Headed to WDW for NYE

3

3kiddos

Member
So we're headed to WDW the week of Dec. 30, 2017 to Jan. 6th, 2018. We've been a total of 14 times but we've only visited once before during the holiday season and that was at Christmas time (never for NYE).

I've been hearing horror stories of how jam packed it is and how line ups are crazy long. However, I haven't encountered any issues booking the restaurants we want (for a party of 5) at the times we want.

How much stock should I put into how horrendous people are saying it'll be? What can I expect in terms of crowds and wait times? I'd like to prepare myself in advance.

TIA!
 
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3

3kiddos

Member
Original Poster
Argh! That's what every is telling me. I almost regret booking now. What surprises me is that I was able to score reservations for 'Ohana, Be Our Guest and all the character dining spots without issues. Why wouldn't the restaurants be as jam packed as the parks?

P.S. any advice on survival?
 
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larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Temper your expectations.

You wouldn't go to Times Square and expect to be alone, right?

Just know that it will be crowded, and accept the crowd as part of the experience.
 
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BasiltheBatLord

BasiltheBatLord

Well-Known Member
It is indeed extremely crowded, but not to the point where the park doesn't function and you can't still have fun. How many people can say they've spent NYE at Disney World? Two specific pieces of advice I can give you:

1. Get to whatever park you want to spend NYE in as early as possible. The year I went, MK was already hitting capacity phases by noon.

2. If you're going to MK: The crowds get more and more intense as it gets later in the day, and the hub + Main Street in particular become an absolute war zone. I would avoid the hub as much as possible, particularly at night. Unfortunately, crowd control measures may prevent you from using alternate routes at certain points during the night and you may have to brave the hub to get across the park at certain times.

Also, if you have an eye for this kind of thing: In past years backstage areas have been opened up during peak crowd times for crowd control (particularly during the fireworks), so if that interests you, make sure you take that unique opportunity.
 
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disneygeek90

disneygeek90

Well-Known Member
I've gone twice. It's pretty bad. Don't expect to do many rides unless you have some FP's. Outside of FP's, just try and enjoy the experience for what it is and don't have expectations to do many other rides or attractions.

The days towards the end of your trip should be much more pleasant as many are headed back to school by the 2nd or 3rd.
 
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parkhopper1213

parkhopper1213

Active Member
We are also going New Year's Eve. Went many years ago and I remember MK got to capacity. So if we left to park hop we were not able to get back in. Wound up at Epcot and it was also crowded but exciting. This New Year's we are flying in and heading straight to Epcot after checking in at hotel. Made dining reservations and will make fast pass choices soon.
 
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rk03221

rk03221

Well-Known Member
I use to work at magic kingdom...did 2 New Years eves there 2015 and 2016 and my god each time was the worst experience ever. First off, those stupid horns they hand out to everyone it will drive you NUTS, everyone is constantly blowing those and it gets annoying real fast. Second, it is shoulder to shoulder people everywhere you go, it took me 30 mins to get from the Adventureland sign to crystal palace, no that’s not an exaggeration. Third, the guests are awful, incredibly rude for obvious reasons. Also expect to probably ride at most 2-3 rides. The list could go on. I would recommend going to a resort and dining out for the evening, plus you can’t even drink in mk, so that alone is a reason not to go on nye lol. But really, don’t go to mk on nye you guys will regret it
 
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Y

yellowb

Well-Known Member
NYE can be a good day, as long as you have a good game plan and know what to expect. If you're staying on property, that helps with your options. If you're off, you better plan on getting in the parking queue 2 hours before they open the park, because parking is where they "close down" the MK. I have been every NYE for the past 5 years, and they have never closed it down for resort guests using internal transportation.

Our NYE plan has been pretty consistent over the past few years, allowing for the most enjoyable experience. We usually try to rope drop the MK and complete our FP's by early afternoon, and then we head back to the resort for some rest. We'll usually schedule a mani/pedi for the girls at the Grand Floridian late afternoon, and then grab our ADR at one of the resort restaurants around the Magic Kingdom. After dinner, we'll usually stake out a spot on the WDWRR platform, and hang out there until the show starts at midnight, and then we can get out pretty quickly back to the buses.

If you're doing MK on NYE, I would say by 8:00 PM, you need to decide whether you're going to stay in the back of the park and attempt to ride rides, or be up at the front on Main St., because movement becomes near impossible around the Hub. Epcot is similar around World Showcase, almost impossible to get around.

Like I said, it is miserable if you don't know what to expect, but there are ways to enjoy it if you don't get caught up in the traffic.
 
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Logan

Logan

Member
Not to stress what others say...but our family has done literally EVERY holiday there...and we will NEVER do NYE there again. We love Disney, but not under these circumstances...it was very hard to enjoy ourselves with so many people.
 
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BasiltheBatLord

BasiltheBatLord

Well-Known Member
Don't let these posts discourage you. I've done two consecutive NYE's (at both U.S. parks) and while I'd be lying if I didn't say it was difficult at times, the sheer fact that I was at Disney on New Year's Eve made it worthwhile.
 
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JillC LI

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
Logan said:
Not to stress what others say...but our family has done literally EVERY holiday there...and we will NEVER do NYE there again. We love Disney, but not under these circumstances...it was very hard to enjoy ourselves with so many people.
Click to expand...

Tell me about the 2-3 days before and on Christmas?
 
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Logan

Logan

Member
JillC LI said:
Tell me about the 2-3 days before and on Christmas?
Click to expand...


They're definitely busier than normal..but from my experience not NYE busy.

Since we've literally done all holdiays there, we not tend to find the weeks slightly before the holidays to enjoy the decor and theme, just not the crowds so much.

For example, we are going the 2nd week of December this year for "Christmas." We get the feel of it, but just with a little less crowd
 
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durangojim

durangojim

Well-Known Member
NYE is great at WDW*

*EPCOT is where to be, have your dinner reservations ready, have your fastpasses for your 3 rides reserved, and don't expect to do much more than enjoy the ambiance for most of the night.
 
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