Hollywood studios for new years eve?

[eculmone]

Can anyone tell me if they've experienced Hollywood Studios for New Years Eve? I'm trying to plan and I know MK has closed when it hits capacity last year at 11am.

Then I inquired about EPCOT and found out that park is also insane on New Years eve and people stear away due to being unable to move in the parks... so now I'm thinking Hollywood Studios? Will I have the same problem? We have reservations at DD for Portobello's Italian restaurant at 4 but I'm not sure if we leave the park will we get back in?

Any suggestions or strategy is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[yulilin3]

Can anyone tell me if they've experienced Hollywood Studios for New Years Eve? I'm trying to plan and I know MK has closed when it hits capacity last year at 11am.

Then I inquired about EPCOT and found out that park is also insane on New Years eve and people stear away due to being unable to move in the parks... so now I'm thinking Hollywood Studios? Will I have the same problem? We have reservations at DD for Portobello's Italian restaurant at 4 but I'm not sure if we leave the park will we get back in?

Any suggestions or strategy is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

From the 3 parks that are open for NYE DHS is the one less packed, but it's still super packed. Really no way around crowds during this time of the year.
We love Epcot because it has a great party atmosphere and yes it's packed but we have never not been able to move. We usually arrive at Epcot after 5pm and then do all the dance parties that are on after 7pm
DHS has a DJ and Mulch Sweat and Shears playing at the Hat stage. If you are going to do Fantasmic! do the last one of the night. But still expect large crowds
I've done all 3 parks for NYE and our favorite is Epcot, followed by DHS and lastly MK

 

[jade1]

From the 3 parks that are open for NYE DHS is the one less packed, but it's still super packed. Really no way around crowds during this time of the year.
We love Epcot because it has a great party atmosphere and yes it's packed but we have never not been able to move. We usually arrive at Epcot after 5pm and then do all the dance parties that are on after 7pm
DHS has a DJ and Mulch Sweat and Shears playing at the Hat stage. If you are going to do Fantasmic! do the last one of the night. But still expect large crowds
I've done all 3 parks for NYE and our favorite is Epcot, followed by DHS and lastly MK

Agree.

DHS is a horrible view of fireworks if that's part of your plan. Sardines on Main Street and its all kind of blocked by the hat and trees etc.

EPCOT is much more visible and can handle some movement at least.

 

[eculmone]

 

[MrKnight]

Yes DHS will be SLIGHTLY less crowded than the other two parks but it also offers the least amount of NYE entertainment offerings which is why it is the lesser busy of the three. I always recommended Epcot for NYE as it has the most NYE entertainment offerings (DJs, bands, etc), the best party atmosphere, and a great firework display that you can see well from most areas of the park. DHS only has one DJ that alternates with a live band on the same stage and MK is simply too crowded to the point where you literally cannot move or go anywhere inside the park.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

We've only been to DHS for NYE (going to Epcot this year). It was crowded, of course. We parked ourselves in an alley on Sunset around 10pm and had a decent, but somewhat obscured view. It was fun but I'm looking forward to Epcot this year.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

You're not gonna escape the madness on NYE. WDW is crowded - you could see the crowds start to pick up from December 28th through the new year.

We always do MK for December 30th. It's packed, but we are able to see the NYE show and it's not nearly as packed as NYE. On Dec. 30th it's wall-to-wall people - and that's without all the locals and one-day guests!

We used to do DHS a lot. Honestly, it's the least crowded of the three parks. It's fun but we've decided to start going to EPCOT.

We went to EPCOT last year and it was crazy! We only stayed for a little while, as we had an early flight last year and were afraid of getting stuck there till 2am.

Comparing DHS to EPCOT is like apples-to-oranges. It gets packed, but it's different packed. At EPCOT, it's packed all day. Once 6pm hits, it turns into one gigantic party. It's hard to get around, but everyone is happy and dancing, etc.

At DHS, they have a stage in front of the Sorcerer's hat where the band performs. Most people go on rides or walk through the Osborne display. Around 10:30-11, people find their spots for the fireworks. The area in front of the hat is crowded, so my family used to go to the area right in front of 50's prime time. There's places to sit and it's right by the bar.

I've heard horror stories from people who have done EPCOT for NYE - about nowhere to sit and 30-minute waits for the bathrooms. This isn't the case at DHS.

DHS is more of a family atmosphere, too. It has EMH, but people seem to leave after it hits 12am. My family used to stick around, as we would wait out the crowds and my sister and I would want to ride RnR.

I'd recommend DHS for first timers who haven't experienced the Xmas crowds. It's just crowded and lively enough to enjoy NYE, but not as crazy and hectic as EPCOT or MK.

Go to MK on Dec. 30th and DHS on NYE,

Check out my free guide at survivedisxmas.com for more tips! There's a whole chapter dedicated to NYE!

 

[karmacats]

DH and I have done NYE at DHS, but not at any of the other parks, so I can't do a comparison. What I can tell you is that normally DHS is my least favorite park, but we loved NYE there - it was one of our best NYEs ever.

We ended up at DHS because we drove to WDW and got there at 8 pm, and the MK and Epcot were already at capacity. DHS was crowded around the stage and fireworks viewing areas but never hit capacity. This was maybe 5 years ago, though, so perhaps it's gotten more crowded. Personally, I'd try to reschedule dinner to an in-park restaurant, if you can.

I will probably get flamed for this, but much as I love WDW, I find a lot of the entertainment corny. Illuminations? Cheesy. Wishes? Love the fireworks but the singing makes me want to puke. One of the things I liked about NYE at DHS was that it was very disney and very fun, but not cheesy. Mulch, Sweat and Shears played a couple of sets, including one right before midnight - mostly 70s and 80s music, so it got everyone in a festive mood without being over-the-top corny. Since fireworks are a rarity at DHS (well, i know they had some random frozen fireworks recently, but usually no regularly scheduled fireworks), i thought that was kind of cool to see. It was really special to see the osbourne lights on NYE. Also, afterwards, the park was not crowded at all - i think it was open until 2 or 3, and by the end of the night i swear it was just me and DH and maybe 5 other people. (ok, i'm sure it was more than that, but we went for large stretches of time only seeing a couple other people.)

DHS is still my least favorite park normally, but if we find ourselves in WDW for NYE again, that's where i'll go, even if there's room at the other parks.

 

[BroganMc]

We stopped going to EPCOT for NYE about 3 years ago. That's when the crowd was so packed it was downright dangerous. Lots of partying but also lots of drinking. I don't care to be around a bunch of drunk people. They are rude, clumsy and gross. These are the people who pee and puke in the gardens when they think no one's looking. Plus they take down more than half the Christmas decorations on December 30. The tree is down, Santa's are gone, Gospel Choir and Candlelight Processional are history. They even stop running the holiday Peace on Earth fireworks. The whole park has gone downhill for NYE ever since they stopped putting up Lights of Winter. That's when they scaled decorations back and made the park dismal for NYE. New Year's Day you would have no idea there'd been a major holiday recently.

We never go to Magic Kingdom on NYE. It is way too crowded for my taste. Elbow to elbow crowded. And with that construction blocking half the Castle hub, I doubt it'll be fun at all this year.

DHS is more fun. Their Christmas Tree stays up for a week after the holidays. Osborne Lights runs until 2am. It does get crowded right in front of the Hat but they usually rope off areas for walking about. Your biggest problem would be having something to keep you entertained. This is the park with only 5 rides and tons of shows you've seen a thousand times before.

We'll be at DHS this year but if they don't put up Osborne next year, we'll do something else. Like maybe watch from our resort at BLT instead.

No matter where you go, NYE will be crowded. Mega super crowded. It is the busiest day of the year for the parks. Bring lots of patience with you and plan for it. If you don't expect to do a lot, just enjoy the atmosphere, the place is as festive as Times Square (but usually warmer and less inhabited by pickpockets).

 

[Hunterr]

I've heard Epcot is particularly fun on New Years, but also it doesn't feel as packed because the park is very big and spaced out in general. Even on a crowded summer day, it never feels like a cluster f. (not counting lines for attractions, obviously).

I think they all have DJ dance party things, too.

 

[pad406]

We were there in 2010 and had a blast. Plenty of things going on. We even left the park during the day for a rest and came back in later that evening. In truth the fireworks show isn't Disney's best but it's ok. Crowd wise it was busy but very manageable. Wouldn't hesitate to go there again, but will be in Universal this year

 

[disney*mom*82]

We did Epcot for NYE several years ago and it was just like described...a clustered party of drunk people. It was not family friendly at all.

This year we will be there again for Christmas and New Years and we are also going to DHS. I suggest eating in the park though, just to make sure you are able to be there at midnight!