New Years at WDW

[Zaptrem2]

Sorry in advance, this question is kind of long.


I could use some help from WDW veterans (who generally visit around winter holidays) for how to plan my upcoming trip. My family of 7 - we have a range of ages, from a toddler to an 18 year old - will be staying at the Polynesian Village from December 30th to January 5th. I’ve seen from online crowd calendars that the crowds are crazy that time of year, but we cannot change the week we are visiting. We have Park Hopper Plus tickets for 3 days for everyone (plus an additional day for the older kids while the younger ones will stay at the hotel with their dad at the pool) and were planning on spending a day somewhere outside of Disney nearby to the parks. We probably won’t spend this day at Universal though, as we visited there recently and want to get away from the amusement park crowds. Here are my three main questions:

1. What is the best way to go on New Year’s Eve? The celebrations at MK and Epcot look great, but might be too much crowd-wise with such a large group including little kids if we’ll have to stay all day due to the parks reaching capacity. Can anyone recommend celebrating NYE at Hollywood Studios? I have heard it’s less crowded but don’t really know what celebrations they have for New Years. The other option I have been considering is possibly spending New Years outside of the parks completely, and just seeing the fireworks at midnight from a distance at the Polynesian.
2. What are good things to do with a large group outside of Disney for a day (but still nearby)?
3. Will the lines for most rides be too long to ride without Fast Passes that week? I will be booking all FPs right at the 60 day mark, but will we be able to ride many more rides outside of the three fast passes without waiting over an hour?

 

[adamreisinger]

I was there last year over the NYE holiday and I can give you a few pieces of advice:
- If you have the chance, do MK on the 30th and Epcot on the 31st. MK does the same fireworks show on both the 30th and the 31st, and the park is *slightly* less crowded on the 30th. At Epcot on the 31st, I was able to leave the park mid-day for a break and still get back into the park easily and find a spot for the midnight fireworks. Also, because you're staying at the Poly, a mid-day break will be even easier, because it's a quick monorail ride back to TTC then a short walk over to the Poly.
- If you're looking for something to do outside the parks, you can always spend some time at Disney Springs. There are shops for all ages, a movie theater, a VR experience (if it's still going on by then), and a wide variety of food and drink.
- Lines for EVERYTHING (not just rides) will be very long on the 30th, 31st and 1st, but then taper down from there. That said, there will almost always be things you can snag a same-day FastPass for after you use your first three -- they just might not be the marquee attractions you're most interested in.

I'd almost certainly recommend being in the parks for the midnight fireworks show. It was honestly one of the most spectacular things I've seen in all my years of going to Disney World -- and the vibe in the parks all day long is so much fun, even if you're not going on rides. It's just one big park-wide party.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Sorry in advance, this question is kind of long.


I could use some help from WDW veterans (who generally visit around winter holidays) for how to plan my upcoming trip. My family of 7 - we have a range of ages, from a toddler to an 18 year old - will be staying at the Polynesian Village from December 30th to January 5th. I’ve seen from online crowd calendars that the crowds are crazy that time of year, but we cannot change the week we are visiting. We have Park Hopper Plus tickets for 3 days for everyone (plus an additional day for the older kids while the younger ones will stay at the hotel with their dad at the pool) and were planning on spending a day somewhere outside of Disney nearby to the parks. We probably won’t spend this day at Universal though, as we visited there recently and want to get away from the amusement park crowds. Here are my three main questions:

1. What is the best way to go on New Year’s Eve? The celebrations at MK and Epcot look great, but might be too much crowd-wise with such a large group including little kids if we’ll have to stay all day due to the parks reaching capacity. Can anyone recommend celebrating NYE at Hollywood Studios? I have heard it’s less crowded but don’t really know what celebrations they have for New Years. The other option I have been considering is possibly spending New Years outside of the parks completely, and just seeing the fireworks at midnight from a distance at the Polynesian.
2. What are good things to do with a large group outside of Disney for a day (but still nearby)?
3. Will the lines for most rides be too long to ride without Fast Passes that week? I will be booking all FPs right at the 60 day mark, but will we be able to ride many more rides outside of the three fast passes without waiting over an hour?

Personally, there is no way I would be in any of the parks, at midnight, with a toddler. It will be PACKED. You are at Poly which couldn't be more perfect for NYE. I would consider going to MK or EP in the morning (to take advantage of the monorail), coming back to Poly around lunch time, spending time at the pool or doing a monorail resort tour, having dinner somewhere on the monorail (if you have any interest, Spirit of Aloha could be something special to do that night. If not, pick anything on the monorail that interests you) and then watching the fireworks from Poly. I wouldn't even want to drive around on WDW property that day (as it sounds like you will have a car). It will be packed and traffic will be pretty bad.

Have you considered adding the "plus" option to your park hopper ticket? This would give you the option of going to the water parks (weather dependent, Typhoon Lagoon should be open) and mini-golf. The cost of adding that option to your ticket is minimal. If you want to go completely off-property, check out the Orlando Science Center.

Yes, the lines will be longer than you can imagine. Think BTMRR at 3 hours, FoP at 4 hours, Living with the Land at 90 minutes, etc. Your best bet is to go at RD, get some rides in, schedule your FP+ for about 10 am, 11 am and noon and then try to get 4th, 5th, 6th FP+ from there. There will probably be very slim pickings at that time, however.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I spent 12/30-1/3 at Poly this past year, so I have somewhat relevant experience. Although it was just me and DS7 and my lens is as someone with an AP that goes a few times a year... so what I have to say may not be directly applicable to you.

I posted a post-trip summary of the MK fireworks details here: New Years 2017 - Magic Kingdom Fireworks

Last year, there was both a 6:30PM and 11:50PM show at MK on both 12/30 and 12/31. Both shows were Fantasy in the Sky followed by a NYE "countdown" segment.

Epcot only does their special shows on 12/31. So, many people will opt to do MK on 12/30 and Epcot on 12/31.

Here's what we did:

12/30 - arrived mid-AM, checked-in, went straight to MK, watched the noon (or maybe 12:30?) Christmas parade, watched the 6:30PM fireworks (we booked a dessert party for this, FWIW), then went back to Poly. With my 7 year old, I wanted nothing to do with the late show so the 6:30PM show was perfect. Later that night, I enjoyed the late show from Poly while DS was asleep (so he could rest up for the next day).

12/31 - Went to Epcot that AM and stayed through 2-3ish (probably the most fun time I've had in Epcot in a long time). If DS was older I would have stayed, but at his age sticking around through midnight in those crowds just wasn't in the cards. But I liked getting a little "taste" of Epcot that day, and bailing when things started to get build. LOVED the vibe in the park and seeing all the preparation. That afternoon we just had Poly time and watched both the 6:30PM and 11:50PM MK shows from the Poly beach. Poly had a DJ on the beach and some characters out at times. With the locational viewing advantage of staying at Poly, we didn't feel overly compelled to try to rough it out in a park. Temps were pretty cold 12/31 so it was a bit on the chilly side... but it was a great evening.

As far as FPs, I would pretty much just stick to FPs and, if you do rope drop, any rides you can hit in the first 1-2 hours. We did a lot more shows during this trip than perhaps we do at other times.

Again, my plan was largely influenced by DS's age (7) and we didn't necessarily have a "need" to be in the parks at midnight. But maybe that helps.

Happy to answer any questions.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I wouldn't even want to drive around on WDW property that day (as it sounds like you will have a car). It will be packed and traffic will be pretty bad.

So... sometimes advice or descriptions of crowds can come across as hyperbole on DIS... but let me tell you, this is truth. At Poly, my strong recommendation is to stick to the monorail on 12/31. Vehicular traffic getting into MK and Epcot was insane. Traffic I have never, ever witnessed or even knew was possible. As we whizzed by overhead, I was VERY happy I was at a monorail resort on that day. You couldn't pay me to drive noon+.

 

[Zaptrem2]

Thanks for all the replies! I think we might spend the morning and early afternoon at AK, since what I found online says it’s the least crowded for NYE, and head to Epcot around 9:00 at night (hopefully then some people with younger kinds will be leaving). If we can’t get in to Epcot that late, we can always watch the fireworks from the Poly.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

If you have a car and happen to hit a cold spell, Blue Spring state park is about an hour away. Tons of manatees come to the hot springs there if it’s cold. It is amazing to see. I’m not wishing colder weather on you but if you get it make the most of it!

 

[Mome Rath]

I've been to NYE twice at WDW.... I'll just say this; make sure you have a really good grip on your littles if you do go to the parks on NYE proper (we've never had littles there during that time). Also, it is loud. And I mean loud. Not the fireworks, of course they are loud, but rather the people and the music. EPCOT was jammed, I "joke" that you could raise your feet up and still move around the park. They are memories that I'll never forget, and I'm very glad to have gone, but I'd prefer never to be there then again. lol

 

[hakepb]

In Epcot for NYE with a toddler, I’d probably plan to bring a blanket and hang out on the lawn (they open up lawn areas for guests) in the rose garden area between Canada and Figment.

I’m still not sure if I would stay til midnight with a toddler. I absolutely loved wandering around the packed, raucous party's known as World Showcase, and think any Disney fan should experience NYE Epcot...but it made a weekend F&W night seem uncrowned and easy. Restrooms all had extended 30+ person outside queues.

 

[deedubb]

We are doing MK on the 30th and Epcot on the 31st. Hopefully they will do Fantasy in the Sky twice on the 30th like they did last year. If so, we'll watch the early one and if we're too tired to stay for the second, we'll head to Epcot for Illuminations and then call it a night. I wouldn't want to miss these fireworks, but if you think it will be too much for the little ones, AK will likely be the quietest park, since Toy Story Land will be running.

If you decide to do MK the 30th or 31st, I would strongly suggest booking ADRs because QS restaurants will be insane.

It doesn't look like they were doing anything special at HS last year.

 

[The Expert]

I absolutely loved wandering around the packed, raucous party's known as World Showcase, and think any Disney fan should experience NYE Epcot...but it made a weekend F&W night seem uncrowned and easy. Restrooms all had extended 30+ person outside queues.

The thing I really enjoyed about Epcot on NYE is that the countries around the showcase will celebrate when it hits midnight back home. All the cast members would come out and dance, sing and celebrate - it was very cool!

Also, pro tip, the bathroom just outside the World Showcase entrance to the park never had a line and that entrance wasn't too cramped, so I would just pop out there to use the bathroom and then come back in that entrance. (I would just check to be sure they weren't at any level of closure.) My husband and I were there for 18 hours on NYE one year and by the end of the night the cast members there all knew me. LOL!

 

[disneybirds]

The other option I have been considering is possibly spending New Years outside of the parks completely, and just seeing the fireworks at midnight from a distance at the Polynesian.

We were at WDW last year from Dec 30th - Jan 5th. We stayed at WL on Dec 30th and then moved to BCV around 1:00 in the afternoon on the 31st. The MK traffic was literally at a standstill back to the Swan and Dolphin, so I would not hop in the car and tour Orlando on that day. We were in the MK on the 30th and really enjoyed the fireworks. It was crowded, but I thought manageable. We headed into Epcot on the 31st and couldn't believe how loud it was. Even my kids complained about the noise level. We had booked a late night reservation at Tutto Italia and it was so loud in the restaurant, we could hardly talk from the music in the courtyard outside. If you go to Epcot, I agree with the person that said to bring a blanket and hang out on the lawn outside of the countries.

Last year, the crowds didn't lessen as the week progressed. It was crazy crowded every day we were there, but the marathon was the weekend of the Jan 6th so that contributed to the crowds as well. We pretty much only rode our 3 FPs and then did large capacity rides/shows. We have APs, so we aren't as willing to stand in line for a long time. It was incredibly cold that week last year, so no pool time for us. Be prepared with layers and layers of clothes if it is going to be cold. We ended up going to Walmart and buying blankets to take into the parks at night to watch the nighttime shows.

Enjoy the Poly and have a great time! I would definitely take advantage of the Poly and watch some of the fireworks from the resort with the little ones. It is a great time to just be there and spend time with your family.

 

[czmom]

We were at WDW last year from Dec 30th - Jan 5th. We stayed at WL on Dec 30th and then moved to BCV around 1:00 in the afternoon on the 31st. The MK traffic was literally at a standstill back to the Swan and Dolphin, so I would not hop in the car and tour Orlando on that day. We were in the MK on the 30th and really enjoyed the fireworks. It was crowded, but I thought manageable. We headed into Epcot on the 31st and couldn't believe how loud it was. Even my kids complained about the noise level. We had booked a late night reservation at Tutto Italia and it was so loud in the restaurant, we could hardly talk from the music in the courtyard outside. If you go to Epcot, I agree with the person that said to bring a blanket and hang out on the lawn outside of the countries.

Last year, the crowds didn't lessen as the week progressed. It was crazy crowded every day we were there, but the marathon was the weekend of the Jan 6th so that contributed to the crowds as well. We pretty much only rode our 3 FPs and then did large capacity rides/shows. We have APs, so we aren't as willing to stand in line for a long time. It was incredibly cold that week last year, so no pool time for us. Be prepared with layers and layers of clothes if it is going to be cold. We ended up going to Walmart and buying blankets to take into the parks at night to watch the nighttime shows.

Enjoy the Poly and have a great time! I would definitely take advantage of the Poly and watch some of the fireworks from the resort with the little ones. It is a great time to just be there and spend time with your family.

Sorry to cut in, but I'll be there January 1-4. When you say it stayed crowded all week, was it packed at rope drop too?? I'm hoping to ride the first 1-2 hours before using our 3 FP. Am I crazy?? And are 4th, 5th, etc FP even an option that week?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Sorry to cut in, but I'll be there January 1-4. When you say it stayed crowded all week, was it packed at rope drop too?? I'm hoping to ride the first 1-2 hours before using our 3 FP. Am I crazy?? And are 4th, 5th, etc FP even an option that week?

You may know this, but one big difference in 2019 is that given the way the calendar falls, the WDW Marathon is not the very next weekend after New Years.

2018 Marathon Dates - 1/3/2018-1/7/2018

2019 Marathon Dates - 1/9/2019-1/13/2019

Granted that first week is still going to be crowded... schools/colleges still off, much more attractive resort rates compared to the holidays, etc. But having a little breathing room between NYE and the marathon should be a good thing.

 

[adamreisinger]

Also, pro tip, the bathroom just outside the World Showcase entrance to the park never had a line and that entrance wasn't too cramped, so I would just pop out there to use the bathroom and then come back in that entrance.

I’m almost reluctant to recommend this, for fear that it gets too crowded, but I have to second this tip, and also let people know that the bathroom outside Odyssey Center (on the side closest to World Showcase) has short to no lines for most of the day, and you can get champagne inside OC for a New Year’s Eve toast.

 

[BraveEeyore]

The thing I really enjoyed about Epcot on NYE is that the countries around the showcase will celebrate when it hits midnight back home. All the cast members would come out and dance, sing and celebrate - it was very cool

this is the experience I’m truly hoping for. Epcot world showcase is my favourite place in the World. Can’t wait to experience holidays and NYE there.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Hey there...

My family has gone to Disney for Christmas week (12/24-1/1) the past 8/9 years and will be returning this year, as well. A few things:

- Yes, it's crowded. IMO NYE is the most crowded day at Disney (we've been for Easter, during the summer, Halloween, and obviously for Christmas.) I know the mantra right now is "well, it's always crowded!" but NYE is a whole different animal. You'll need FP+'s. Ride wait time will be unreal—we've seen Soarin' at 280 minutes one year. Last year, the line for Space Mountain grew to almost 5 hours. Many guests disregard the rides and spend the day staking out a spot for the fireworks from early on. Remember, Disney is the south's Times Square for NYE.

With that said, once about 6 or 7pm hits, Epcot turns into one GIANT party. The CMs do a fantastic job of crowd control, putting down tape and keeping guests to their right—making it much easier to navigate the WS. They open backstage areas at Epcot and MK, so it's easier to get back and forth. We don't do Epcot or the parks anymore (I'll get to that in a moment), but I wouldn't trade in our experience at DHS (early on in '09, '10, etc.), then Epcot. The ground at Epcot shakes with fireworks!

What is the best way to go on New Year’s Eve? The celebrations at MK and Epcot look great, but might be too much crowd-wise with such a large group including little kids if we’ll have to stay all day due to the parks reaching capacity. Can anyone recommend celebrating NYE at Hollywood Studios? I have heard it’s less crowded but don’t really know what celebrations they have for New Years. The other option I have been considering is possibly spending New Years outside of the parks completely, and just seeing the fireworks at midnight from a distance at the Polynesian.

So as I mentioned, we don't do the parks anymore. My dad has a heart condition and my mom has a bad knee, so the idea of standing around for three-four hours doesn't interest us as much. We take the day off from the parks and pray that we get good weather. We stay at Beach Club, so if it's nice out I spend the day walking the Boardwalk and hanging by SAB. We usually plan for a later dinner at Yachtsman, then go by the Yacht Club boat launch to watch the fireworks. We don't get the music and full experience, but you can see most of the Epcot fireworks, DHS fireworks, then the Star Wars fireworks about 10-15 minutes later. It's relaxed, not crowded, and a nice way to ring in the new year.

Seeing as you're staying at the Poly, I'd totally recommend grabbing a spot on the beach. The secret is OUT on the Poly beach, but I believe they limit it to Poly guests ONLY, so it won't be too overwhelming. The downside of BC/YC is that they close down a lot of the bars and QS markets around 11. You have to go to Boardwalk to grab a drink. POly, I believe, keeps the drinks flowing at the pool bar. Either way, I'd grab a bottle of champagne early on in your trip or a few beers to enjoy for the hew year (if you imbibe).

As for the parks... I gave you my feelings on Epcot. It's an amazing experience, but yeah... it'll be insanely crowded. DHS will be a little less crowded. The feeling has always been that DHS will be less crowded with the construction, but we haven't seen it. In past years, most guests ran back to the Osborne lights and it felt much less crowded. I guess with it being half a park (for the next 15 days) it always felt more crowded. If people were not going to DHS the past few years, we didn't notice it.

...I digress. As for NYE: DHS used to be our go-to. DHS is someplace between Epcot and MK. There will be a band/DJ/Emcee with watered down family friendly activities and songs, similar to MK, but plenty of pop-up bars and spots to drink, like Epcot. We used to grab a spot in front of 50's Prime Time to watch the fireworks by Gertie. It's not as congested and they have a spot to sit if you can get there early enough.

The downside of going to DHS is that traffic is really, really bad on NYE. It took us 2 hours to get back to Coronado one year—and THAT'S why we now pay the extra money to stay at BC and be by the parks. I guess you can argue that if we don't go to the parks it doesn't make much sense... but it takes the stress off us throughout the week. Getting back to Poly from DHS is gonna be rough. I'd almost recommend walking or taking the bus, then getting to the TTC, but who knows how crowded the monorail will be and if you can get to Epcot before it closes.

One more thing to keep in mind: Magic Kingdom does its NYE show on 12/30, as well as 12/31. Could be a nice opportunity to get your "NYE" celebration in on 12/30 with 75% of the crowd.

At the end of the day, it's up to you. If you go into it knowing it's gonna be crowded, you'll be fine. I think it's the people who expect it to "not be that bad" who have a miserable time.

Aside from the parks, Contemporary will most likely have a party, but it'll cost like $150-$500 per person (depending on which one you go to)

What are good things to do with a large group outside of Disney for a day (but still nearby)?

Check out ICE at Gaylord Palms. We really liked it.

Will the lines for most rides be too long to ride without Fast Passes that week? I will be booking all FPs right at the 60 day mark, but will we be able to ride many more rides outside of the three fast passes without waiting over an hour?

Can't really speak for the week after Christmas. I will say that oddly enough, the lobby felt more crowded when we checked out than when we checked in. A lot of runners start coming on December 28th-29th. Still, during Xmas week, we try and get to the parks as early as possible. They don't get overwhelmingly crowded until 10 or 11am. Use that to your advantage.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I did NYE at EPCOT with my teen daughter a couple of years ago. Packed and overwhelming. A lot of loud music and excitement. There were times we had to hold hands while walking so as not to be separated. It took half an hour for us to walk out of the park to the monorail. I could see from our ride back to the TTC that the traffic was bumper to bumper.
We had the best NYE ever. No regrets, but we'd be hard pressed to do it again.
With that in mind I recommend taking your children to Poly's beach and watching the fireworks from there. Given the late hour you are right there and can put them right to bed. No lines for the bathroom, food.
We would rope drop at the parks or get PPO breakfast reservations. Lines were short and we'd use our FPs. As the day went on the lines got longer.We'd leave at about 2pm and go back to Poly to swim and nap.
Have fun! I am a little jealous.

 

[DSLRuser]

while not relevant for today....the last NYE I did was the 1999 to 2000 millennial. @ 7:00am, every road in the disney network was almost grid locked. We fought our way over to the Swan and park there. (we were staying at Marriott World Center)

By 8:15am, the line to enter EPCOT via the international extended back past storm along bay to the boat launch for Yacht Club. We were in EPCOT by 9:00am. Made our way to Morocco and hung out in the back most of the day. From noon till 1:00am, every inch of EPCOT was shoulder to shoulder with people. Every food/drink line was 60 minutes long.

We ended up watching illuminations from the very top of the Canada stairs.

It was weird going back to the car after the show. Every 100 yards Disney had portable light stands erected, because remember...Y2K was supposed to cause the world to end by shutting down power grids and other things. Disney was prepared.

We had done a few NYE prior to that experience....but based on that...we have not been back for christmas week in 19 years now.

 

[FSU Girl]

I'm going for NYE for the first time. I won't be with kids, but my Fiance doesn't handle crowds well so I'm trying to plan accordingly. I think the best advice is to know it's going to be crazy crowded. If weather permits go in the pool to relax after using your three fast passes in a park. I think with a toddler, being inside the park at midnight might be a little over whelming. Poly will provide great views of the fireworks without all the crowds of the parks, so I think that might be your best bet. Sit down restaurants also seem like a good plan to escape crowds and not have to wait in a long line for food.