NYE Advice

[Christa Jackson-Smallwood]

We are a party of 5, (two adults, 2 seniors, and a 6 year old), Dec 28th through Jan 1. This will be our second trip. Yes, we know the crowds will be insane. Looking for advice/tips for weather, park strategy, packing, etc. We will probably fly. Staying at POP. We already have dining reservations and have booked a dessert party for the 31st. Thanks in advance!

 

[yulilin3]

which park are you planning on doing NYE?

 

[AngiTN]

Pack your patient pants.
Don't wait till the last minute to go to the bathroom. We found the lines there longer than for anything else.
Weather, prepare for anything from 80 to 40 (we had both this past NYE trip) so layers are a must
Otherwise, we actually did MK on 30th and Epcot on 31st. But I didn't have a child with us, we left ours at home

 

[myjourney]

NYE at MK is the one night I will never do again. They gave out horns hours ahead of time and the noise was awful for hours. I could understand kids blowing the horns but the adults were the worst. The wait lines for bathrooms or food were unreal. I usually don't mind crowds but this was over the top for me. We never did get to go down main street, they funneled everyone around the back lots.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We (me and DS7) did NYE this past year. The fact they do both an early and late show on 12/30 and 12/31 is very convenient for those of us with younger ones. We were in the MK for the 12/30 early show (6:30pm) and thought it was about equal to a really crowded HEA night - busy, but not crazy (although I was happy to have a dessert party booked). If you’re not up for staying out late, the early shows are the next best option.

For 12/31, wherever you are going, be prepared for transportation to take a long time. All hyperbole aside, I saw traffic that day I never knew could be possible. Even something like taking the bus from Pop to MK mid-day has the potential to take much longer than normal (buses are pretty much in the same traffic as cars in most places around property).

We had a blast, but it takes some tolerance for sure!

 

[lolomarie]

I'd do the MK fireworks on the 30th and EPCOT on the 31st. EPCOT was far more impressive. So if you can only do one, I'd choose those.

 

[ScubaCat]

I wouldn't bother with any attractions on the 31st unless you have a fast pass. Especially the E-ticket ones.

I've actually seen the queue for journey into imagination with figment extend out of the building, which is impressive on many levels.

 

[CAS239]

My biggest recommendation is to hit a park in the morning then go relax and nap at the hotel. I'd have FP's set up starting in the evening when lines will be the longest. You're on site so you don't have to worry about the park hitting full capacity.

It might seem fun to hit a park in the morning and stay until midnight, but that will be a loooooong day. Rides will be the longest they'll be all year so I'm all for taking a break and heading back later.

Usually it's still very warm. However a cold front could come through and it could be in the 50's

 

[CAS239]

I wouldn't bother with any attractions on the 31st unless you have a fast pass. Especially the E-ticket ones.

I've actually seen the queue for journey into imagination with figment extend out of the building, which is impressive on many levels.

I was there June 28th and at 10:30am the figment line was out the building and looped around. Figured it would move quick so hopped in line but still waited about 30min. Pretty surprised by that but yea, the figment line on nye usually goes down towards the bathrooms back there

 

[JonathonW]

Touringplans' data shows Spaceship Earth's posted wait time hovering around 90 minutes basically all day on the 31st last year (aside from the very beginning and very end of the day, and what I assume was during the fireworks). That's nuts for a fairly high-capacity, continuously loading ride (and one that typically drops down into the 10-30 minute range later in the afternoon once everything's open).

Advice: make sure you're there for rope drop; ride whatever you can early on while the park's not too crowded. Make the best use of FastPass that you can (make sure you're up at 7:00 am ET at your 60-day mark). Go back to your hotel mid-day for a break; come back for dinner and enjoy the evening. Bring a jacket; it's generally warm enough in December that you won't need one during the day, but it can (and likely will) get chilly later at night.

 

[brave321]

I would just say temper your expectations. You should plan on getting a few things done at RD and your FPs, but I wouldn’t plan much else for rides or character meets. You should be able to get more done, but you’ll be much happier if you look at those as bonuses and not rushing to get attractions in. Since you have a 6 year old I would definitely recommend taking the afternoon off. However you will need to keep an eye on phase closing at MK but even then you shouldn’t worry too much since you’re onsite. I also recommend MK on the 30th and Epcot the 31st. Epcot has several adult dance parties but also a huge family one in future world that’s a lot of fun. Pack in layers, it was abnormally cold last hear. Also, pack snacks and water in your bag so you don’t have to wait in long lines as much. Have fun it’s a magical time!!

 

[Ksquared]

Last trip we were there for NYE, we didn't even do a park that day - we went to Disney Springs starting mid-afternoon. We stayed there quite a while and then eventually went back to the hotel for festivities there once it was like 8:00 or so and the crowds built there. But we were there for 10 days that trip so skipping a park on NYE didn't bother us.