New Year's Week Advice

[ArchOwl]

So do you recommend making reservations for meals all New Year's week, or just NYE? We usually don't try to book reservations for all meals, but I guess if the place is going to be mobbed the entire week it might be a good idea.

Tough one! I know it's hard to plan lots of reservations since you don't always know where you will be or go. When we go during this extremely busy time, we usually have one reservation per day. That way we have something for sure. And it is a built in break for the day.

The other meals we may do counter service, but we will eat at off times. That works because we don't have little kids with us. And there still might be a bit of a wait, but not nearly as bad as prime time. For example, lots of counter service places open at 11:30. There is a huge difference in the line at 11:30 vs 12:30. But I am not sure that would work for you?

Like the other poster said, you can make reservations and then you can cancel them 24 hours in advance if they no longer work for you. Might be worth doing and your first day in the parks get a sense of the lines and adjust accordingly.

 

[Sherry E]

Metalliman98 -- If you can work it in, be sure to see Viva Navidad too (in DCA) -- it's wonderful! And Olaf's Snow Fest, if you are a Frozen fan.

 

[Metalliman98]

I think I will try to do mostly lunch reservations. we tend to do breakfast on the way in (stuff we brought or McDonalds or something) and if we want to do CS, lines should hopefully be shorter in the mornings. i will do a breakfast reservation for NYE though. I am planning on booking several reservations for WoC packages for dinner so that we have flexibility to avoid rainouts/bad weather, so that'll eat up my dinner reservations, unless I use my wife's account to make others.

We will definitely check out Viva Navidad.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[Astylla]

I know it's crazy but it just occurred to me tonight that hubby and myself are off on the weekends and New Year's Day so now we're thinking if driving up the 31st ( early morning) and staying until Sunday.

Reading some great info here I think DCA is the park to ring in the new year at ! I'll be happy just to be at Disney if we pull this off. I admit I was shocked that Candy Cane Inn still had rooms at non jacked prices.
I also preemptively booked the PCH New Years buffet just in case we pull this off LOL. Very interesting read and tips !

 

[ArchOwl]

I know it's crazy but it just occurred to me tonight that hubby and myself are off on the weekends and New Year's Day so now we're thinking if driving up the 31st ( early morning) and staying until Sunday.

Reading some great info here I think DCA is the park to ring in the new year at ! I'll be happy just to be at Disney if we pull this off. I admit I was shocked that Candy Cane Inn still had rooms at non jacked prices.
I also preemptively booked the PCH New Years buffet just in case we pull this off LOL. Very interesting read and tips !

Sounds like fun! I will be in DCA as well, ringing in the new year on Paradise Pier.

That is great news that the CCI was available. I am curious about the PCH buffet event. My husband is not a huge character person, so I don't think we will attend, but it is an interesting option. I wonder if people will be able to see fireworks at all?

 

[Astylla]

Sounds like fun! I will be in DCA as well, ringing in the new year on Paradise Pier.

That is great news that the CCI was available. I am curious about the PCH buffet event. My husband is not a huge character person, so I don't think we will attend, but it is an interesting option. I wonder if people will be able to see fireworks at all?

If we make it pending hubby can get that day off so we can arrive at a decent hour, I may run into you lol.

I'm not sure about the dinner but figured it wouldn't hurt to reserve JUST IN CASE. I see Catal had a New Years menu in years past so if that pops up again may go that route. I'm not sure I want to brave the Disneyland crowds late in the day. I actually love DCA anyway and being able to get a few beers and drinks appeals to me more than seeing fireworks up close lol.

Your overview was really helpful!

 

[ArchOwl]

If we make it pending hubby can get that day off so we can arrive at a decent hour, I may run into you lol.

I'm not sure about the dinner but figured it wouldn't hurt to reserve JUST IN CASE. I see Catal had a New Years menu in years past so if that pops up again may go that route. I'm not sure I want to brave the Disneyland crowds late in the day. I actually love DCA anyway and being able to get a few beers and drinks appeals to me more than seeing fireworks up close lol.

Your overview was really helpful!

Such fun! I would love to run into a fellow Diser. I hope your hubby can get the time off.

DCA is really the best for NYE as far as I am concerned, champagne is always appreciated for ringing in the New Year. And we have always been happy with our spot on the Pier. The DCA fireworks go off right above you, the fountains are doing some really fun stuff in front of you, and you can see the DL fireworks across the way. It is really fun. And 9 million of my closest friends are not stepping on my toes like in DL.

I was also wondering if Carthay might be a good spot? If you could go outside on the balcony, I bet you would get some awesome views. I may stop in and ask what the policy is on that.

I basically don't go back to DL after about 11am or so on NYE. It is just too much for me personally. The campers in the Hub are just nuts and it gets so crowded. Meanwhile DCA has lots of room.

We are doing dinner at Storyteller's and will probably spend some time at the Hearthstone Lounge as well. It is a great way to avoid the crazy Esplanade. We use the GCH entrance at night. There are also some great live bands over in the Boardwalk area.

Ok, enough rambling! I hope it works out for you guys.

 

[Astylla]

Such fun! I would love to run into a fellow Diser. I hope your hubby can get the time off.

DCA is really the best for NYE as far as I am concerned, champagne is always appreciated for ringing in the New Year. And we have always been happy with our spot on the Pier. The DCA fireworks go off right above you, the fountains are doing some really fun stuff in front of you, and you can see the DL fireworks across the way. It is really fun. And 9 million of my closest friends are not stepping on my toes like in DL.

I was also wondering if Carthay might be a good spot? If you could go outside on the balcony, I bet you would get some awesome views. I may stop in and ask what the policy is on that.

I basically don't go back to DL after about 11am or so on NYE. It is just too much for me personally. The campers in the Hub are just nuts and it gets so crowded. Meanwhile DCA has lots of room.

We are doing dinner at Storyteller's and will probably spend some time at the Hearthstone Lounge as well. It is a great way to avoid the crazy Esplanade. We use the GCH entrance at night. There are also some great live bands over in the Boardwalk area.

Ok, enough rambling! I hope it works out for you guys.

Ramble away these are all great suggestions and points that I appreciate.

Of course we would love to meet up so I'll keep you posted !
Spending every holiday at a Disney park is on my bucket list..we will have Thanksgiving in a few weeks as it is !

Storyteller's was soooo good last time we had the dinner buffet but OMG it was so much good food and they presented us with anniversary cupcakes after we gorged ourselves but we couldn't just let them go to waste..
I love Carthay but my husband can be picky but we owe a return visit since our last one was horrific due to a very rude and drunk guest we got stuck sitting next to and the manager and server went out of their way to try and make it up to us.

The GCH entrance I imagine is a godsend on days like this. I do admit the GCH has some awesome spots to relax in away from the craziness..now if only I could justify the prices too!
For now though I'm thrilled to have booked the CCI since it's easily walkable.

OH - I have a question maybe you can help with.
It looks like the parks were open late - DL until 2am and DCA until 1am - do you know if DL got any better after midnight ? We loved the EMH at WDW after hours ( until 1am) so it was really cool to be in the park so late.
I'm not sure it's worth the fight but i'd be curious how crowds filter.

 

[ArchOwl]

Ramble away these are all great suggestions and points that I appreciate.

Of course we would love to meet up so I'll keep you posted !
Spending every holiday at a Disney park is on my bucket list..we will have Thanksgiving in a few weeks as it is !

Storyteller's was soooo good last time we had the dinner buffet but OMG it was so much good food and they presented us with anniversary cupcakes after we gorged ourselves but we couldn't just let them go to waste..
I love Carthay but my husband can be picky but we owe a return visit since our last one was horrific due to a very rude and drunk guest we got stuck sitting next to and the manager and server went out of their way to try and make it up to us.

The GCH entrance I imagine is a godsend on days like this. I do admit the GCH has some awesome spots to relax in away from the craziness..now if only I could justify the prices too!
For now though I'm thrilled to have booked the CCI since it's easily walkable.

OH - I have a question maybe you can help with.
It looks like the parks were open late - DL until 2am and DCA until 1am - do you know if DL got any better after midnight ? We loved the EMH at WDW after hours ( until 1am) so it was really cool to be in the park so late.
I'm not sure it's worth the fight but i'd be curious how crowds filter.

Spending every holiday in a park sounds like so much fun! What a fun goal.

Storyteller's is so low key on NYE compared to Napa Rose and some other places. We like to order off the menu, the buffet is just too much! I totally understand how stuffed you can get. Did you get married on NYE, how cool.

I have a checkered history with Carthay. I swear every time we go the service is just so bad. But we do like the lounge. So I am kinda wondering if we get some drinks if they would let us sneak out to the balcony to watch the fireworks. Probably not, but worth a shot! How crazy you were sitting next to a drunk guy! How does anyone afford to get blitzed on Disney cocktails? So weird.

Yeah, we like GCH but can't justify staying there for NYE. But we use the heck out of that entrance once the Esplanade gets all crazy. We've never had a problem using it that day, but we always have receipts from the restaurants or bars.

So we do normally go over to DL around 1am once DCA closes. Mainly we like looking at the castle, they light it up really beautifully for NYE. Just avoid going over there from midnight to about 12:45 or so. The park and the Esplanade is a complete disaster. Around 1am it is busy, but not too bad. We can usually ride a couple rides too. The year before last we were the last ones on Jungle Cruise at 2am, it was us and one another couple. It was kinda romantic!

If you can wait out all the people trying to leave after the midnight fireworks, DL isn't too bad. It isn't empty, but once it gets close to 2am, it does clear out. The only downside is that if you stay until 2am, it is really hard to make rope drop, lol.

 

[Disney127]

So we do normally go over to DL around 1am once DCA closes. Mainly we like looking at the castle, they light it up really beautifully for NYE. Just avoid going over there from midnight to about 12:45 or so. The park and the Esplanade is a complete disaster. Around 1am it is busy, but not too bad. We can usually ride a couple rides too. The year before last we were the last ones on Jungle Cruise at 2am, it was us and one another couple. It was kinda romantic!

If you can wait out all the people trying to leave after the midnight fireworks, DL isn't too bad. It isn't empty, but once it gets close to 2am, it does clear out. The only downside is that if you stay until 2am, it is really hard to make rope drop, lol.

Thanks for all of your insight on NYE. DD and I were debating on which park to be in and finally decided to be in DCA on NYE. Good idea to be on the Paradise Pier side, sometimes we watch WOC from here since it is less crowded. We cancel our NYE dinner at Carthay and booked Ariel's instead. We are prepared for crazy crowds during this week so have booked a sit down meal each day that we are there. If you see us, give us a wave, love to meet a fellow Dis!

 

[Astylla]

I just snagged a 6:10 PM reservation on New Year's eve for Blue Bayou Fantasmic so we will see if that plan works out LOL.

It's definitely hard to choose if you want to stay really late on New Year's Eve or make that early rope drop the next day to try and miss the crowds. One benefit we have is that if we do end up going this will be one of three trips back to back almost. Therefore seeing everything isn't on the agenda it's more experiencing everything on different days we've never gone before.

Currently our trips are as follows:

November 25 to November 28 -
Super 8 Katella

Thanksgiving dinner at the Disneyland Hotel

December 5 to December 12
5th to 10th BW Anaheim Inn
10th to 12th HOJO

Sunday 6th Big thunder Ranch barbecue

Tuesday 8th Friends meeting us at Disneyland and Blue Bayou dinner

Wednesday 9th relaxed day/dinner at Catal

December 31 to January 3 (Tentative)
Candy Cane Inn

Thursday 31st blue Bayou Fantasmic dinner
Then head over to DCA after Fantasmic

So for us it's definitely more seeing things that we want to versus what we need to fit everything in. As our premium AP expires on January 25 if we can't make New Year's eve we may try to fit a smaller quick trip in before it expires.

 

[Disney127]

I just snagged a 6:10 PM reservation on New Year's eve for Blue Bayou Fantasmic so we will see if that plan works out LOL.

It's definitely hard to choose if you want to stay really late on New Year's Eve or make that early rope drop the next day to try and miss the crowds. One benefit we have is that if we do end up going this will be one of three trips back to back almost. Therefore seeing everything isn't on the agenda it's more experiencing everything on different days we've never gone before.

Currently our trips are as follows:

November 25 to November 28 -
Super 8 Katella

Thanksgiving dinner at the Disneyland Hotel

December 5 to December 12
5th to 10th BW Anaheim Inn
10th to 12th HOJO

Sunday 6th Big thunder Ranch barbecue

Tuesday 8th Friends meeting us at Disneyland and Blue Bayou dinner

Wednesday 9th relaxed day/dinner at Catal

December 31 to January 3 (Tentative)
Candy Cane Inn

Thursday 31st blue Bayou Fantasmic dinner
Then head over to DCA after Fantasmic

So for us it's definitely more seeing things that we want to versus what we need to fit everything in. As our premium AP expires on January 25 if we can't make New Year's eve we may try to fit a smaller quick trip in before it expires.

Sounds like a great plan! You are very lucky to have 3 trips planned! We too want to have different experiences, not all about the rides and fitting everything in. We have seen all the entertainment offered but wanted to do a couple of things that we enjoy ie: hang out in the Ranch area before it's gone. We don't usually make dining reservations unless it's for Fantastmic or WOC packages but reading about how crowded this week might be, we have made dining reservations for each day of our stay. We are spending Christmas Day at DL so we will spend NYE in DCA. Our Premium AP expires on Nov 15 but we will have to get Premier AP since we are headed to WDW in March. And learning about all the refurbishments coming up, this trip to DL might be our last one for awhile.

 

[ArchOwl]

Thanks for all of your insight on NYE. DD and I were debating on which park to be in and finally decided to be in DCA on NYE. Good idea to be on the Paradise Pier side, sometimes we watch WOC from here since it is less crowded. We cancel our NYE dinner at Carthay and booked Ariel's instead. We are prepared for crazy crowds during this week so have booked a sit down meal each day that we are there. If you see us, give us a wave, love to meet a fellow Dis!

Oh yay! So glad my ramblings might help someone. I am curious to see if this NYE is comparable to years past. Last year we rang in the new year right next to California Screamin' and I swear there were maybe 10-12 other people on the Pier with us. It was amazing. We don't feel the need to watch from the WOC area. They don't really do any projections, it is all dancing fountain type stuff.

Oh, another quick tip! Right after the end of the fireworks, book it over to TSMM if you are on the Pier. There has never been a line for us! It is an awesome first ride of the new year.

It is a good idea to have a sit down restaurant booked. Trust me, you will need a break from the crowds. And the last thing you want to do when it is so busy is wait in another LONG line for food. It is so great to be able to plunk yourself down, have some personal space, and enjoy some food. You will be loving it.

 

[ArchOwl]

I just snagged a 6:10 PM reservation on New Year's eve for Blue Bayou Fantasmic so we will see if that plan works out LOL.

It's definitely hard to choose if you want to stay really late on New Year's Eve or make that early rope drop the next day to try and miss the crowds. One benefit we have is that if we do end up going this will be one of three trips back to back almost. Therefore seeing everything isn't on the agenda it's more experiencing everything on different days we've never gone before.

Currently our trips are as follows:

November 25 to November 28 -
Super 8 Katella

Thanksgiving dinner at the Disneyland Hotel

December 5 to December 12
5th to 10th BW Anaheim Inn
10th to 12th HOJO

Sunday 6th Big thunder Ranch barbecue

Tuesday 8th Friends meeting us at Disneyland and Blue Bayou dinner

Wednesday 9th relaxed day/dinner at Catal

December 31 to January 3 (Tentative)
Candy Cane Inn

Thursday 31st blue Bayou Fantasmic dinner
Then head over to DCA after Fantasmic

So for us it's definitely more seeing things that we want to versus what we need to fit everything in. As our premium AP expires on January 25 if we can't make New Year's eve we may try to fit a smaller quick trip in before it expires.

Oh, you are brave! About five or more years ago we were in NOS on NYE and said never again. We literally could not move for huge chunks of time. There were so many people, there was no space to walk! I think it took us about half an hour to go from the exit at Pirates to Main St. Ugh!

Isn't so great to explore the parks with an AP? It lets you slow down and really take everything in. We are never stressed about things, we know we can come back or whatever. And some days we don't even focus on rides, we just soak in the atmosphere and have a nice dinner and drinks.

We let our APs lapse earlier this year as we had other things planned. But when I heard about the price increase, I was at the computer and buying our vouchers. So now we have Premiums for a year. This may be the last time we ring in the new year at the resort. Not sure we can justify the Signature Plus. So we will soak it all up this year!

 

[Disney127]

Oh yay! So glad my ramblings might help someone. I am curious to see if this NYE is comparable to years past. Last year we rang in the new year right next to California Screamin' and I swear there were maybe 10-12 other people on the Pier with us. It was amazing. We don't feel the need to watch from the WOC area. They don't really do any projections, it is all dancing fountain type stuff.

Oh, another quick tip! Right after the end of the fireworks, book it over to TSMM if you are on the Pier. There has never been a line for us! It is an awesome first ride of the new year.

It is a good idea to have a sit down restaurant booked. Trust me, you will need a break from the crowds. And the last thing you want to do when it is so busy is wait in another LONG line for food. It is so great to be able to plunk yourself down, have some personal space, and enjoy some food. You will be loving it.

It might be busier this year at the Pier since there are so many reports of heavier crowds already. But it doesn't matter to us, it's just DD and myself, I am sure that we can find a place somewhere to ring in the new year. We watched some youtube videos of NYE at DCA so we are pretty excited to be there.

Good tip on TSMM, we will give it a try!

Yes, having a place for a meal without standing in long lines would be a welcome relief. We did this when we were in DL in July for the 60th. We are spending 10 days at the parks this trip so we are in rush to do everything. Just want to enjoy the decorations and being at Disney for the holidays. Thanks again for all the tips!

 

[Astylla]

Oh, you are brave! About five or more years ago we were in NOS on NYE and said never again. We literally could not move for huge chunks of time. There were so many people, there was no space to walk! I think it took us about half an hour to go from the exit at Pirates to Main St. Ugh!

Isn't so great to explore the parks with an AP? It lets you slow down and really take everything in. We are never stressed about things, we know we can come back or whatever. And some days we don't even focus on rides, we just soak in the atmosphere and have a nice dinner and drinks.

We let our APs lapse earlier this year as we had other things planned. But when I heard about the price increase, I was at the computer and buying our vouchers. So now we have Premiums for a year. This may be the last time we ring in the new year at the resort. Not sure we can justify the Signature Plus. So we will soak it all up this year!

Yeah the Fantasmic reservation was more of "Let me grab it because I can always cancel if we decided it's too much or might be LOL" . I grabbed a Storyteller's reservation for around 7:30pm as I felt it might be a good time to duck out for a bit as a backup plan.
More than likely we'll stick to Storyteller's but I like to plan just in case.

This is the last year as AP's as far as we know - they expire Jan 25th and now that premium is no longer offered anyway. We decided well before the hike and with the refurbs coming we feel it's a good time.
We may be doing WDW next Christmas though.

We live 6 hours away so it's never just a hop skip but we still have lots of different types of trips like you said.

I'm still juggling what hotels we are staying at in December..do you have any favorites or experiences to share ?

 

[ArchOwl]

Yeah the Fantasmic reservation was more of "Let me grab it because I can always cancel if we decided it's too much or might be LOL" . I grabbed a Storyteller's reservation for around 7:30pm as I felt it might be a good time to duck out for a bit as a backup plan.
More than likely we'll stick to Storyteller's but I like to plan just in case.

This is the last year as AP's as far as we know - they expire Jan 25th and now that premium is no longer offered anyway. We decided well before the hike and with the refurbs coming we feel it's a good time.
We may be doing WDW next Christmas though.

We live 6 hours away so it's never just a hop skip but we still have lots of different types of trips like you said.

I'm still juggling what hotels we are staying at in December..do you have any favorites or experiences to share ?

Yeah, it is always good to have options!

We are sad these will be our last Premiums, but we will make them count! We are actually a teensy bit excited for no Fantasmic in 2016 because we both love the atmosphere in NOS, but F! makes it impossible to really enjoy the area since we tend to visit on weekends and holidays. So we are looking on the bright side.

We live about 5 hours away, so we like to stay for at least a couple nights if not more. But I am afraid we are super boring and stay at the Fairfield or onsite. I have reservations for the Fairfield and the new Courtyard for our NYE trip. Not sure which we will pick. The Courtyard looks really nice, but is a lot of room for two people. Not sure we need all that. So we will probably go back and forth on that one until the last minute.

 

[Metalliman98]

Yeah, it is always good to have options!

We are sad these will be our last Premiums, but we will make them count! We are actually a teensy bit excited for no Fantasmic in 2016 because we both love the atmosphere in NOS, but F! makes it impossible to really enjoy the area since we tend to visit on weekends and holidays. So we are looking on the bright side.

We live about 5 hours away, so we like to stay for at least a couple nights if not more. But I am afraid we are super boring and stay at the Fairfield or onsite. I have reservations for the Fairfield and the new Courtyard for our NYE trip. Not sure which we will pick. The Courtyard looks really nice, but is a lot of room for two people. Not sure we need all that. So we will probably go back and forth on that one until the last minute.

We stayed at the Courtyard in October, the room was really nice, bathroom was surprisingly large (two showers) though we did have a two queen/twin bunk room. The waterpark on the second floor was nice for what ended up being a hot week. We did the Fairfield in August, it was OK, but the Courtyard is definitely better.

 

[ArchOwl]

We stayed at the Courtyard in October, the room was really nice, bathroom was surprisingly large (two showers) though we did have a two queen/twin bunk room. The waterpark on the second floor was nice for what ended up being a hot week. We did the Fairfield in August, it was OK, but the Courtyard is definitely better.

Thanks! I am sure the Courtyard is lot nicer, but it is $100 more a night. I do like the bigger rooms, though. But we won't use the pool area or anything. So I am not sure I want to spend the extra cash. Decisions!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I am curious to see if this NYE is comparable to years past. Last year we rang in the new year right next to California Screamin' and I swear there were maybe 10-12 other people on the Pier with us.

We weren't very far away from you then. We watched the fireworks from near Toy Story and then went and rode Toy Story several times since we had already seen World of Color a few times during the season. We spent New Year's Eve last year in DCA after about 10:30 AM, and we had a great time. Only the second time ever in the parks for NYE for us, and the first time we did it was an incredibly foggy night, the kids were really little, and I had caught some sort of cold. I think we were back in our room by 9 or 9:30 PM that night. 8 AM the next day though was fantastic in DL as far as crowds went, walked onto everything. Still, I enjoyed last year more since we actually experienced the New Year's Eve festivities a lot more. DCA is the way to go.