Hey Howdy Hey Jamie and welcome back to planDisney!
Being able to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at the Walt Disney World Resort is going to be amazing! Having the opportunity to ring in the new year in the Most Magical Place on Earth sets the tone for a spectacular year ahead. While this opportunity is a great one, there are a lot of people with the same idea and navigating the parks can be quite a task. Let's go over a few things to get you prepared for your vacation.
Earlier this year Disney updated their policy on
Theme Park Reservations. Currently, individuals with date-based tickets no longer need reservations to get into the parks. If you purchased your tickets on the main Disney site and had to select when you wanted your ticket to start their validation period, these most likely are date-based and do not need reservations. You can also go online and try to make reservations. If your tickets do not require them, you will be notified and should not have to worry about reservations.
If you need reservations but cannot make them for EPCOT, I would look to make a reservation for another park, tap into the park and then head to EPCOT considering you have the Park Hopper Option. There are no longer any restrictions on timing to hop to another park. So if you made a reservation for say Disney's Animal Kingdom which opens earlier that day, you can tap into the park and then head to EPCOT early to ensure you are there for the day.
In the event you do not need reservations, no matter where you start on New Year's Eve, I would plan to get there early and stay put. The parks will tend to fill up quickly and there are high chances that EPCOT and Magic Kingdom reach capacity limitations and no longer let in Guests at that point. No matter what, I would highly recommend getting to the parks early!
Another thing to remember for your day in the parks is the perks of where you stay. If you are staying onsite at a Disney Resorts hotel or another qualifying resort, you have access to
Early Theme Park Entry. This will allow you to enter the parks 30 minutes early, before the general public and ensure you get into the park you wanted. It will also give you an early head start if you need to tap into one park and then head to EPCOT if you need reservations and cannot get them.
There are a lot of strategies to get into the parks and things to consider when making these decisions. Hopefully, now you have some ideas of how to navigate your situation so you can make it into EPCOT to ring in the new year. Stop back and let us know if you have any other questions, we are always happy to help!
To Infinity and Beyond,
Nick