Epcot on New Year's Eve?

[dking2002]

I've been reading just how crazy MK is on New Year's Eve. Any info on Epcot for that night? We are going for the holiday season for the first time, and I'm trying to get DH to understand that the trade-off for the two DSs not missing school and seeing all the holiday decor is big crowds. Is Epcot a good alternative for the still crowded, festive feel, but maybe not quite as sardine and zoo-like?
:party:

[KAT1811]

I have only been to WDW once on New Years Eve and I can assure you that I will not be back, ever. We were in the MK but it was insanely busy. We were only able to ride a few rides the whole night. It was wall to wall people. I can only assume that Epcot is just as busy. I have friends that go during the holidays and they have told me that very early on the parks are filled to capacity because of the extremely busy time of year it is.

This is completely :offtopic: but maybe it'll help your position a bit.

I know pulling your children out of school is a very tough, personal decision and not for everyone. Personally we do it, our oldest is 11 and in 6th grade and she will miss 7 days this year when we visit WDW. She is a very good student and we work very hard to catch her up upon our return. We have two younger DDs (they will be 4 & 2, we are going to be celebrating their birthdays while in WDW) and are expecting a fourth child in March. DH & I own our own company and DH works 90+ hours a week from March to the end of October (takes a few weeks "off" in Novermber and then we are right back into the madness just a little less hours). Come November we are in serious need of some family togetherness and DH is in serious need of a vacation!!! We feel that the time we spend together in WDW is invaluable. Two posters here on Intercot (in a previous thread) really made us think. One is a father of 3 and was diagnosed with cancer shortly after his return from WDW with his family. Luckily he is cancer free now but the scare made him and his family look very closely at the precious time they spend together. Another poster shared that she and her extended family had traveled to WDW and that upon her return doctors found a brain tumor in her niece (who already had health problems) and she died a few months later, her last "good" week was the one she had in WDW. We found that tomorrow is promised to no one and that we will cherish each and every moment with our family and deal collectively with the repercussions. As poster here once said (she is a teacher) her students can hear her lecture about volcanoes anytime but the memoires that children make with their families on vacation can never be duplicated.

Good luck whatever you decided madness or not at least you'll be together and in WDW!!!

[Roo Girl]

Epcot is THE BEST park to be in if you plan to brave the NYE crowds. We did Epcot on 12/31/06 and arrived at about 9:15am and stayed until the very very end. It was well worth it but some 14+ hours in any theme park is a pretty long day. We made our ADRs early (San Angel Inn for dinner- I LOVE the ambiance) and we snacked along the way. Around 10pm there were CMs giving out plastic hats and noise makers at various locations around World Showcase which was cute. It was definitely PACKED but Epcot does a great job of dispersing crowds. It was really fun to see everyone picking a patch of grass to relax, take a nap or just get a break from it all- which you definitely need. DO NOT plan on leaving the park you choose- you won't get back in. I overheard that every park had hit capacity before 12noon and at that point, you may be able to get into DTD but that's about it. It doesn't matter that you bought a ticket for Epcot, or whatever park, and want to return w/ a park hopper- sorry charlie. When they hit capacity, that's it, gates shut. It's well worth it to see the NYE version of Illuminations which brings a tear to my eye on a regular day let alone during the special celebration around the world. It was an incredible experience to ring in the New Year with 110,000 fellow fanatics. And trust me when I tell you that getting out of the park was a BREEZE. Imagine getting out of your local fireworks for the 4th of July and what kind of lunacy that is...Not Epcot. maybe we were all just bleary eyed and tired or something but nowhere in the world can you get out of a packed to capacity theme park but WDW and it be stress free. Or at least, that was our experience. It's definitely a must-do at least once. :mickey:

[Marilyn Michetti]

I've never been to WDW on any major holiday, but have a friend that thinks EPCOT on NYE is the ONLY place to be. Personally, I can't imagine that long, stressful day just to see an expanded version of Illuminations.

I'm happy for all of you that enjoy it.:newyear:

[dking2002]

You have cinched it! Ecot it is for NYE! Illuminations is my favorite evening show anyhow. I so hear what you are saying about "seize the day"! We have never hesitated to take our boys out of school before, (and this will be my 8-year olds ninth trip), but my oldest one started middle school this year and is having such anxiety about all the new expectations and rules thrown at him, that we figured this was a good year for us to see the park at the holidays...stay for an extended trip, and not give him that little worry in the back of his head about all the make-up work he would have waiting for him when we got home. Thank you also for the tip on how early the parks fill to capacity. Didn't think about that one, and it definitely sounds like a great day to bring a blanket for a nap on the lawn at some point!!!
As always, this board is awesome!!!:thumbsup:

[Figment78]

It was about 10 years ago when I spent NYE at Epcot, but I agree - it is fantastic for NYE! When we were there, we had dinner and then watched Illuminations which had more fireworks than normal - literally completely incredible - you can't begin to imagine it. Then, after that, all of the countries had little NYE parties outside each of their pavillions. i'm not sure if they still do this, but it was a lot of fun when we were there. I don't remember it being uncomfortably crowded, but the park did close because it hit capacity so definitely go early enough and just plan in restful breaks (like Ellen's Universe of Energy, Turtle Talk, and some country movies - all places to sit down!)