Hey Howdy Hey Ashton and welcome to planDisney!
I am so excited to hear that your grandparents will be joining you for your Magical vacation later this year. What a spectacular to ring in the New Year at EPCOT with family! While this is a Magical time to visit, the parks may be crowded so navigating them will take some planning. Let's go over a few ways to ensure your grandparents can join you in EPCOT.
I am sure you are aware that date-based tickets no longer need theme park reservations to enter the parks. If your grandparents have tickets that do require reservations and are unable to get them, this is where the
Park Hopper Option will come in handy. You are right that if they check into one park, they can hop to another as long as the park is not at capacity. New Year's Eve tends to be a busy time in the parks, especially for EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Getting there early is key to securing your spot to ring in the New Year.
Looking at the
calendar for New Year's Eve, Disney's Animal Kingdom opens early with
Early Theme Park Entry starting at 7:30 AM. If they were to head there early, tap into the park and they could then head over for EPCOT's Early Theme Park Entry starting at 8:30. This should give them plenty of time to get to the parks and get in early before it may fill up. EPCOT is a really big park and difficult to reach capacity limitations, but around New Year's Eve, this is more likely to happen. Make sure you get there early and enjoy all the park has to offer before you ring in the New Year that night.
I hope you have a Magical time ringing in the New Year with your grandparents. If you have any other questions let us know, we are always happy to help.
To Infinity and Beyond,
Nick