WDW for New years?

[DisneyLeo18]

Hi Everyone! Ok so i did a search but couldn't really find the answer to what i was looking for.

So my girlfriend has surprised me with a trip to WDW for 12/28-1/3. She wasn't going to tell me where we are going but she couldn't hold it in. Now she says she has plenty of plans and surprises ready for our stay, but im kind of curious exactly how crowded it will be. This is our first trip together and i cant really plan anything i just want to know what to expect.

I was in WDW for the second week in december last year at it wasnt crowded at all and amazing weather. How crazy will it be during the last week/new years? any help would be great and thank you in advance!

 

[timeman]

It will be crowded. The most crowded day for all the parks is of course New Year's Eve. I went last year and did the Magic Kingdom the day before New Year's Eve and the nice thing is that they do the New Year's Eve fireworks there the night before to test them out so I was able to see them that night there.

I spent New Year's Eve at Epcot and it was crowded. I got there around 9am and there were lines for the fastpasses for all the major rides. The line to get fastpasses for Soarin' was around 10 minutes and they had Cast Members handing out the passes. I was able to get fastpasses for all three major rides because of this within 30 minutes. If you don't get fastpasses expect long waits for the rides as when I was there they had wait times for Soarin' of 280 minutes around 2pm that day.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

It is the most crowded time a year - or close to it. But you will still have a fantastic time. Make your dining reservations 90 days out, and you'll be able to have some really nice meals together fighting crowds for tables. Take time to do other things besides wait in line too. My husband & I did a hidden mickey hunt one day during July, and it was really fun & stress free.

One idea is to watch the Wishes fireworks from the Polynesian beach. You don't have to be staying there to do so. Just take the monorail from Magic Kingdom over to it. It's a beautiful place to watch them, and won't be mobbed like the park will be. I found it to be quite romantic, and it doesn't require any advance planning.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Our schedule was exactly the same as timemans - and had been planned for months.

We found WDW to be no busier than our Easter trips UNTIL New Years Eve - EPCOT was chaos. Go expecting the worst scenario you can imagine and you won't be far out - that said, we still had a great time.

Get to your chosen NYE park early (no later than 10) and be prepared to stay there all day - don't even think about park hopping as your second park could be shut. Both MK and EPCOT shut during the morning of Dec 31st last year.

Enjoy :xmas:

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

As everyone else has said, it's definitely crowded at NYE!

CAPTAIN HOOK makes a good point - get to the park you want to be at for the actual NYE moment and plan to stay all day. If you leave and try to go to another park, it's likely you'll be turned away.

Have a great time! Great surprise by your girlfriend, by the way!

 

[yeti]

Your last three days shouldn't have much crowds at all. :shrug:

 

[DisneyLeo18]

Well thank you to everyone for your help!! :wave:

I appreciate all the advice but she is doing all the planning and didnt even want to tell me where we are going until i dragged it out of her lol. I will try to point out these tips if she doesnt have anything planned already and thanks again!!!