It’s most often the worst week of all the 12 months at Walt Disney International or Disneyland, however we strongly consider doing New Yr’s Eve within the parks belongs on each diehard fan’s bucket listing. It’s a distinct and distinctive enjoy, and in case you’re a standard you’ll be able to beat the crowds and in addition “live on” with out doing each unmarried trip.
We cherished our first New Yr’s Eve at Walt Disney International again in 2011 such a lot that we’ve finished it a number of occasions since. Not anything has fairly crowned that first time after we stayed in a Bay Lake Tower Grand Villa and the parks had ridiculously lengthy hours, however some have come shut.
That incredible night led us to go back for NYE a couple of occasions within the following ~5 years, and we’ve now spent New Yr’s Eve at Walt Disney International or Disneyland yearly since 2018, minus one rain-out in 2022. We do issues a little otherwise now that we’ve got a child, however we’ll be ringing in 2026 from the parks as soon as once more. It’s a relations custom at this level, and we wouldn’t leave out it!
Our absolute favourite park for New Yr’s Eve is EPCOT. We’ve coated this at period in that publish, so we gained’t belabor the purpose. Suffice to mention, EPCOT is one thing particular for NYE. We likewise love Magic Kingdom on New Yr’s Eve Eve, and the one-two punch of the ones two Walt Disney International parks on December thirtieth and thirty first is unequalled. If you need the very best Disney NYE bucket listing, it’s that–certainly.
For decrease crowds, the sleeper alternatives at Walt Disney International are Hollywood Studios and (particularly) Animal Kingdom. The previous can also be busy previous within the day (and is a nightmare beginning the Monday earlier than NYE), but it surely most often hollows out lengthy earlier than middle of the night. Then there’s Animal Kingdom, which does not anything for New Yr’s Eve, so it’s unsurprisingly uncrowded all the way through the day (in consequence, it’s additionally worse previous within the week).
Then there’s Disneyland Lodge. The dynamic within the California parks is other now that every one Magic Key Passholders are blocked out for the lead-up to Christmas via early January. The crowds aren’t just about as top as they was once–however the costs undoubtedly are!
Frankly, prices–and no longer crowds–are actually the most important obstacle to visiting the parks for New Yr’s Eve. Park Hopper tickets to Disneyland, which is what we’d counsel in an excellent global for December thirty first, price $314 in step with particular person! That’s no longer a typo, neither is it the one price you’ll incur.
That’s a fairly large barrier to access, particularly when the 2026 Disneyland 3-Day Park Hopper Price tag Deal is handiest $68 in step with day, or $204 overall! That’s legitimate beginning someday after NYE–from January 1, 2026 via Might 21, 2026. That’s 3 days for $100 not up to the cost of one. Tricky to justify NYE tickets as an area, from that standpoint!
Atmosphere prices apart (a large factor to only put aside, admittedly), right here’s why we completely love doing New Yr’s Eve at Disneyland, and our advisable low-key technique to beating the crowds…
We’ve spent the ultimate couple of New Yr’s Eves at Disneyland, and shall be doing so once more to ring in 2026. (The rain gained’t quit us this time!) Our enjoy is that the parks are a lot much less crowded than they was once earlier than Magic Keys have been unblocked, or even the 8/10 and above crowds haven’t essentially felt that means.
Although we are living in the community, our method in earlier years has been to get a lodge. One explanation why is as a result of our grandmas warned us by no means to pressure after middle of the night on New Yr’s Eve, as a result of that’s when the “lunatics, maniacs, and drunkards are out.” (Paraphrasing, however just a little.)
One more reason for doing a lodge keep is to increase the day. It’s tough to reach early for rope drop and keep out past due. Having a lodge additionally opens the door for a noon damage, which is beneficial for fending off the worst of the crowds, resting and recharging. And now that we’ve got a child, it’s additionally simply great to push the stroller again on the finish of the night time with out waking and disrupting her sleep (an not possible job when riding house).
We prefer beginning the morning at Disneyland. This isn’t actually stop-the-presses data, as we virtually all the time counsel rope shedding Disneyland when park hopping. There’s one thing to be mentioned for working the desk on Fantasyland after which bouncing to different spaces of the park, simply carrying out a dozen other points of interest–even on a hectic day–within the first couple of hours.
Disney California Journey is extra headliner-heavy, and we prefer the upper trip rely over racing to Radiator Springs Racers or Avengers Campus. Due to the fast length of the Fantasyland rides plus their proximity to each other, that’s such a lot more straightforward than attempting the similar method at DCA.
The rationale to start out at Disneyland on New Yr’s Eve, particularly, is for the reason that crowd is in most cases later arriving. That is partly on account of the lengthy day forward, however possibly extra considerably, because of alcohol being extra readily to be had in DCA. Because of this, there’s a dynamic the place visitors get started at DCA and keep there till mid-afternoon, earlier than slowly drifting to Disneyland.
We in most cases soar backward and forward a little greater than the typical visitors, beginning at Disneyland after which heading to DCA for lunch. This could also be about par for the route with a standard day.
One new twist we’ve spotted within the ultimate couple of years is that the DCA Competition of the Vacations cubicles are downright useless on New Yr’s Eve. We inevitably have further credit leftover from the Sip & Savor Passes, so we’re most often doing lunch and dinner at those cubicles.
Listed below are some pictures of what we ate ultimate New Yr’s Eve:
Menus are in large part the similar for this 12 months’s DCA Competition of the Vacations and our tastes haven’t modified a lot within the ultimate twelve months, so I look ahead to extra of the similar. The Mickey Mouse Macaron turns out like a suitable ultimate meal for bidding adieu to 2025.
I’ve been shocked at simply how sluggish those cubicles are on NYE (however it appears no longer shocked sufficient to take pictures of the loss of strains). Closing 12 months, we by no means encountered a “line” of multiple particular person in entrance folks, and at each unmarried sales space we visited, there used to be a noticeable Forged Member to visitor ratio imbalance. The one exception used to be the booze-centric cubicles.
At the one hand, blocking off out all Annual Passholders adjustments the dynamic at DCA. Alternatively, I’d’ve concept overpriced snacks would carry out higher with free-spending vacationers visiting on the costliest day of the 12 months. In all probability households prioritize must-visit eating places?
After consuming and knocking out a couple of low-stakes infant favorites at DCA, we head again over to Disneyland for the afternoon and early night. Each parks can also be similarly crowded at this level, particularly as drinkers goal DCA earlier than bouncing to Disneyland and settling in for the night.
Disneyland has the family-friendly choices with Minnie & Mickey dancing on level in entrance of Sound asleep Good looks Fort. That’s superior to look (if you’ll be able to squeeze into the world in entrance of the level), as are the events in entrance of “it’s a small global” and the Rivers of The usa. Each and every have their very own, nice power.
We adore catching the dance events at Disneyland proper as they’re getting began, which is most often 7 pm. We commence out at Sound asleep Good looks Fort, arriving earlier than that one starts because it’s a long way and away the busiest. After temporarily selfies and seeing the characters, we make the rounds to the opposite ones–after which it’s off to DCA to get settled in ourselves.
We virtually all the time gravitate again against DCA. Maximum visitors do the other.
It’s amusing to look at this play out in realtime, leaving Disneyland and seeing lengthy strains on the turnstiles; in the meantime, there’s subsequent to no person getting into DCA. The gang go with the flow is sort of solely against Disneyland.
The cause of that is somewhat glaring–it hosts the Myth within the Sky fireworks and looking at fireworks over Sound asleep Good looks Fort is the long-lasting method to ring within the New Yr. Vacationers don’t trip 1000’s of miles to New York Town to ring within the New Yr on the American Museum of Herbal Historical past, as cool as this is. They’re there for the Occasions Sq. Ball Drop. Identical tale with International of Colour at DCA as opposed to fireworks over the citadel at Disneyland.
It’s distinctive and particular to ring within the New Yr with Myth within the Sky over Sound asleep Good looks Fort. I don’t need to poo-poo that. We’ve finished it earlier than, and it’s amusing. No longer amusing sufficient that I’d stake out a place hours upfront, however nonetheless amusing!
With that mentioned, fireworks at Disneyland are not anything like fireworks at Walt Disney International. Being surrounded by way of properties, companies, and so on., in population-dense Southern California, there’s handiest such a lot Disney can do. If you need actual NYE fireworks over a giant citadel, you do Walt Disney International. Disneyland isn’t where for pyro fanatics.
New Yr’s Eve at Disneyland is all in regards to the setting, and each parks have that during spades.
Truthfully, we want the dance events at DCA to these at Disneyland. No less than, on the subject of exact dancing.
As famous above, the dance birthday party in entrance of Sound asleep Good looks Fort gives a fab backdrop, but it surely’s so filled with those who there’s little or no dancing going down–and it’s continuously tough to get in or out. Rivers of The usa is amusing, and it’s all the time stunning over by way of “it’s a small global.”
There are extra dance events at DCA, and individuals are if truth be told dancing. And it’s no longer simply inebriated adults. Visitors of every age are having a good time below the neon lighting fixtures of Vehicles Land, in entrance of Paradise Bay and on Buena Vista Boulevard, or even within the Disney Jr. Dance Celebration construction.
Each and every time we popped in there ultimate 12 months, Pitbull used to be taking part in. It used to be most definitely a peculiar twist of fate, but it surely came about like three times. (Fittingly, Pluto used to be out for 2 of the Pitbull songs.) Even if it’s objectively the weakest of the bunch, our daughter loves the Disney Jr. Dance Celebration. Possibly as it has the most efficient characters, or possibly we’ve a Pitbull fan within the making?!
Past this, the opposite giant explanation why to do Disney California Journey is that the crowds get started hollowing out as many visitors head against Disneyland. Wait occasions drop, there’s extra respiring room on walkways, and the park is downright delightful–on what must be a number of the busiest days of the 12 months.
It’s this bizarre dynamic the place the dance events are busy and so are one of the vital headliner rides, however the entirety in between isn’t. It’s truthfully easiest. You wish to have the dance events to be filled with other people to a point, differently they really feel unhappy. On the similar time, having blissfully uncrowded walkways is a welcome reprieve. Particularly after a hectic day, or in case you’re a vacationer, a hectic week.
The primary time we did New Yr’s Eve at Disneyland Lodge over a decade in the past, it used to be if truth be told with Forged Member pals who had comp tickets–however the catch used to be that they have been handiest legitimate at DCA. So we spent all the night there, and it used to be eerily uncrowded by way of the tip of the night time. I vividly consider strolling from Soarin’ to the Little Mermaid by way of Grizzly Top and no longer seeing another visitors. It virtually did really feel like a Nationwide Park!
Then there are the midnight spectaculars. As famous above, Disneyland items the Myth within the Sky fireworks, that includes a countdown to New Yr’s at each 9 pm and middle of the night. As a result of there are two efficiency occasions, it’s good to if truth be told do each Myth within the Sky and International of Colour in case you so desired. It’s lovely simple. For those who pass that direction, get started at Disneyland after which head to DCA.
We prefer International of Colour: Countdown over Myth within the Sky. It’s much less iconic than fireworks over the citadel, positive, however it’s distinctly Disney. There’s additionally the truth that you’ll be able to see Disneyland’s fireworks from DCA, however you can’t see International of Colour: Countdown from Disneyland. This offers you the chance to revel in each major items of New Yr’s Eve leisure in case you’re in DCA at nighttime.
In the end, don’t go away in an instant after the fireworks. Get started 2026 (or no matter 12 months you go to) out proper by way of hitting headliner points of interest. Disneyland is open till 2 a.m. on December 31, 2025 and Disney California Journey is open till 1 a.m.
In our enjoy, you’ll be able to get so much finished in the ones ultimate 1-2 hours. We’ve controlled to do Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy – Undertaking Breakout, Matterhorn, House Mountain, Indiana Jones Journey, and so on., all with very brief waits on the finish of the night time. My private favourite is Radiator Springs Racers on repeat. No higher method to get started the brand new 12 months out at the proper tire.
Now that we’ve got a child, we aren’t profiting from those 1 a.m. and a pair of a.m. closings ourselves, however can handiest suppose this recommendation nonetheless applies in line with the exodus we’ve discovered ourselves a part of the ultimate couple of years. (In different phrases, households like us leaving are exactly the rationale why waits are brief!)
Warding off this exodus is but one more reason why you must simply stick round and do rides. Severely, the waits are significantly shorter than all the way through the center of the day. It feels virtually like a cheat code on some of the busiest days of the 12 months.
In the end, we are hoping this is helping illustrate why we adore New Yr’s Eve at Disneyland such a lot. Or Disney typically, for that topic. Whilst the specifics fluctuate, maximum of what we’ve written right here applies similarly to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT vs. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it’s conceivable to overcome the crowds in any respect 3.
The one distinction there may be that I will not believe pulling myself clear of EPCOT. That park’s “Cheers to the New Yr: A Glowing Birthday celebration” display is my favourite fireworks–no longer simply at EPCOT or for New Yr’s Eve. Anyplace, ever. EPCOT’s New Yr’s Eve fireworks spoiling us are most definitely a large explanation why we’re underwhelmed by way of Myth within the Sky at Disneyland.
The entire enjoy, despite the fact that, is one thing particular whether or not you spend the night at DCA, Disneyland, or bouncing between the 2 parks. Right here’s hoping you might have an opportunity to enjoy it one day! Within the intervening time, would possibly the New Yr deliver peace, goal, prosperity and positivity to you and your households!
Making plans a Southern California holiday? For park admission offers, learn Guidelines for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site motels in our Anaheim Lodge Opinions & Ratings. For the place to consume, take a look at our Disneyland Eating place Opinions. For distinctive concepts of items that’ll beef up your shuttle, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Holiday Making plans Information. In the end, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and lots of different puts!
Your Ideas
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