WDW New Years Eve

[Disney_Jedi_Jon]

Hi

I will be at WDW for New years Eve this year.I was wondering what to do,I'm thinking EPCOT.
There are six of us,DW and I,Granma and Grandad,and the kids (age 8 and 5).It doesn't have to be at wdw,but I'm looking for something for everyone.
Let me know if you guys have any good ideas.

Jon

 

[gilld]

We did Christmas and New Year back in 1997. We visited MK on Christmas Day...never again, we felt it positively dangerously crowded. Consequently we avoided any park on New Years Eve. In any case they had closed the gates to ALL guests (day guests and resort guests) by 9am. We stayed the evening at POFQ and had a fantastic time, though needed to bag our seats VERY early evening. Personally, I would avoid the parks on NYE but if you must go be prepared for them to have crowds the like of which you've probably never seen.
Good luck...

 

[Camac]

Hi Jon,

What you have been told already is correct - all parks will be heaving on NYE.

We were there last year (2003/04) and spent NYE day relaxing at the pool and doing a bit of shopping (Orlando Premuim Outlets is a MUST!). For NYE itself we booked the Hoop de Do Musical Review at Wilderness Lodge.

Our evening went like this....

7pm ish arrived at Wilderness Lodge which was beautifully decorated for Christmas, kids watched TV whilst we had a nice, quiet drink in the bar before wandering down to the jetty at about 8.30pm and catching a boat to take us to the Pinoneer Hall at the Fort Wilderness Resort.

(9.30pm)The show was good fun, corny but very enjoyable with lots of audience participation and the food was plentiful. Afterwards we were bused the short distance back to Wilderness Lodge and made our way back to the jetty were we watched the spectaular midnight fireworks reflected in the lake.

We all enjoyed the evening without being jostled by the crowds. If you think this would be a good option for your family you must book the Hoop Dee Doo as soon as possible.

If you want to go to a park on NYE you will have to be in early and stay late - remember it will take you a long time to exit the park when everyone else has the same aim.

Camac

 

[DisneyBB]

We are going at Christmas/Newyear 05. Since we are members of DVC we are going to try and stay at BWV or BCV. Does anyone know what entertainment is laid on in the Boardwalk area?

 

[Hilary]

We spent NYE in Epocot in 2000/01, and lived to tell the tale

Yes, it was busy, but we had a great (very long) day and evening there. We knew it would be busy, so had nothing specific planned (other than meals) so that anything we could do would be a bonus.

As gilld said, the parks are often full very early (we arrived by 7:30am ), so you do need to be up-and-at-'em if you want to be sure of getting in your park of choice. This also means you won't necessarily get back in to the parks if you want to go back for a rest mid-afternoon, which makes for a very long day indeed if you stay the duration!

In the evening it's great to visit the different countries at the time their 'homelands' are celebrating midnight - this way you get a different NYE on the hour, every hour! We'd planned our PS in the Rose and Crown so that we could join in with the UK celebrations at 7:00pm (midnight back home). There was also an extra showing of Illuminations around then which hadn't been advertised - a great bonus.

We have never been quicker at getting back to our resort than after the NYE celebrations - one of the CMs said "If there's a bus in Orlando with gas in it, Disney have hired it", and I believe them! From leaving the lagoon in Epcot after an extended Illuminations, to getting back in our room at ASMo (picking up a mug of hot chocolate on the way ) took no more than 45 minutes.

Our DDs were teenagers when we went, and I think I may have planned things differently if we'd had smaller children with us, but Epcot worked well for us

 

[Disney_Jedi_Jon]

Hi

Thanks for the feedback on NYE guys.The hoop de do sounds great,lots of fun for everyone without a long tiring day in the parks.Thanks camac.
I love the idea of being in epcot for nye,being able to celebrate nye in the different countries of the world showcase sounds fantasic,a really cool touch disney.
If it was DW and I,I'd go for epcot,but with kids and grandparents hoop de do sounds right.

Thanks for the feedback

Jon