New Year’s Family Fun PTR – 12 days, 12 people, 3 resorts - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Thanks! I'm going to be itching to do it all, but I know we'll be happy for a little down time.
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great plans for MK!
Thanks! We're looking forward to it.
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great plans!
Thanks!
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Originally Posted by chezp
That's usually the way the Christmas parade runs and the crowds will be insane those first couple of days. If your family is ready to be at the Magic Kingdom at rope drop, I'd do that and spend a couple of hours in the park until it gets insane and then head out.
Thanks for the good advice. I'll try to get us there early and then maybe we'll pop back in for the parade only late afternoon.
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
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I knew this day was going to be crazy busy, but listening to the WDW Today podcast today I heard Len Testa say New Year’s Eve crowds in Epcot would mean 4-5 hour waits for Soarin’ and 3-hour waits for Test Track. Whoa! Good news is that it sounds like Epcot rarely reaches capacity. I think we may try morning extra magic hours at the Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom and then head back to the resort to relax for most of the day. Perhaps I can talk the kids into walking around to see the Boardwalk, Yacht, and Beach Club Christmas decorations. DH may want to play golf if he doesn’t get a chance on the 30th. I plan to keep a close eye on park levels so we can head to Epcot quickly if they are reaching capacity.
At exactly 180 days out, 7:00 a.m., I scored an ADR for La Hacienda at 6:45 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The early show of Illuminations is at 7:00 p.m., so I thought we’d have a pretty good chance of watching from the restaurant and get a little break from the insane crowds. Early October I got a call from the general manager of La Hacienda and San Angel Inn saying they had scheduled a private event and were moving all reservations after 6:30 p.m. to San Angel Inn. This still isn’t sorted out (impossible to get through to a real live person who knows anything about it!), but it looks like our La Hacienda ADR is no good. We’ll probably go ahead and use the San Angel Inn reservation if that comes through, but that means we won’t see the 7:00 p.m. fireworks. DH and I had a “date night” at San Angel Inn once and liked it… I think the kids will enjoy the atmosphere and the break from the crowds.
If all goes well, we’ll brave the crowds to stay for the 11:40 p.m. New Year’s Eve Illuminations and then walk back to the Swan. If Epcot is too crazy after dinner, we may head back to the resort early or switch to Hollywood Studios. I’m not even thinking of trying the Magic Kingdom on this night! Any way it turns out, it will be a real kick to be at WDW on New Year’s.
The one year we were there on New Year's Eve, we saw lines of three and a half hours (210 minutes) for Test Track. Soarin' wasn't open then. Epcot didn't fill to capacity, but it wasn't hugely fun in some parts, as it felt very crowded. People started staking spots for IllumiNations at around 4pm that day - the only reason we got a good view is the heavens opened around 7.30pm and it rained heavily all night after that, so the park emptied out.
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The one year we were there on New Year's Eve, we saw lines of three and a half hours (210 minutes) for Test Track. Soarin' wasn't open then. Epcot didn't fill to capacity, but it wasn't hugely fun in some parts, as it felt very crowded. People started staking spots for IllumiNations at around 4pm that day - the only reason we got a good view is the heavens opened around 7.30pm and it rained heavily all night after that, so the park emptied out.
Yikes! Well, if the crowds are overwhelming we'll enjoy hanging out at the resort. I might revise my agenda for the day so that we have a very clear contingency plan. It's hard to know how the kids will react to large crowds.
NYE is supposed to be insane at WDW--I think your Epcot plan sounds good though--it handles crowds better than the other parks. I'd be really tempted to go to the Studios--it's one of the only nights they have fireworks there!
I know it's a bit nuts to brave the NYE crowds, but I can't help thinking we are going to have a ball anyway! Got to try it once.
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Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
NYE is supposed to be insane at WDW--I think your Epcot plan sounds good though--it handles crowds better than the other parks. I'd be really tempted to go to the Studios--it's one of the only nights they have fireworks there!
I'm interested in trying the Studios too! I think we'll play it by ear. Maybe we'll have dinner in Epcot, then take a boat over the the Studios in time for their fireworks.
New Year’s Day. And the day we move from the Swan to a 2-bedroom villa at Old Key West. I’d like to take advantage of our Epcot resort location by starting the morning at either Hollywood Studios or Epcot. We’ll make that decision in the AM depending on what transpired the night before.
This year, I am absolutely, positively not going to over pack. I don’t mind switching resorts, but I don’t want to spend 3 hours organizing and packing each time we move. We have an Owner’s Locker with sunscreen, toiletries, ponchos and other sundries, and at OKW and SSR we’ll have a washer and dryer… we should be fine with a few changes of clothes and some layers for warmth. So, I’ll throw everything into the suitcase and locker, hand it over to bell services to deliver to OKW (how great is it that the Swan will transfer to all Disney resorts! I called to double check), and head to a park.
By early afternoon, I’ll need to deal with reality, meaning groceries. We’re going to be in a villa with a full kitchen for eight nights and have 7 people coming to visit/stay with us (not all at the same time). That’s a lot of groceries. I can’t leave that to Garden Grocer or WeGoShop. I’m sure they are great, and we’ve used Garden Grocer before for a shorter studio trip with good results - but I want to be able to decide the broccoli looks terrible and pick out green beans instead, or choose a bottle of wine that is on sale, or pick up fresh strawberries that weren’t on my list but look too good to pass by.
Yes, I do plan to cook on this trip. And no, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a vacation for me. I work full time. Dinners are often thrown together quickly amid homework, baths, and “one last check” of my email. I love to cook and miss having time to do it well most weeknights. Cooking at Old Key West in a spotless kitchen while the kids and DH lounge around on the sofas or hit the pool sounds just right to me. We have quite a few restaurant meals planned, but I’m counting on at least 3 dinners in the villa plus all of our breakfasts and a few lunches. It's not a vacation for us if we don't have homemade cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies sitting around for noshing, so there will be some baking as well.
After much research on grocery delivery and rental car options, here is my plan. Take a cab from Old Key West to Winn Dixie. Mears fare calculator estimates this at $12. Shop. Call the cab company while I’m checking out. Load groceries in the cab and head back to OKW. Should be under $40 roundtrip including tip. Much cheaper than a 1-day rental car and I think less hassle.
DH and the kids may go to Blizzard Beach while I shop if it is not too cold. Remember we are from Maine, where the ocean rarely gets above 60 degrees and a hot day is 75 degrees. Heated water and 60 degrees outside will work for us.
We’ll have an early dinner at the villa and then head to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes. If we are feeling energetic, we’ll stay for part of extra magic hours. This is our last night of just our family. I’m sure we’ll be eagerly anticipating the arrival of grandparents … and also savoring our last bit of “just us” time.
If you head to the parks fairly early on New Year's Day, you may find them pretty quiet. The one time we were down for New Year, that was our experience, as everyone had stayed up until midnight the night before, so people didn't start hitting the parks until about lunchtime.
It sounds like a good plan for groceries. I have groceries delivered for almost all our trips, but not for major cooking.
I think the grocery delivery services are perfect if you aren't doing major cooking. Great for beverages, snacks, and basic breakfast items and SO convenient. It's the meat and produce where I can't let go control.
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Originally Posted by chezp
If you head to the parks fairly early on New Year's Day, you may find them pretty quiet. The one time we were down for New Year, that was our experience, as everyone had stayed up until midnight the night before, so people didn't start hitting the parks until about lunchtime.
That sounds like a great idea! I'm keeping this in my back pocket as a plan B if the kids are cranky on New Year's Eve.... skip the fireworks and then get up early and have quiet parks to enjoy.
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the crowds will be insane those first couple of days. If your family is ready to be at the Magic Kingdom at rope drop, I'd do that and spend a couple of hours in the park until it gets insane and then head out.
Deer Isle Mom
PassPorter Guide Author
to be at WDW for New Year's Eve! 
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