Wow...it sounds like this is WDW's lowest attended NYE in many a year...

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

...with very few posts talking about huge crowds apart from the MK. Even the MK has been usually reported as "crowded but manageable".

This is good news as we want to visit in early June and there are still no discounts that we are aware of.

 

[minniemous]

That is surprising. I was thinking the same thing reading some reports.

 

[andyman8]

I wouldn't call it their worst in a while but I think the rain and dreary weather kept some away, but that said, it was packed (take it from someone who was there!).

Also, check the special offers page. Disney is running a hotel promo through June 15 I believe. We always go in early June and found rooms on Orbitz (which combines the Disney discount with a 15% discount with the code "GIFTME") for great prices! Beach Club was less than $250 per night if I recall correctly.

 

[OKW Lover]

We were in Epcot NYE. No way would we think it was "lowest attended". Not even close.

At 11:00 am I was driving down World Drive (from back-stage) and they were turning cars around at the MK parking toll booth and sending people to other parks. The backup on World Drive was all the way to the Dolphin and beyond.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

I wouldn't call it their worst in a while but I think the rain and dreary weather kept some away, but that said, it was packed (take it from someone who was there!).

Also, check the special offers page. Disney is running a hotel promo through June 15 I believe. We always go in early June and found rooms on Orbitz (which combines the Disney discount with a 15% discount with the code "GIFTME") for great prices! Beach Club was less than $250 per night if I recall correctly.

Well...okay...the MK was "packed"...but everywhere else in WDW(including EPCOT) seemed to be quite uncrowded when considering it was New Years Eve.

Many posters have commented on how easy it was to get a "good view/seat" during Illuminations.

It seems that WDW has only one popular park(MK) and the other three are hanging by a shoestring.

 

[anniemae]

I was checking the app and the wait times were insane for the headliners, 300 mins for TT, 280 for SDMT, even peter pan was 200 mina. But for AK, it seemed like nobody was there. 5 min for Kali, tough to be a bug was 10 mins, Dinosaur was 10 mins. I guess everyone was at MK from what I heard.

 

[Dasha Hermosilla]

I was checking the app and the wait times were insane for the headliners, 300 mins for TT, 280 for SDMT, even peter pan was 200 mina. But for AK, it seemed like nobody was there. 5 min for Kali, tough to be a bug was 10 mins, Dinosaur was 10 mins. I guess everyone was at MK from what I heard.

Yup- AK was the place to be! We left around 2:00 and the crowds we getting thicker though there too.

I would imagine the cold and the rain may have deterred some people, but by no means would you say te crowds were low.

 

[minnie mum]

Well...okay...the MK was "packed"...but everywhere else in WDW(including EPCOT) seemed to be quite uncrowded when considering it was New Years Eve.

Many posters have commented on how easy it was to get a "good view/seat" during Illuminations.

It seems that WDW has only one popular park(MK) and the other three are hanging by a shoestring.

Where on Gods Green Earth are you getting the idea that MK was the only crowded park? And the rest are "hanging be a shoestring"? What does that even mean? Where you at WDW?

Have a look at some actual numbers. The link takes you to Josh's blog, with tables showing the actual wait times. Hardly what you'd call a ghost town in either Epcot or DHS.
http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorized/new-years-eve-walt-disney-world-wait-times/

 

[OKW Lover]

Well...okay...the MK was "packed"...but everywhere else in WDW(including EPCOT) seemed to be quite uncrowded when considering it was New Years Eve.

Many posters have commented on how easy it was to get a "good view/seat" during Illuminations.

It seems that WDW has only one popular park(MK) and the other three are hanging by a shoestring.

This isn't even close to accurate. I was in Epcot NYE (right up until 1:30 am) and it was packed.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It seems that WDW has only one popular park(MK) and the other three are hanging by a shoestring.

I think this is true to an extent.

Epcot is becoming a permanent food and wine festival and probably makes a zillion bucks a year. So no need to improve that much.

I think they know AK and DHS need work and it seems like they will be getting that.

 

[Allison]

Well...okay...the MK was "packed"...but everywhere else in WDW(including EPCOT) seemed to be quite uncrowded when considering it was New Years Eve.

Many posters have commented on how easy it was to get a "good view/seat" during Illuminations.

It seems that WDW has only one popular park(MK) and the other three are hanging by a shoestring.

Where do you get your information from?

 

[DisneyKidds]

We were at Epcot for the last two NYEves. We came away feeling that this year was less crowded than last year. A year ago we were only in the park until about 3:00, whereas this year we didn't enter the park until about 5:00. We did recall it being more congested trying to walk around the promenade last year than we found it to be this year. We also recall seeing many more blankets out in the grassy areas between Future World and World Showcase last year at 3:00 than we saw this year at 7:00. Last year standby times on Soarin' and TT were around 300 minutes, while they seemed closer to 250 this year. We did NYE Eve at the MK both times, and this year seemed to be a little less crowded there as well.

No hard evidence, but just a feel. The parks were still packed, just seemed slightly less so to us.

 

[Magpie]

Is it possible all the new MagicBand stuff is helping Disney improve their crowd control and traffic flow, to the point where the parks feel less crowded, despite the actual attendance numbers being as high as ever?

 

[bumbershoot]

A year ago we were only in the park until about 3:00, whereas this year we didn't enter the park until about 5:00.

But there's no way to know what this year before 3, and last year after 5, would have felt to you.

 

[Shaden]

Is it possible all the new MagicBand stuff is helping Disney improve their crowd control and traffic flow, to the point where the parks feel less crowded, despite the actual attendance numbers being as high as ever?

I have no idea what the attendance was actually like, but regarding this, I would think it unlikely, this is counter to what many many people have reported, and what is intuitively logical.

Many people have reported that crowds have seemed larger when they are in fact lower, due to FP+.

And this makes sense. One of the stated goals is to take people out of line, and put them in the shops and restaurants (and therefore the streets and pathways as well).

Indeed as we have (again) seen here, many people report basically wandering around or lingering around while waiting for their FP windows to open up.

So it would be likely the reverse would be true, the new system would make it feel more crowded rather than less.

 

[MulanMom]

We were at DHS. It was crowded. Lots of people. Now we can say "been there, done that". We actually moved outside the park to watch fireworks. Able to see Epcot's then DHS' show. That being said, we had FPs for popular attractions throughout the evening and tried to take routes that avoided typically crowded areas like Osbourne lights and in front of the hat. Moving through the crowd to get outside the park at around 11:30pm was an experience I would not like to repeat anytime soon. ;-)

It's a great time for families and friends who are into ringing in the new year at big events. Although we were together as a family, I would've preferred something more private. When my kids are young adults, I think it would be a great place for them to go with friends and ring in the new year.

We also attended the NYE run through on Dec. 30th at MK. Crowds were very low there, but only because it was raining and temps were dropping. We originally planned to see the fireworks outside the park at GF, but the earlier showing of Wishes was affected by the humidity. Clouds formed from exploding fireworks ended up partially obscuring some of the later fireworks. Glad we moved into the park to view the awesome NYE show!

 

[Missyrose]

Many posters have commented on how easy it was to get a "good view/seat" during Illuminations.

You are so, so off base here. Epcot and DHS were packed that day. Social media was full of photos and wait time reports that proved it. Also, Epcot was so buys, it added a second set of fireworks at 6 p.m. to try and get people to leave the park.

 

[mm1971]

I can'r speak for NYE, but I was there in August and the first week of October and both seemed busier than past years to me. In October specifically, wait times were pretty high in comparison to a couple of years ago. Still manageable both times, but definitely busier than past trips. Plans to try August again. We'll see if crowds are lower. I would think at some point they will drop as trips are put off until the new attractions open and construction starts to newer completion. I know we are still debating our trip this year and maybe delaying until some of the construction would be complete.

 

[DebbieB]

I read that the parking lot at Epcot was full on NYE, they started parking cars on the exit roads.

 

[gzmtlock]

This was our first NYE at WDW, so I can't compare to previous years. But I can share our experiences.

MK on Dec 30 was very, very busy but manageable. Stayed through NYEE fireworks, towards the front (non-Hub end) of Main Street. People were continuing to arrive at that end of Main Street up until shortly before midnight. It was very dreary and wet - but the fireworks were worth it!!! Up until then, major thoroughfares were very crowded but kept moving.

Epcot on Dec 31 was (by our experience) nuts! We had FP+ for the 6 pm IllumiNations. After the show, foot traffic towards the International Gateway was not moving. As in, crowds were standing, facing France, and not moving. People started jumping the low fences and walking on the grass. Took us more than 30 minutes to get from the FP+ area to the IG. We were scheduled to have dinner at Tutto at 8:35, then see the late fireworks. We chose to bail out and see the late fireworks from the Boardwalk. It was too crowded to be any fun at all for us.

Nice experience - I called to cancel our Tutto reservation, fully expecting to pay the $10/person penalty, but wanting someone else to have the opportunity to use "our" table. Had to be patient as I was worked through the automated system. But it kicked me out to a CM. She asked me why we were cancelling. I told her we had been in Epcot but it was just too crowded for us, but that I wanted someone else to have the opportunity to eat at Tutto. She cancelled our ADR, and also cancelled the penalty. I wouldn't ever count on that happening again, but it was a nice bit of pixie dust that day!