Hi Rhonda,
New Year's Eve 2013 was the first time that my family and I spent New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World, and we had a wonderful time. In 2013, there were fun
New Year's Eve celebrations all over Walt Disney World, including at many of the theme parks and at Downtown Disney. The offerings from year to year are subject to change, so be sure to watch the Walt Disney World website as well as the
Disney Parks Blog for announcements of offerings for 2014 as we get closer to the December 31.
For our first New Year's Eve in Walt Disney World, we spent the day in Disney's Hollywood Studios. We arrived by early afternoon and spent the afternoon and evening taking in attractions. For our dinner, we grabbed a quick-service meal at the ABC Commissary; however, there are some great table-service options if you are interested. One of my favorites, and I think a hidden gem, at Disney's Hollywood Studios is Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano. If you are looking for more upscale dining, consider The Hollywood Brown Derby. If you do want to eat at a table-service restaurant on New Year's Eve, I recommend that you make those reservations as soon as you can, at 180 days before December 31. After our dinner, we did even more attractions and found most of the park to be surprisingly uncrowded as many of the people were beginning to head to the Sorcerer Hat to listen to an amazing concert by Mulch, Sweat & Shears. We headed over at 11:15 p.m. and still had a great view of the concert. At midnight, we took in the absolutely amazing fireworks show. It was a wonderful evening.
I hope that this gives you some ideas for your New Year's Eve plans, Rhonda. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.