Will MK reach capacity on New Year's Eve?

[LSUmiss]

We visit WDW a few times a year but have never been on NYE before. I know to expect it to be packed, but does it usually reach capacity by early morning?

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

This past year it hit phase 1 closure by 10a. We arrived aroind that time and did our 3 FPs and had lunch. It waa busy but still fun. As long as you are staying on site you should be fine. It's been years since they actually stopped letting anyone enter. The general thought is that with the Fantasy Land expansion it is unlikely to happen again.

 

[Skywise]

Yes it will hit capacity - But the worst I've ever seen in the past few years was phase 2 (not letting people with parkhoppers in) and that was only once in the past 5 years.

There's basically 4 phases:
1 - people with 1 day tickets aren't allowed in.
2 - people with multiday tickets and hopping from another park aren't allowed in
3 - people with multiday tickets but NOT staying onsite aren't allowed in
4 - Nobody allowed in.

As Momto3PrincessesInNJ said - If you're staying on-site you shouldn't have any problem getting in.

 

[RoyalJay]

If you're not staying on-site, one big reason to get there early is the traffic. Last year on NYE we took the monorail to Epcot just before noon and the traffic to get through the gates into the parking lot was backed up way past the point where the monorail turns to go to Epcot. It didn't seem to be moving much either. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[LSUmiss]

Great! All of this helps! We will be onsite so it seems like we should be ok! Thanks!!

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes it will hit capacity - But the worst I've ever seen in the past few years was phase 2 (not letting people with parkhoppers in) and that was only once in the past 5 years.

There's basically 4 phases:
1 - people with 1 day tickets aren't allowed in.
2 - people with multiday tickets and hopping from another park aren't allowed in
3 - people with multiday tickets but NOT staying onsite aren't allowed in
4 - Nobody allowed in.

As Momto3PrincessesInNJ said - If you're staying on-site you shouldn't have any problem getting in.

I have another quick question for clarification. I am staying on site & we have annual passes. Where would I fall in these phases above? Was thinking of getting to MK in the afternoon, but is that asking for trouble??

 

[Skywise]

I have another quick question for clarification. I am staying on site & we have annual passes. Where would I fall in these phases above? Was thinking of getting to MK in the afternoon, but is that asking for trouble??

Phase 4 -I've never seen it reach that point so you should be able to get in fine although it will be pretty crowded by that point.

 

[LSUmiss]

Phase 4 -I've never seen it reach that point so you should be able to get in fine although it will be pretty crowded by that point.

Thanks! That helps me plan!

 

[CAS239]

No park will reach phase 4. Its VERY rare for that to happen. It's only happened a few times throughout all the years WDW has been open.

And if you're an AP or staying on site, then you're good to get into the parks up until the final phase 4 closure. So if you're in this category when you visit Disney, don't worry about closures

 

[Skywise]

Thanks! That helps me plan!

Definitely make dining reservations now for both late lunch and/or dinner (if that's your thing!)

 

[thptrek]

Double on the dining. We were there last year. If you don't make reservations then expect really long waits for anything (this includes drink stands, popcorn, etc.). The only rides you should expect to get on should be your FP selections. Despite the crowds we loved it it you go with the right attitude and go with the flow.

 

[Nancyg56]

Great! All of this helps! We will be onsite so it seems like we should be ok! Thanks!!

Just be sure to give yourself a travel cushion. Even onsite guests get stuck in traffic.

 

[LSUmiss]

Thanks for all the advice! Already did dining & fast pass. There was more availability than I thought!

 

[Karabear15]

We were there last year, At 9am on NYE they stopped letting people into the park for about an hour. It was crowded that entire day, but it was still manageable. However, we did find out from a CM at the end of the night when they were trying to usher everyone around like cattle for the fireworks that they actually open up and allow even more people than what capacity is just for the fireworks. That is why many of them try to tell you that you will see the fireworks better from outside of the park in the parking lot. If you like feeling like a sardine for an hour, go for it...but it is never a night that we will experience there again.

 

[LSUmiss]

We were there last year, At 9am on NYE they stopped letting people into the park for about an hour. It was crowded that entire day, but it was still manageable. However, we did find out from a CM at the end of the night when they were trying to usher everyone around like cattle for the fireworks that they actually open up and allow even more people than what capacity is just for the fireworks. That is why many of them try to tell you that you will see the fireworks better from outside of the park in the parking lot. If you like feeling like a sardine for an hour, go for it...but it is never a night that we will experience there again.

Is it like that all over MK or just in front of the castle & down Main Street? Can you still see the fireworks in different areas of the park like in fantasyland like you can during Wishes?

 

[Karabear15]

Is it like that all over MK or just in front of the castle & down Main Street? Can you still see the fireworks in different areas of the park like in fantasyland like you can during Wishes?

They start to set up CM's to direct you, and they closed off most of the "spokes" that lead into the main hub of MK, so you literally have to walk all the way around in order to get anywhere. I feel like we had a 10pm fast pass for Jingle Cruise then immediately went to try and get a spot for the fireworks. I personally felt it was unorganized in the way they were directing people, but I'm also not in charge of thousands of people, so who knows. You will find that they put tape on the road and you cannot be past the tape what-so-ever or CMs will tell you that you need to find another place to stand. The fireworks are literally shot off all around the park, it isn't just behind the castle, so I would think that you could see it from other areas, but any ground show stuff you wouldn't see. If it helps, we got to MK just before 9am and there were people who literally brought in blankets and bags of board games, cards, etc and they just posted up in the grassy areas in the Hub for the entire day. We laughed about it as we passed, but they were extremely smart. IF (big if) I were to do NYE again at MK, I would dedicate a different day to enjoying the park and then do as we saw, bring activities and just have a sunbathing day.

 

[LSUmiss]

They start to set up CM's to direct you, and they closed off most of the "spokes" that lead into the main hub of MK, so you literally have to walk all the way around in order to get anywhere. I feel like we had a 10pm fast pass for Jingle Cruise then immediately went to try and get a spot for the fireworks. I personally felt it was unorganized in the way they were directing people, but I'm also not in charge of thousands of people, so who knows. You will find that they put tape on the road and you cannot be past the tape what-so-ever or CMs will tell you that you need to find another place to stand. The fireworks are literally shot off all around the park, it isn't just behind the castle, so I would think that you could see it from other areas, but any ground show stuff you wouldn't see. If it helps, we got to MK just before 9am and there were people who literally brought in blankets and bags of board games, cards, etc and they just posted up in the grassy areas in the Hub for the entire day. We laughed about it as we passed, but they were extremely smart. IF (big if) I were to do NYE again at MK, I would dedicate a different day to enjoying the park and then do as we saw, bring activities and just have a sunbathing day.

Thanks! That helps a lot! We go all the time so our main goal that day is the fireworks so that helps me prepare!

 

[CAS239]

Also know that if you're there before nye, MK does their NYE fireworks on the 30th and 31st. So if you wanted to do MK on the 30th and Epcot on the 31st, you could see both nye firework shows.

This is what we do as getting to and from MK is a pain already. It's bad enough leaving MK after Wishes on a regular night, leaving after NYE is brutal to wait for transportation out.

And we enjoy Epcot more because it can hold a lot more people and not feel as crowded as MK.

 

[Karabear15]

Also know that if you're there before nye, MK does their NYE fireworks on the 30th and 31st. So if you wanted to do MK on the 30th and Epcot on the 31st, you could see both nye firework shows.

This is what we do as getting to and from MK is a pain already. It's bad enough leaving MK after Wishes on a regular night, leaving after NYE is brutal to wait for transportation out.

And we enjoy Epcot more because it can hold a lot more people and not feel as crowded as MK.

I do want to see Epcots take on NYE someday!

Thanks! That helps a lot! We go all the time so our main goal that day is the fireworks so that helps me prepare!

Oh and they also did like a mini version of the fireworks on the 31st, I want to say sometime between 7 and 9...and it was more so for people who had kids and weren't staying until midnight. It wasn't as grand, but they did still have fireworks in a continuous circle around the whole park. The midnight show though, was amazing. So I am glad that I was able to witness them...put's all the shows I have seen here in Chicago for NYE to shame. And as the previous poster said, be prepared for long lines to leave. I don't believe we actually got back to our off site hotel until 3am (and it's only 15 min away).