Hi there, Anvitha! Welcome to planDisney! Truly, there is no better place to ring in the new year than the Happiest Place on Earth. Before we start dreaming of your shining, shimmering, splendid New Year's plans, let's step onto my magic carpet and fly through your question!
I'm going to tap into the phenomenal cosmic powers of the Genie to look a bit into the future and clarify the park hours for December 31st. We won't even need to use one of our three wishes, because it's crystal clear that if you are holding a regular theme park ticket for Disneyland Park with a
theme park reservation for December 31st, you will have full access from
park open to park close! Park Hours are subject to change, but they are currently listed as 8:00 a.m. through 2:00 a.m. (January 1st!). That's quite a bit of time for soaring, tumbling, and freewheeling through the endless diamond sky ... I mean, through the parks!
Sometimes, there are special ticketed events where the parks will close early to day Guests, which is likely what your friend is referring to in this instance. This occurs at Disney California Adventure Park on evenings when the
Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party is taking place or when Disneyland Park closes early for special
Disneyland After Dark events like
Sweethearts' Nite. I checked with a Cast Member, and there are currently no such events for the evening of December 31st.
Just like the Genie, we here at planDisney pride ourselves on service, so I'd love to give you a few extra tips for your visit. New Year's Eve will be quite a popular day to be in the parks, so if you have your heart set on a few attractions, I would head to the park early to make sure you can prioritize some favorites. If you haven't already, I recommend really tapping into a whole new world of Disney planning and upgrading your ticket to include the
Disney Genie+ service. This will grant you access to Lightning Lanes across both parks so you can stay one jump ahead of the standby queue!
Also included in your Genie+ upgrade is access to unlimited downloads of ALL the
Disney PhotoPass photos you capture that day, so don't be shy and jump in front of all those cameras! What better way to experience the magic than to capture those forever memories?! You'll also want to check out the
Disney PhotoPass lenses which you can access directly from the three-bar menu in the bottom right-hand corner of your Disneyland Mobile App. These are immersive and interactive photo filters that are guaranteed to make you smile. You might find Minnie on your shoulder or you may turn into a Genie yourself! Do you trust me? Then you will love these! They make perfect entertainment while waiting in the queue!
Well, Anvitha, our magic carpet is coming in for a landing. I hope you've found this helpful in your planning! If you have any more questions, we are always here for you at planDisney.
Thank you! Goodbye now. Good-bye!
Tara