New Year's Eve 2016

Kylo Ken

Local Idiot
I will be at Epcot for NYE. Is it really that bad? I've survived a Times Square NYE so i figured this will be a piece of cake...then again, I have two kids now :) :) thoughts?
 

donsullivan

Premium Member
They kind of waited till the 11th hour this year, didn't they? I still haven't seen Disneyland Parks lineup thru official channels

While it may seem 11th hour, it's pretty much the same entertainment model they've been using for many years on NYE so it's not hard to have had a sense of what they'd be doing.

I will be at Epcot for NYE. Is it really that bad? I've survived a Times Square NYE so i figured this will be a piece of cake...then again, I have two kids now :) :) thoughts?

I've been to NYE at Epcot for the last 10+ years and while it can be a bit nuts, it can still be a lot of fun. A couple of tips if you are planning to spend the day.
1- If you're the type who will be disappointed and frustrated by long waits and will have a bad day if your don't get in a lot of attraction time, this is the wrong day to visit. It's not uncommon for attractions like Test Track and Soarin to get well up over 180 minute standby lines. In past years Soarin' has gotten to 300 minutes.
2- There will be long waits for food and beverage pretty much everywhere you go. As an example, it's not uncommon for Electric Umbrella to have a line out the door and along the breezeway toward Future World East. ADR's for lunch and dinner (likely all gone by now) are your friend on this day. Most World Showcase restaurants have a somewhat more limited 'holiday' menu for the day and some favorites might not always be available.
3- It will not seem too bad earlier in the day but starting around mid afternoon the crowds will just build, and build and build right up to midnight.
4- After the first fireworks show, folks will be exhausted and start to camp out around the lagoon to have a good spot for the final Global Countdown show. Lots of different areas like the grassy areas around the lagoons between Future World and World Showcase will be fenced in as additional seating space where folks can sit on the grass to watch the fireworks. or just rest away from the crowds

None of the above is meant to scare you away but to set some context. It's is historically the busiest day of the year at Epcot and you will feel the crowds once it gets dark. They open up backstage routes from Mexico to Mission Space/Test Track and another from Imagination to World Showplace to alleviate crowd congestion around world showcase.

If you go in with the right frame of mind that you will not get on a lot of attractions and just enjoy the experience it can be a whole lot of fun. All the dance parties and DJ's that kick off after the first fireworks are really amazing and fun. And the final version of IllumiNations with the Global Countdown is hard to describe amazing. It is without a doubt the best fireworks show Disney does each year.
 

Luxe

Well-Known Member
While it may seem 11th hour, it's pretty much the same entertainment model they've been using for many years on NYE so it's not hard to have had a sense of what they'd be doing.



I've been to NYE at Epcot for the last 10+ years and while it can be a bit nuts, it can still be a lot of fun. A couple of tips if you are planning to spend the day.
1- If you're the type who will be disappointed and frustrated by long waits and will have a bad day if your don't get in a lot of attraction time, this is the wrong day to visit. It's not uncommon for attractions like Test Track and Soarin to get well up over 180 minute standby lines. In past years Soarin' has gotten to 300 minutes.
2- There will be long waits for food and beverage pretty much everywhere you go. As an example, it's not uncommon for Electric Umbrella to have a line out the door and along the breezeway toward Future World East. ADR's for lunch and dinner (likely all gone by now) are your friend on this day. Most World Showcase restaurants have a somewhat more limited 'holiday' menu for the day and some favorites might not always be available.
3- It will not seem too bad earlier in the day but starting around mid afternoon the crowds will just build, and build and build right up to midnight.
4- After the first fireworks show, folks will be exhausted and start to camp out around the lagoon to have a good spot for the final Global Countdown show. Lots of different areas like the grassy areas around the lagoons between Future World and World Showcase will be fenced in as additional seating space where folks can sit on the grass to watch the fireworks. or just rest away from the crowds

None of the above is meant to scare you away but to set some context. It's is historically the busiest day of the year at Epcot and you will feel the crowds once it gets dark. They open up backstage routes from Mexico to Mission Space/Test Track and another from Imagination to World Showplace to alleviate crowd congestion around world showcase.

If you go in with the right frame of mind that you will not get on a lot of attractions and just enjoy the experience it can be a whole lot of fun. All the dance parties and DJ's that kick off after the first fireworks are really amazing and fun. And the final version of IllumiNations with the Global Countdown is hard to describe amazing. It is without a doubt the best fireworks show Disney does each year.
Very well said. Couldn't have described it any better. See you there @Kylo Ken ;)
 

Kylo Ken

Local Idiot
While it may seem 11th hour, it's pretty much the same entertainment model they've been using for many years on NYE so it's not hard to have had a sense of what they'd be doing.



I've been to NYE at Epcot for the last 10+ years and while it can be a bit nuts, it can still be a lot of fun. A couple of tips if you are planning to spend the day.
1- If you're the type who will be disappointed and frustrated by long waits and will have a bad day if your don't get in a lot of attraction time, this is the wrong day to visit. It's not uncommon for attractions like Test Track and Soarin to get well up over 180 minute standby lines. In past years Soarin' has gotten to 300 minutes.
2- There will be long waits for food and beverage pretty much everywhere you go. As an example, it's not uncommon for Electric Umbrella to have a line out the door and along the breezeway toward Future World East. ADR's for lunch and dinner (likely all gone by now) are your friend on this day. Most World Showcase restaurants have a somewhat more limited 'holiday' menu for the day and some favorites might not always be available.
3- It will not seem too bad earlier in the day but starting around mid afternoon the crowds will just build, and build and build right up to midnight.
4- After the first fireworks show, folks will be exhausted and start to camp out around the lagoon to have a good spot for the final Global Countdown show. Lots of different areas like the grassy areas around the lagoons between Future World and World Showcase will be fenced in as additional seating space where folks can sit on the grass to watch the fireworks. or just rest away from the crowds

None of the above is meant to scare you away but to set some context. It's is historically the busiest day of the year at Epcot and you will feel the crowds once it gets dark. They open up backstage routes from Mexico to Mission Space/Test Track and another from Imagination to World Showplace to alleviate crowd congestion around world showcase.

If you go in with the right frame of mind that you will not get on a lot of attractions and just enjoy the experience it can be a whole lot of fun. All the dance parties and DJ's that kick off after the first fireworks are really amazing and fun. And the final version of IllumiNations with the Global Countdown is hard to describe amazing. It is without a doubt the best fireworks show Disney does each year.
Thanks for the detailed response. I know it'll be super busy but thankfully I've already made FPs and all. I plan on going in after like 5 PM. If it's too busy for our liking then we'll just go home :) No biggie. Thanks for the details!
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I still haven't seen Disneyland Parks lineup thru official channels

The typical Disneyland NYE decorations and offerings, and live bands.

Tim Gill Orchestra (big band swing dancing) at Carnation Plaza. Tomasina (party rock) at Tomorrowland Terrace. Olivia Holt (pop) in Hollywood Land. Kelly Rae Band (country/rock) in Cars Land. Happy 2017!
 

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