Hey Howdy Hey Sarah and welcome to planDisney fellow Buckeye!
What better way to ring in the new year than to do it with a little Magic at the Walt Disney World Resort? Sarah my friend, you will be visiting Walt Disney World during an amazing time of year and also a busy time of year! Thank you for your question on ensuring your spot in Magic Kingdom for New Year's Eve. I will be happy to give you more information on how to make this happen.
As you have alluded to, the Christmas and New Year's season is one of the busiest times of the year in the parks. During this time, it is not uncommon for Disney to reach maximum capacity for the parks, specifically Magic Kingdom, and stop letting Guests in. This may be for a few hours or maybe for the rest of the day, it all depends on flow. If you want to ring in the new year in Magic Kingdom, your best bet will be to get there early!
If you will be staying onsite at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel, you will have access to
Early Theme Park Entry where you can get into the parks 30 minutes before the official park opening. If not, make sure to get there close to when the park opens or at that time. The parks will be busy so make sure to keep an eye on the
park hours as they will be updated closer to this date for specifics on when the park will open.
You may find yourself in the parks for a long day, which is great but you may need a mid-day break to recharge. One of my favorite places to do this is actually right off of Main Street, U.S.A. As you are walking towards Cinderella Castle from the entrance, keep an eye out for a side street to your right. This will dead end to where Cast Members can get to the backstage area but you will have a decent amount of seating options available.
Main Street Bakery is right around the corner so pair your rest break with a coffee and baked treat and you will be more than ready for the evening's festivities! Oh, and make sure to keep your ears open, you might hear voice lessons being instructed from the floor above your seat!!
Best of luck as you continue to plan for your Magical vacation. if you have any further questions, please feel free to reach back out and let us know, we are always happy to help!
Have a Magical day,
Nick