Happy New Year! We spent the end of 2019 the same way we spent the end of 2018- at Hollywood Studios and I absolutely loved it!  The parks tend to be very crowded on NYE, but Hollywood Studios had light crowds and had such a fun atmosphere and a totally different vibe than most other days at the park. Thinking about going to one of the parks on NYE? There is so much to consider when visiting Walt Disney World, the week between Christmas and New Year’s. In my honest and professional opinion, if you can visit any other time of year, I would highly encourage that and to stay away from the parks during this time of year. The year between Christmas and the New Year is one of my Disney’s busiest times and if you are wanting to have a more laid back and enjoyable time at Disney, this may not be the week for you.

If you decide you absolutely want to ring in the New Year with a vacation to Disney after Christmas, below you will find some tips and recommendations for how to enjoy yourself and to not go crazy with crowds when at the parks. 😉

Start planning EARLY.

Like I said, the week between Christmas and NYE is one of the busiest! As soon as the booking windows open up for the week of Christmas and NYE, go ahead and book your room. Bookings for room only reservations open 499 days out. Once you are 365 days out, you can cancel the room and rebook as a package to include tickets and dining. When booking so early, this allows you the best availability on rooms as well as some of the best prices. If the value and moderate resorts sell out before you have booked, you are left with the deluxe resorts that may cost more than you were originally planning to spend.

Book a Dining Reservation

When your booking window opens 180 days in advance, make sure to book your dining reservations for the week of Christmas. It is important to go ahead and plan out what days you plan to spend at which parks as well as book your table service restaurants. You can always go in and change the location and time later, but this way, you are guaranteed a sit-down meal on one of the busiest nights in the parks.

Book Fast Passes

This is a no brainer! Lines will be long and this allows you to enjoy a few attractions with a minimal wait. When I say long lines, I mean LONG. Take a look at these wait times right after Christmas. Having Fast Passes for some attractions allows you 3 different opportunities to keep your wait times low. You will need these when you visit!

Stay on Resort Property

No one wants to have to travel far on NYE. This makes it easy to get where you need to go in a shorter period of time. Plus, when you stay on property, you get a 60 day Fast Pass booking window, allowing you a 30-day advantage over those staying off property. This way you have better variety and a better chance of snagging those hard to get Fast Passes before everyone else.

Spend a Half Day at the Parks

If you can, enjoy a relaxing morning and early day by the pool. This allows you to rest up and then spend the evening staying late at the park. Be careful if you plan to spend your day at Magic Kingdom though. Every year, Magic Kingdom always reaches capacity and does not allow any other guests to enter the park. If you start too late, you may not be able to enter the park until people leave the park, which could hinder your plans when it comes to Fast Passes and dining inside the park. If you plan to visit Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom, having a late start in your day will help (especially with little ones) you make it to midnight.

Plan your Fireworks Viewing Spot

Pick a spot and DON’T leave! If you plan to watch the fireworks from the front of Cinderella’s Castle on New Year’s Eve, people line up/sit in their spot HOURS ahead of time. If you don’t have your spot by 10 PM, good luck! It is absolutely packed (which is why I don’t recommend it) and trying to move around is very difficult. When you visit other parks on NYE, you can still get a good location for their evening light show/fireworks about 1-1.5 hours in advance.

Pack Your Patience

It will be crowded, but so worth it! Going to Disney on NYE is such a fun experience. I just love the vibe, the energy, and knowing everyone is at the parks to all celebrate the same event, which makes it that much more special.

Have FUN

Enjoy it! You are there to enjoy yourself. Make the memories, stay positive, and have a great time!

 

New Year’s Eve at Hollywood Studios

The past 2 years we have spent New Year’s Eve at Hollywood Studios and both times have been some of my favorite New Years that I have ever had! Since I live locally, we didn’t do a full day at the parks. We got to Hollywood Studios around 8:30, which was plenty of time for us. If you are planning to spend your entire day in the parks and stay until midnight, I recommend either starting early in the day, taking a break for a nap and resting at your resort, and then returning to the parks in the evening. Or, use a half-day at the parks and arrive at the park around dinner time for dinner in the park, late fast passes, and then enjoy the fireworks. [Note: I recommend these strategies for Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom reaches capacity almost every NYE and they will not let anyone in until they have people leave.]

When you arrive to the parks, Disney hands out their official NYE celebration hats and horns which is SO fun and is a nice added touch to make it feel special when visiting on NYE. We proudly wore our hats all night and took some pictures on Hollywood Blvd with the Photo Pass cast members. [Note how much room you have to move around at Hollywood Studios on NYE! ;)]If you have ever visited Magic Kingdom on NYE and then visited Hollywood Studios, the crowd level difference is NIGHT AND DAY. Hollywood Studios felt SO empty and was just how I liked it (lol) Dan and I planned a late dinner at the Brown Derby and I had never eaten there before, so I was excited to try it. [Full Disclosure: I had actually made a reservation at Hollywood and Vine, but Brown Derby became available last minute, so I was able to snag that reservation and change it. Cancelations do happen from time to time, so you can sometimes grab hard to get reservations that way, but know you WILL spend a lot of time looking on the My Disney Experience app, which is why I recommend knowing and booking your reservations 180 days in advance so that you are guaranteed availability and then monitor the app as you get closer to your reservation date.]

After The Brown Derby, I had a late Fast Pass so that we could get one ride in without a wait. Wait times for all other rides were super low, which was great knowing that if we wanted to wait, we could have. However, I’m a line snob and can also visit the parks any time, so we rode our one fast pass and then made it back to the front of the Chinese Theater where the real party was happening! Before, in between, and after the showings of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular,  you can dance it up with a DJ at Center Stage starting at 7 PM. This party lasts until midnight and is a great place to be to enjoy the atmosphere at Hollywood Studios.

Yall, I was absolutely shocked and so surprised how much FUN it was! The DJ is set up right in front of the Chinese Theater. There were strobe lights, a smoke machine, fun music, drink carts set up, and really just so much fun. I never thought I could have so much fun at the parks like I did on NYE. The crowds were so low (Did I mention how great this was?) and knowing everyone was enjoying their time there like I was, was a great feeling too.

If you are definitely wanting to catch entertainment when visiting Hollywood Studios, there are great nighttime shows to watch. This past year there were three different nighttime shows: Fantasmic, Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.

FANTASMIC!

When: 9:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m.

JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BAM!

When: 6:30 p.m.

Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

When: Midnight

If you are thinking of planning a trip in the future during this time of year, consider Hollywood Studios for a fun and more relaxed New Year’s Eve. It may not be Magic Kingdom, but I promise you won’t be disappointed spending your time here! And as always, if you ever need help planning your trip, my services are always free!

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly