year because of the whole holiday going through the 8th thing. Hmmm? Shall be interesting! I think we will go for it though as long as finances and everything else fall into play. I think she would love that! I told her too that one year I want to go to Times Square for her birthday. Yet ANOTHER crazy madhouse but it is one of those things I want to say that I did ONCE. Know what I mean