tips for spending NYE in Epcot

[Joyfulsnuff]

For those of you who have spent New Years Eve in Epcot what tips do you have? We plan to get there at opening and ride as much as we can and we have a dining reservation for lunch at San Angel Inn. Can we expect that by evening it will be impossible to ride any rides even the less popular rides and can we expect that fast passes will be gone for Everything by late morning? Also, is it hard to get a good spot to view Illuminations? One more thing, do we dare leave the park in the afternoon and return later or should we plan to stay in the park all day? Thanks for any advice you can give me.

 

[YepsenCP]

Get there EARLY!!! Hit fast passes for the rides you'll want to ride...
When I went we went in at gates opening and went straight to Mission:Space and had to wait in a 20min ride just to get a fastpass, and already had to wait like 4 hours until we could ride!

It is hard to find a good spot, just stake some ground early and you'll be OK, it'll be very worth it as NYE Illuminations was the most amazing show I have ever seen... It was like daylight there were so many fireworks!!!

All-in-all it was an awesome time, and UNBELIEVABLY packed! Have fun!

 

[Joyfulsnuff]

Bumping

 

[skondo10]

We are going for NYE as well. We are planning on going to EPCOT in the AM and then getting an ADR for dinner at LeCellier. What day can you start making reservations for NYE? Is it still the 90 day window?

 

[Joyfulsnuff]

If you are a resort guest you can make all your adr's in one phone call once you are 90 days from your check in date, I just did this a couple of days ago and got everything I wanted with one phone call, it was great!

 

[pearljim]

Don't want to spoil your NYE but we were in Epcot on NYE several years ago (maybe 10??) along with the entire country of Brazil. You couldn't turn around let alone walk anywhere. They had passed out plastic horns at the entrance in late afternoon and it was so loud you couldn't even hear anything. We went back to the hotel and watched a football game! Never again!!

Hope you have a better experience than we did!

 

[Joyfulsnuff]

I hear ya pearljim. I am trying so hard to prepare myself for the fact that it will be very crowded (and I dont do crowds well) but my son is going to be there with his school band and will only have that day at Epcot so we have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will be there on probably the busiest day of the year. My family has been there many times but my son has friends that have never been there and I keep trying to come up with some kind of stategy so that they will be able to have the best experience possible under somewhat difficult circumstances. I appreciate your honesty, I will admit that I am very concerned about the crowds, we'll just have to make the best of it.