This
year marks the 14th year that I have spend New Year’s Eve at Walt
Disney World! I can’t believe that
I have been going to WDW for New Year’s for that many years. I know that many people avoid the parks
on this holiday because of the intense crowds and the possibility that the
parks will reach a capacity closing, but for me, I could not imagine spending
New Year’s Eve anywhere else in the world.
This
year, since we live in Orlando, we didn’t feel like we had to arrive at Magic
Kingdom at 7:00am and just stay until midnight. We took a lower key approach this year, and I would not have
changed a thing about our evening.
First, we planned to go to the luau at the Polynesian Resort for the
5:15 show on New Year’s Eve. This
was also a strategic decision so that we could park at the Polynesian and avoid
the crowds at the TTC. Parking
restrictions are always enforced during busy times, so we wanted to make sure
that we did not have any issues parking.
After arriving at the Polynesian, we made our way to luau cove where we
enjoyed an excellent luau performance.
The menu has changed recently, and the new additions and changes are
definitely for the better. The
dessert has changed, and they have also added pulled pork to the entrée portion
of the evening. I miss the
Hawaiian rice that used to be served, but the pork was delicious. The dessert was head and shoulders
better than what they used to serve in the past.
After
the luau, we took a deep breath and prepared to enter the fray that is the
Magic Kingdom. We were prepared
for chaos and disorganized crowds, but I have to say that this is not what we
found. The castmembers at Magic
Kingdom did an excellent job of moving people from one side of the park to
another. Backstage bypass routes
were open, and we did not experience the usual misery that is typically
involved with Magic Kingdom on New Year’s Eve. Our plan was to ride the train to Fantasyland as soon as we
entered the park so that we could make our Fastpass + reservations for Peter
Pan. We had no trouble making it
to Fantasyland, and we continued on our journey after Peter Pan. We even viewed Holiday Wishes from
Fantasyland. After Peter Pan, we
snuck into Philharmagic, which was almost empty. After a welcome rest, we ventured over to Big Thunder
Mountain, which again, was not painful.
Normally, the crowds are unmanageable as you walk though Frontierland,
but this year, we did not have any trouble finding our way. After riding Big Thunder, we hung out
in Frontierland for a while, and then we boarded the train again to make our
Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear and then a quick spin on the Peoplemover. Finally, we scouted out a spot for the
midnight fireworks on Main Street.
Overall,
we had a magical evening that could not happen anywhere other than WDW. In order to enjoy our evening, a few
key things were important. First,
we knew that Magic Kingdom would be crowded, so we went into the park with the
expectation that we would hang out and avoid really popular attractions. Also, having Fastpass + reservations
was a huge help. We were able to
ride attractions that had 2-3 hour waits.
We just scanned our bracelets, and we were on the attraction with no
waiting. The system worked just
like it should. We also had ADRs
for dinner, which really took the hassle out of attempting to make it into a
quick service location. Finally, I
think that the mid-week holiday really caused the crowds to be less crushing
this year than if the holiday would have fallen on a weekend.
So,
have a wonderful New Year, and try to make it out to WDW for at least one New
Year’s Eve. We are so blessed to
be celebrating 2014 as Floridians living out our Disney dreams! Until next time, have a magical day,
and keep moving forward!
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