So, you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve at a theme park.
We can’t blame you. Most of the Disney Parks tend to go all out for the last holiday of the year, with festive firework displays, themed dance parties, unique dishes and limited-time merchandise for the rush of guests that choose to ring in the New Year in front of the castle. This year, Disney has a few new tricks up their sleeves, from Disneyland’s private Skyline Lounge to the gourmet New Year’s Eve buffet you’ll find at World Showcase in EPCOT.
Ready to brave the crazy crowds and make some memories? Here are a few recommendations to get you started.
General tips
Image: Chris Alcoran, Flickr (license)
First, let’s go over a few life-saving tips. No matter where you choose to count down to the start of 2018, you’ll want to come prepared for the drawbacks of visiting a Disney park during the holidays: massive crowds, long lines and limited dining options.
Tip #1: Dress for the weather. It doesn’t matter whether you’re celebrating in the Magic Kingdom or Disney California Adventure; if you’re going to be at a theme park from morning until midnight, you’ll need layers, sturdy shoes (socks, Band-Aids and insoles are a must) and something to keep you warm when the evening turns cool. Traveling in a group and don’t want to carry everyone’s jackets and hats around all day? Invest in a $7 locker or two, but be aware that it may not be worth fighting through the crowds to access it later in the day. (And, if you don’t know what to pack, check out our handy-dandy theme park survival kit.)
Tip #2: Prepare to wait… for everything. Peak summer weekends may attract hordes of tourists, but they have nothing on the insane crowds that turn out for the holiday season. Waiting in line – for attractions, meet-and-greets, shows, fireworks, concessions, souvenirs and bathrooms – is easily going to take up 80-90% of your day, and it’s almost a full guarantee that you won’t get to see, do, eat or buy everything you want. Bring a cell phone charger, snacks, good company and a healthy dose of patience.
Tip #3: Make dining reservations. Yes, you can go the budget-friendly route and bring your own food into the park, but keep in mind these three benefits of reserved dining: 1) the ability to try seasonal specials (which are often only available at certain restaurants); 2) the ability to bypass long food lines (you don’t know true pain until you’ve waited 45 minutes for a churro); and 3) the ability to put your feet up without jostling for a bench, quick service table or a spot on the sidewalk (especially if you’re with a large group). And for those worried about breaking the bank, try for one of the lower-tier sit-down spots like the Carnation Cafe. You don’t need to splurge on Blue Bayou Bouillabaisse to get some value out of your reservation.
Tip #4: Arrive early and stay late. If you’re not the kind of person who’s accustomed to a typical 17-hour day at Disney, well, we have bad news for you. Expect everything to fill up more quickly than usual, from parking lots to the parks themselves. Disneyland, for instance, has been known to hit capacity before noon. When it comes to the end of your night, you’re better off killing a few hours on Main Street, U.S.A. than rushing to nab the first surge-priced Uber or Lyft on Harbor Boulevard (or Monorail car or ferry boat, as the case may be).
It should also go without saying that you should have your tickets purchased, printed and ready to go before you set foot on a Disney property. Ditch the park hopper option this time around, as New Year’s Eve is one of the rare occasions when you just can’t count on a park remaining open to new parkgoers throughout the day. The fewer lines you have to wait in, the better – especially during the holiday rush.
Disneyland Park
Image: Disney
If you’re spending New Year’s Eve on the West Coast, Disneyland is the place to be. Sure, it’s guaranteed to be more crowded than Disney California Adventure, but nothing beats watching the fireworks illuminate Sleeping Beauty Castle at the stroke of midnight. This year, the biggest addition to the park’s festivities is the Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge, which offers its guests a premium fireworks viewing location… at a premium price.
Park hours: 8:00 AM to 2:00 AM (January 1, 2018); Extra Magic Hour/Magic Morning 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Special events:
- New Year’s Eve Experience at Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge: If you’re feeling fancy, you can fork over $90 per person to enjoy an exclusive lounge in Tomorrowland from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM. The ticket covers a snack box of assorted sweet and savory treats, a non-alcoholic beverage, a $15 coupon for Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port or Galactic Grill and another non-alcoholic beverage to toast the New Year. The price alone should make this a relatively relaxed way to catch the fireworks sans large crowds, but if you just need to put your feet up and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, there are much more affordable options at your disposal.
- Fantasmic!: For those who’d rather celebrate the new year with Sorcerer Mickey, there will be a special 11:59 PM performance of Disneyland’s nighttime spectacular on New Year’s Eve, though guests can also see the show at its regularly scheduled 9:05 PM and 10:30 PM start times.
- Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks Spectacular: You can catch two viewings of the fireworks at 9:00 PM and 11:55 PM on New Year’s Eve. Unless you’re dead set on ringing in the new year in front of the castle, find a spot by “it’s a small world” Holiday or hotfoot it to the Rivers of America prior to their 11:59 PM showing of Fantasmic! (the fireworks are scheduled to be set off at 11:55 PM). If you feel you can forego the accompanying projections with the firework show, you should also be able to find a relatively crowd-free spot along the trail that loops around the back of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or behind King Arthur’s Carrousel in Fantasyland.
Best spot to ring in the new year: No matter where you go in the park, you can expect a crowd. Most people will be packed into the Hub and Main Street, U.S.A. for the final countdown at Sleeping Beauty Castle; if you go this route, make sure to stay closer to the Hub than Main Street in order to avoid the post-fireworks stampede back to the main gates.
Disney California Adventure Park
Image: Disney
Disney California Adventure doesn’t draw the ridiculous attendance numbers that Disneyland does, but you should still prepare for much longer lines around the holidays – especially with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! and the Festival of Holidays attracting heavier crowds than usual.
Park hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM (January 1, 2018); Extra Magic Hour 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Special events:
- “Fountains and Fireworks” Countdown to 2018: Instead of ringing in the new year with a late-night performance of World of Color – Season of Light, Paradise Pier will light up for a special DJ dance party, featuring a brand-new light and water show and a countdown to midnight at Mickey’s Fun Wheel. Showtimes are listed at 9:00 PM and 10:15 PM, with the big countdown and fireworks finale kicking off around 11:45 PM.
- New Year’s Eve Countdown Celebration in Hollywoodland: If you can’t get out to Paradise Pier in time, Hollywoodland is hosting an 80s-themed dance party and celebration for the new year.
Best spot to ring in the new year: There’s likely no better spot to celebrate the new year than Paradise Pier. Since that area of the park will draw more crowds as the night goes on, you might want to secure a FASTPASS to the 9:45 PM showing of World of Color – Season of Light and plan on sticking around there for a couple of hours.
Walt Disney World – Magic Kingdom
Image: Disney
Park hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM (January 1, 2018); Extra Magic Hours 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Special events:
- Frontierland’s New Year’s Celebration Dance: If you need a break from the hubbub of Fantasyland – or, more likely, just want to enjoy hubbub of a different kind – Frontierland is hosting a New Year’s Eve DJ dance party from 7:00 PM until park close.
- Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks Spectacular: You’ll have plenty of time to catch one (or both) of the scheduled fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve, with performances set for 6:30 PM and 11:50 PM.
Best spot to ring in the new year: As with Disneyland, there’s no more iconic spot to be than in front of Cinderella Castle. If you’re really not feeling the holiday crowds, you can catch a special New Year’s Eve Eve fireworks show on December 30 at 11:50 PM, but to experience the real thing, you’ll need to stake out a spot in the Hub hours in advance.
Walt Disney World – Epcot
Image: Disney
If you want fireworks in front of the castle, you visit Magic Kingdom. If you want mouthwatering food, you visit EPCOT. In addition to all the delicious food featured around the World Showcase pavilions, a special New Year’s Eve buffet will be offered at the World Show Place Restaurant.
Park hours: 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM (January 1, 2018)
Special events:
- New Year’s Eve Dinner at the World Show Place Pavilion: The only drawback to EPCOT’s incredible dining options is that you have to walk around half the park to sample them all. That shouldn’t be a problem at the New Year’s Eve buffet, where there’s no shortage of appealing options, from Nutella Bundt cakes and seafood mac and cheese to Ruskin tomato soup and eclairs. Reservations are required, however, at the cost of $72.90 per adult and $44.38 per child. Pro tip: You can use a Disney Dining Plan to cover the event tickets, but it will cost two (2) table-service meals per person.
- New Year’s Eve Dinner at Monsieur Paul: If a buffet isn’t quite your style, Monsieur Paul offers gourmet prix-fixe lunch (12:00 PM – 6:30 PM, $89 per person) and dinner (9:00 PM, $245 per adult, no child options) menu with limited-time New Year’s Eve dishes.
- New Year’s Eve Parties: In the mood to dance till dawn? You’ll find DJ dance parties at Future World Fountain Stage and American Garden Stage throughout the evening.
- New Year’s Countdown Fireworks: IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is still scheduled for its nightly 6:30 PM performance, but an additional fireworks spectacular is scheduled to kick off at 11:40 PM as EPCOT counts down to 2018.
Best spot to ring in the new year: You really can’t go wrong with any spot in World Showcase or Future World, since the open layout of the park allows for better viewing locations than most others. As with the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, stay away from the viewing areas closest to the park entrance if you want to avoid the mass exodus of guests trying to exit after the fireworks show.
Walt Disney World – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Image: Disney
You won’t find any empty theme parks on New Year’s Eve, but Disney’s Hollywood Studios is likely a safer bet than the Magic Kingdom if you’re looking to enjoy your holiday without apocalypse-levels of chaos. Here, the spot to be is right in the center of the park, where you can catch special performances of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular and a three-hour DJ dance party.
Park hours: 9:00 AM to 1:00 AM (January 1, 2018)
Special events:
- New Year’s Eve Dance Party at Center Stage: Like many of the other DJ dance parties around the Walt Disney World resort, this one kicks off at 7:00 PM with brief interruptions for Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! at 9:00 PM and a special showing of the Star Wars fireworks spectacular at midnight. The dance party will then resume from midnight until 1:00 AM, in what will likely be the most crowded location in the park.
- Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular: If you want to see a truly unique fireworks show for New Year’s Eve, you’re probably better off visiting EPCOT. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is scheduled to run their Star Wars spectacular at midnight, but significant changes to the show are not expected to be announced.
- Note: Unlike Disneyland, there will be no additional showing of Fantasmic! at midnight. You can still catch the regularly-scheduled performance at 7:00 PM, however.
Best spot to ring in the new year: Here, you’ll need to plan wisely in order to find the best spot to watch the fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (if you’re crowd-averse or simply not in the mood to celebrate with fireworks, feel free to wander around the less-congested areas of the park – that is, anywhere that’s far away from the Chinese Theater or Sunset Boulevard, which will be running its last Flurry of Fun performance of the year). It’s probably best to enjoy the NYE Dance Party for a few hours until the countdown to midnight begins, as you’ll want to be front and center at the Chinese Theater for the best possible view.
Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom
Image: Disney
Here’s the rub: You won’t actually get to count down to 2018 at Animal Kingdom this year. While it’s scheduled to remain open until 9:00 PM and is guaranteed to be the emptiest of the four Walt Disney World parks, you’re better off skipping it if you have your heart set on counting down to midnight at a Disney park. If, on the other hand, you’d rather enjoy the theme parks during the day and hop over to one of Walt Disney World’s resort celebrations in the evening, Animal Kingdom should have the most moderate holiday crowds compared to its three sister parks – though don’t underestimate the popularity of Pandora – The World of Avatar.
Park hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Extra Magic Hours 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Got any other tips and tricks for surviving the holidays at a Disney park? Share them in the comments below!
