Parks, Jan, 1st and after

[coachgoofy]

we are planning a trip from 12/28 to 1/5. does anyone ever experiance WDW on New Years Day and the next few days after?:mickey::goofy2:

[CanadianWDWFan]

:welcome: to Intercot!

You have chosen the busiest time of the year to go to WDW!

We arrived on New Years Eve and left on Jan. 6 of this year. We arrived at 11:00am and MK was closed to ALL guests. We were told at check in that they weren't even allowing resort guests into the park.

So we went to MGM. It was the busiest that I have ever seen it. We left before even going on any attractions. We aren't crowd folks so this had something to do with it. We were told that the crowds would thin out after Jan. 1. We didn't see this. The crowds were pretty consistent for our whole trip. We never saw the crowds drop much.

The only time it wasn't busy was first thing in the morning on New Year's Day at MK, but by lunch it was busy again.

[coachgoofy]

We were oringially booked 12-26 to Jan 3, but switched it becasue CMs, more that one, told us that crowds thin out after Jan 1. We were also told that guest that were staying on site would be allowed in the park, even if it reach capacity. Not sure how much of this is true? Does anyone know if you have a ADR, if you will be allowed in the park, even if it has reached capacity?

:pirate::yoda::goofy2::smickey::goofy::kermit:

June 06 all-star sportsApril 99 off site
April 97 off-site

[Meteora]

Probably the days right after New Years day will still be on the crowded side, but you should start to see an improvement day by day. I once arrived on the 6th, and it was vrtually empty. Absolutely beautiful.

If the park has reached maximum capacity (at the stage where there is NO further entry), an ADR won't get you in. I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Goes4FastPass]

Christmas to New Years will be
:mickey::mickey::mickey::mickey:you:mickey::mickey ::mickey::mickey:

WDW doesn't really slow 'til when...Maybe Jan 3rd?

[CaptSmee]

Get up early and goodl luck! :mickey:

[Mousefever]

Last year we arrived on January 1st and stayed until the 9th. The crowds did drop somewhat over the first few days of January, but they were not as low as I expected them to be until Sunday, January 7th.

So my advice is: Be prepared, know what rides you want to go on, and have a plan. Don't sleep in! Hit the parks early and take care of the popular attractions first.

The information about resort guests being able to get into the parks when outside guests are being turned away is true. But there comes a point when the park is so crowded that even resort guests can't get in.

By the way, welcome to Intercot!



:dory:

[master_gracey]

Bear with me because this is long, but trust me it will help a great deal.

I have done a trip from December 28th to January 3rd twice. It can be one of the best times of your life, if you can plan it well. This is my best advice and it has worked for me twice.

I will talk about New Years Eve in a moment, but first let me tell you that what they say is true, it is the busiest time of the year! There are people everywhere. Here are a few tips:

1. Get there early! Take advantage of early entry if you can. Be at those gates when they open. But remember to take a break mid-day and go back later in the late afternoon or early evening.

2. Stay Late! People who have been there all day tend to leave early. And if you break for a few hours in the middle of the day, then you have energy while the others are pooped.

3. Use Fastpass to your advantage! If you have a Fastpass, get another one as soon as you are allowed to (2 hours after the issuance of your last one). Keep doing that all day long. If you wait too long, chances are attractions will run out of them, and this time of year they will run out of them very quickly. Do not be selective.

4. Finally, sometimes you have to be pushy. I know that some of you may not agree with this, but there are too many people there to be overly-polite. I dont mean you have to shove someone, but just a gentile nudge will make people move on a busy midway.

Ok now to New Years Eve. Both times I have spent New Years Eve at the Magic Kingdom, and I think its the best place to spend you New Years Eve countdown. You absolutley have to get to the park BEFORE 10am. I do not reccomend pushing that time limit. The gates have closed about 15 minutes behind me (both times I have made the WDW RR my first ride so I saw it happen) and I arrived at 10:30am.

Once you are there, be prepared to STAY THERE ALL DAY. Do not leave the park, or you probably will not get back in. Plan ahead that you dont leave anything in the hotel room that you may need.

The rest of the day, just have fun. The park will be packed but its some of the most fun I have ever had in the MK. Yes, sometimes the waits are long, but you knew that going into this, right?

At around 4-5 pm they will begin handing out noisemakers and top-hats free or charge for the celebration that night. Oh yes, the noisemakers will become HORRENDUS and annoying. But keep in mid that by 8pm, everyone that was playing with theirs probably lost intrest or broke it, so it does get better. Save yours for when you need it.

There are 2 fireworks shows on New Years Eve. The regular Wishes at around 8, and then my favorite, the Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks show starts at around 11:50pm. This is the countdown show. I have always managed to find myslef a spot at the end of Main Street just before the bridge into the hub area where the "Partners" statue is. This seems to be the best spot to get on TV, and see the fireworks. Try and find a spot at around 11:10 to 11:20 There is a coundown with Mickey and Goofy over the park pa system at midnight, with a great ending to the show (trust me, it is AWESOME)

After the fireworks have ended, do not leave like everybody else. Stay and go on more rides. But be prepared to wait for a monorail/bus/ferry for in exess of 45 mins-hour even after 1:30 in the morning.

Hope it helps.