Welcome BACK, Brandi!
How exciting that you're planning to return HOME to Walt Disney World Resort to ring in a brand new yEAR! There's just something so refreshing about starting anew, and I love that you'll be starting 2021 with a whole lot of magic and pixie dust.
New Year's Eve is definitely a popular, if not the most popular, time to visit Mickey's house. School is out, the weather usually only requires a jacket in the mornings and evenings, the
entertainment is all family friendly, and the fireworks displays are unbelievable. Everything you'll read about the crowds and tips about what to expect are pretty accurate. However, I can tell you from experience (I celebrated the turn on the millennium at Walt Disney World Resort as a teenager with my parents) that I don't remember the size of the
crowds or the wait times or how early we had to get there, I only remember the amazing time we had as a family at the Most Magical Place on Earth. I have no doubt that you'll have the best vacation ever since you're starting your resEARch now, and that it will all be worth it.
Epcot is actually a great place to celebrate because it's physically a huge theme park, so you have less of a risk of encountering a full guest closure here. There are also a lot of terrific
table-service dining locations in Epcot, and being a Disney Resort Hotel guest and/or having a dining reservation will help to ensure that you'll be able to get in as the park starts to fill. And yes, there is a Silent DJ Party in this park! It's basically a DJ spinning some really great dance music, but only those wearing wireless headphones can hear the beats. It's great for cranky people like me who don't want to be forced to listen to super loud music they may not like, it's awesome for those participating because they can control the volume level so their ears don't hurt the next day, and as a bystander it's pretty comical to watch those revelling dance to themselves while you look on in silence. This event used to be in the Japan Pavilion area of the World Showcase, but has moved to a few different locations over the last few years. And if you're still curious, you can find videos of this exact and/or similar events on YouTube.
As far as more NYE planning tips and tricks, definitely "like" and "follow" the
Disney Parks Blog across all of their social media channels. They'll usually post about
that year's celebration events in the weeks and days leading up to the 31st. Keep your eye on this
New Year's Eve page of the Walt Disney World Resort website as events will start to add more details and become bookable by the late summer or early fall. And also check out what my
fellow panelists suggested for this past party date in our Disney Parks Moms Panel search results!
I know that you're going to have a wonderful time celebrating at Walt Disney World Resort, Brandi, and if you have any more questions for us we're all Ears!
~Kristen