Can you think of a better way to ring in the New Year than at Walt Disney World? Well, it’s not too early to plan! In fact, start TODAY, because today happens to be 60 days in advance of New Year’s Eve and the best time to make advanced dining reservations, air travel reservations and purchase park tickets or make park reservations. Call (407) 939-7765.
To get started on your plans, download your free, printable New Year’s Eve Planner for Walt Disney World. You can customize it with you own travel arrangements, reservations and confirmation numbers.
Now let’s talk about New Year’s Eve at Disney World…
New Year’s Eve is the busiest day of the year at Walt Disney World’s theme parks. While the parks are very crowded at this time of year, spending New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World is so much fun and it’s safe, too, as you don’t have to drive (because Walt Disney World transportation is awesome and will be available until the wee hours of the morning!)
This would be a fun trip to take solo, with friends or with family, as long as you are prepared and have a plan to cope with the crowds.
Basically, there are six options (and you could also mix and match!) We’ll go into all these choices in detail but in a nutshell…
- Epcot NYE If you want a fun, massive, mostly adult party with drinks, thumping DJ dance parties, live bands and an incredible fireworks display – choose the New Year’s Eve celebration at Epcot, the most popular option for New Year’s Eve. The downside: definitely the most crowded event in the parks and crazy lines for everything, including bathrooms.
- Magic Kingdom NYE If you want a very fun evening that has amazing fireworks, but almost no alcohol (but still lots of crowds) that would be a better choice if you have children in your group, choose the New Year’s celebration at Magic Kingdom. Countdowns happen all night long and the fireworks are are also offered earlier in the evening, so if you and your group leave before midnight, you won’t miss anything. And the same party is offered on December 30…so you could choose two options!
- Hollywood Studios NYE If you want a fun evening that has fewer crowds, more modest fireworks displays, but lots of holiday lights, hourly countdowns, live performances and a bit more elbow room, pick the New Year’s Eve celebration at Hollywood Studios. This is my plan for a “low key” New Year’s Eve.
- NYE Celebration at a Walt Disney World Resort If you are staying at a Walt Disney World resort on New Year’s Eve and want to have a quieter New Year’s Eve celebration, but you still want a holiday countdown at midnight (or earlier) and a little bit of festivity, your Walt Disney World resort will have a free, outdoor celebration that includes a countdown, DJ and games and crafts for children and the young at heart.
- Disney Springs New Year’s Eve. Disney Springs presents DJs and live music year-round so they are pros at doing this on New Year’s Eve. There will be a count-down! And the Christmas Tree stroll and nightly snow fall will still be offered. In addition to the fun, family-friendly, party vibes, a big advantage for this New Year’s Eve option is that you’ll have lots of flexibility, you’ll save money on park tickets and there are plenty of places to eat affordably. Parking a car, though? Plan to be in the lot no later than 11 am! But I’d suggest that you stay in a hotel, even if you’re local, for just the night, so you have a parking space, a place to sleep and get breakfast, and can avoid the traffic going home at the end of the evening. Hotel rooms are at their most expensive but for a special night, it would be worth it. Only drawback? No fireworks, although some say you can view fireworks from a distance from the top level open-air deck of the Coca Cola store.
- Pull Out the Stops! If you are ready to spare no expense, want to dress up, be wined and dined and ring in the New Year with live entertainment and a fireworks view, choose the New Year’s Eve dinner at the California Grill at the Contemporary Resort. Enjoy a Four-course dinner, live band and viewing of the Magic Kingdom fireworks for about $250 per person. Last year’s prices: December 30th: $230; New Year’s Eve, early seating: $300; late seating: $350. For reservations, call (407) 824-2284.
New Year’s Eve Planning Tips
Meals: Wherever you decide to go on New Year’s Eve, make advanced dining reservations for lunch and dinner, unless you plan to eat at quick service locations. Lines for food and drinks at kiosks and quick service locations in the theme parks will be quite long. But remember, you are allowed to bring food into the parks, as long as it is not packaged in a glass bottle or glass container. So, if you are spending New Year’s Eve at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, I recommend bringing a park bag with a refillable water bottle, packaged snacks (like cookies, candy, protein bars or trail mix) and maybe a sandwich.
Another good plan is to make advanced dining reservations now for New Year’s Day brunch, such as the character breakfasts at the Polynesian, Contemporary, Riviera or Beach Club resorts.
Park hours: Animal Kingdom will close at 7 pm, Hollywood Studios will close at midnight and Magic Kingdom and Epcot will be open until 1 am. While those are the “official” hours, the parks will actually be open up to an hour longer (or more) while guests take one last ride and browse in the shops. If you can, delay exiting the park up to an hour after park closing to avoid the most crowds and to get a seat on transportation back to your resort.
Transportation: Disney transportation (buses, monorails, Friendship boats, Skyliner) will continue to take guests back to resorts until an hour after the parks close, if not later. Most people recommend using the Walt Disney World Transportation instead of driving. All the parks will be very crowded on New Year’s Eve.
What to Wear: Some years, on New Year’s Eve, Walt Disney World is warm enough to swim in the pools during the day. Other years (like last year), it’s so cold, you’ll need a warm coat, hat and gloves! Unless you are going to a dressy dinner, you’ll likely want to wear comfortable, supportive shoes and add layers if the evening becomes chilly. Most people dress casually in the parks for New Year’s eve (jeans, leggings, sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, etc.) with festive touches, like mouse ears, hats, sparkly tops or accessories. Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy (see photo above) will be wearing New Year’s Eve outfits (and some of them will be visiting the resorts, as well as the parks) so if you plan to take photos with these characters, give some thought to an outfit that will look well in pictures.
New Year’s Eve at the Theme Parks
- Magic Kingdom – dance parties with characters for kids in Tomorrowland and Frontierland; Starlight Parade at 6:30 pm and 9 pm and fireworks at 7:30 pm and 11:50 pm. This party can be very noisy, so be aware if you have sensory sensitivities. Ear plugs are recommended! Park admission:
- Epcot – The “Luminous” fireworks that usually are presented at the end of the night at Epcot will happen at 6:50 pm. There will be live bands. After the fireworks is a good time to head back to the resorts (where there will also be celebrations until midnight) if you are not into a heavy party vibe: lots of drinking, lots of dance parties in World Showcase. The evening wraps up with a countdown and fireworks just before midnight. Park admission: .
- Hollywood Studios -Fantasmic at 6:30 pm, 8:30 pm and 9 pm, live bands and a midnight countdown and laser projections at the Chinese Theater. There will also be a DJ and a dance party. Park admission: just under $200.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations at the Resorts
Whether you are staying at All Stars Sports or the Grand Floridian, you can expect to enjoy New Year’s Eve-themed activities during the day, such as pool parties and crafts, an outdoor movie, just as is usual.
During the evening, all resorts will have a free, outdoor New Year’s Eve celebration with a a DJ, dancing and a midnight countdown. This can be a good option if you really do not like crowds or even the less crowded Hollywood Studios party will be too much for you or your family.
Fort Wilderness will have an exceptional party for registered guests with Magic Kingdom fireworks views from the beach.
The Magic Kingdom fireworks will also be visible from the Monorail Resorts (Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Polynesian). Note: To watch the firework resorts from the Monorail resorts a popular locations, such as terraces, balconies, beaches and marinas, registered guests will need wristbands to access these locations.
Not a registered guest a resort? You can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from TTC and the Epcot Fireworks from the Boardwalk (but expect heavy crowds).
At some Walt Disney resorts, you have visiting privileges. These are some of my favorite resorts and I would recommend them for a New Year’s Eve stay. If you are staying at the All Stars Resorts, for example, you can walk to and visit all three resorts, parties and pools, as usual. All three will have similar offerings on New Year’s Eve, but it might be fun to walk around and see all three. Lunch and dinner would be easy to obtain (and affordable) at the Quick Service locations.
If you are staying at Port Orleans, you visit the resorts, parties and pools at French Quarter and at Riverside. The French Quarter outdoor party may wrap up around 10 pm while the Riverside party goes until midnight. Ordinarily Scat Cat’s Cafe (French Quarter) would have drinks and live music until midnight but this year, unfortunately, they will be closed for renovation.
Caribbean Beach and the Riviera are right next to each other and have excellent restaurants that would be a good option for New Year’s Eve dinner (Topolino’s, Sebastian’s Bistro). They don’t have visiting privileges for the swimming pools, but they share similar New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks views from the “beach” area between the two resorts. You can also glimpse the Epcot fireworks from Sebastian’s Bistro.
