Epcot for New Year's Eve??

Mary Blairiffic · 10-03-2007, 02:06 PM

Hello all -- I've got a question, or at least I'm soliciting opinions. Have you ever done Epcot at New Year's? I've been looking around online and I'm getting to think it's beyond a zoo. But I trust your opinions a whole lot and would love to hear what you think. I'd rather go to DLR, but we just did and this is my hubby's brainchild in order to kill many birds with a Florida-thrown stone (visit a slew of Floridian friends).

So... nightmare or kinda fun?

Thanks!

Mary Blairiffic

figment1986 · 10-03-2007, 02:42 PM

I have never been to any park on New Years outside of Busch Gardens Tampa, but if you don't want to go on any attractions and watch entertainment it is a good place to be. they have dance zones and even have been known to bring out the puppets from the old Tapestry Parade to join the fun. The park also has a killer fireworks finale, not to mention doing 2 illuminations that night.

The downside, it is the last park to usually close to capacity.

xharryb · 10-03-2007, 02:42 PM

My ex and I did WDW during that time of year for about 3 years in a row. The week from Christmas through New Years is in fact ridiculously crowded. MK and Epcot are guaranteed to hit capacity at various times throughout the week, especially on New Years Eve. However it has been my experience that immediately following New Years the crowds drop dramatically. It tends to vary depending on the year, but sometimes the bulk of the crowd is gone by Jan 1, other times it takes a day or two.

That being said, I never had a bad time. As long as you go into it with the right attitude and knowing what to expect it can be an amazing experience. They give out plastic party hats with a Disney NYE logo on them, there are stands set up serving champagne and they do a midnight Illuminations. (Don't sue me if I'm wrong, this is just what I've experienced on multiple trips)

So if you go, just know that there will be crowds, you might not get to see everything because of the lines, and you need to plan when to be in the park because of capacity issues. Generally I've found that they fill up in the morning, then lighten back up, then fill up again in the evening, so I always tried to make sure that I was in Epcot somewhere in the early/late afternoonish period to be safe. If you're the kind of person who can enjoy the atmosphere without necesarily having to get on every attraction, then you'll have a great time.

nbodyhome · 10-03-2007, 05:19 PM

I would take Epcot over any other park for NY Eve because it's such a huge park, so it doesn't feel as crowded. I like being there anytime! (I was there for the day on 12/30 last year, it was fine).

Denise

Mary Blairiffic · 10-04-2007, 11:27 AM

Thank you so much for all your input!

10-03-2007, 02:06 PM	#1
Mary Blairiffic Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 77	Epcot for New Year's Eve?? Hello all -- I've got a question, or at least I'm soliciting opinions. Have you ever done Epcot at New Year's? I've been looking around online and I'm getting to think it's beyond a zoo. But I trust your opinions a whole lot and would love to hear what you think. I'd rather go to DLR, but we just did and this is my hubby's brainchild in order to kill many birds with a Florida-thrown stone (visit a slew of Floridian friends). So... nightmare or kinda fun? Thanks! Mary Blairiffic __________________ "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."
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10-03-2007, 02:42 PM	#2
figment1986 Join the Darkside Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Within 78 miles of WDW... Posts: 307	I have never been to any park on New Years outside of Busch Gardens Tampa, but if you don't want to go on any attractions and watch entertainment it is a good place to be. they have dance zones and even have been known to bring out the puppets from the old Tapestry Parade to join the fun. The park also has a killer fireworks finale, not to mention doing 2 illuminations that night. The downside, it is the last park to usually close to capacity.
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10-03-2007, 02:42 PM	#3
xharryb D'oh! Join Date: May 2006 Location: Springfield Posts: 104	My ex and I did WDW during that time of year for about 3 years in a row. The week from Christmas through New Years is in fact ridiculously crowded. MK and Epcot are guaranteed to hit capacity at various times throughout the week, especially on New Years Eve. However it has been my experience that immediately following New Years the crowds drop dramatically. It tends to vary depending on the year, but sometimes the bulk of the crowd is gone by Jan 1, other times it takes a day or two. That being said, I never had a bad time. As long as you go into it with the right attitude and knowing what to expect it can be an amazing experience. They give out plastic party hats with a Disney NYE logo on them, there are stands set up serving champagne and they do a midnight Illuminations. (Don't sue me if I'm wrong, this is just what I've experienced on multiple trips) So if you go, just know that there will be crowds, you might not get to see everything because of the lines, and you need to plan when to be in the park because of capacity issues. Generally I've found that they fill up in the morning, then lighten back up, then fill up again in the evening, so I always tried to make sure that I was in Epcot somewhere in the early/late afternoonish period to be safe. If you're the kind of person who can enjoy the atmosphere without necesarily having to get on every attraction, then you'll have a great time.
	Submit to Quotes

10-03-2007, 05:19 PM	#4
nbodyhome Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5	I would take Epcot over any other park for NY Eve because it's such a huge park, so it doesn't feel as crowded. I like being there anytime! (I was there for the day on 12/30 last year, it was fine). Denise
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10-04-2007, 11:27 AM	#5
Mary Blairiffic Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 77	Thank you so much for all your input! __________________ "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."
	Submit to Quotes