New Years Eve - Question on Crowds etc

[Mackflava99]

My question is:

We will be in Florida for the holidays and have one day free to visit WDW
If we were planning to go on New Year's eve , can anyone tell me how crazy the crowds will be?

It would be great to experience ringing in the new years at Magic Kingdom.

Most of the Crowd Calendars I see tell me that its a 10 out of 10, but I just want to know if its worth it to go or would we basically be walking around fighting crowds and not be able to do much.

Also would the crowds subside as the night approaches? or do even young kids stay till the end.

Any Help would be appreciated

Bryan

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

It's been a while since we were there at that time but I can tell you if you plan on going get there early because the park will likely reach capacity and stop admitting people. I would say be there at least by 10 am. We didn't find the crowds to lessen that much and it does make for a long day. The crowds will be heavy so I suggest doing the popular rides early and grabbing fast passes for the others. If you go early and plan well it could be fun as long as you don't mind the crowds. We decided we didn't like to be at MK on a holiday and usually ended up going to Epcot instead. It seems like Epcot handles crowds better.

[brad192]

10 out of 10? Nooooo...

12 out of 10 is more like it. I've been there twice for New Year's Eve - once at MK and once at Epcot. Two words: IN. SANE. As previously posted, choose the park you want to celebrate the New Year in and stay there. Most, if not all, parks will reach capacity & institute their tiered entry protocols, which means you may or may not be allowed in depending on your passes, whether you're staying on property, etc.

Even with being in your park of choice, the crowds will be wall to wall, lines for attractions will be very long (think 2+ hours for most major attractions), huge waits for food, and most importantly - long bathroom lines!

On the other hand, if you're willing to deal with all of the mayhem & crowds, MK is an AWESOME place to ring in the New Year! Epcot isn't too bad either, especially with their special fireworks for each country (It also doesn't seem quite as packed, as it's a far bigger park than MK).

One thing to think about is getting out after the celebration. If you're staying on property & using Disney transportation it'll probably take you between 1 and 2 hours to get back to your room unless you're staying at the Contemporary which you can walk to from MK. And if you're staying offsite, traffic will be a nightmare leaving.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from going on NYE, just pointing out some of the realities that will affect your magical day at WDW. But hey, life's an adventure! Carpe' Diem!

[Mackflava99]

10 out of 10? Nooooo...

12 out of 10 is more like it. I've been there twice for New Year's Eve - once at MK and once at Epcot. Two words: IN. SANE.

I appreciate the advice. It is kind of what I thought, but just wanted confirmation.. Thanks so much!

[Mackflava99]

It's been a while since we were there at that time but I can tell you if you plan on going get there early because the park will likely reach capacity and stop admitting people. I

Thanks, I appreciate it !!

[ransam]

I went one year, and glad i experienced it, wouldn't go again. The crowds are insane. It is packed and you will not be able to go on anything you don't have a fast pass for or wait in LONG lines.
If you've gone to WDW a lot, i think you should go, if for nothing else to experience it.

[JanetMegan]

So I did this last year in Epcot, by myself. I arrived very early and did most of my "rides" early in the day with FP and not too bad of waits. It got VERY busy. I took some photos (feel free to message me if you want to see.) I spent the rest of the day wandering, doing things I usually skip. I made sure I had sit down ADRS for both lunch and dinner as lines for all quick service places were very long. I took a change of clothes and shoes and put them in a locker. It was nice to change shoes mid-day. The weather was nice and I really did have a good time. The fireworks were fantastic and I actually taxi'd back to my hotel in about 20 mins. The lines for the bathrooms were long (20 mins plus) so coordinate restroom trips I don't know if I would do it again but I'm really glad I did it!

[Jeff]

Janet's plan is a great one! Excellent advice.
My family has been many times on NYE; we find Epcot the best park to be in. There is more room and many special things set up to "do"!
MK is absolutely shoulder to shoulder to the point of being a bit scary!

[#1donaldfan]

NYE in any park is gonna be crazy .... you have to rope drop and with that you will get to ride most everything, but by 1 or 2 PM, watch out .... you'll find yourself boxed in and shoved to and fro till way past midnight !!! That was our experience at the MK .... we did not walk or move as individuals, we moved as a mass ..... crazy busy !! ... but fun .....

[waymickey]

I would not go on new years eve. I was there last year and did not go to the parks at all. rode the monorail and ate at the resorts. It was absolutely insane in the parks. My DD is a CM at AK and it is not a fun day in the parks

[goofy-4-disney]

I was at MK on NYE several years ago. As others above have stated, get there early and prepare for the worst. It was a neat experience to go once on NYE, but I would not go again. You move as the crowd moves. After the fireworks we found a bench near the castle and sat for over an hour then slowly walked down Main Street towards the bus stops. Once there, the lines for the busses were still crazy long. Again, it was a neat experience but not one I would do again.