The countdown to 2021 is coming to an end. There are only days left in the 2010s. If you’re like me, you’ll still decide where you want the new year to sound. Some Disney fans are gearing up to head to Disneyland Resort for New Year’s Eve. Traditionally, December 31 is one of the most popular days of the year at Disneyland Resort. But Disneyland makes up for it with an increase in park hours, special entertainment deals and a midnight fireworks show (which won’t be so unique this year).
If you have the heart determined to go to Disneyland for New Year’s Eve, MiceChat has covered this game plan to help you survive this crazy vacation at the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland
Continuing the park’s annual extended schedule tradition on Dec. 31, Disneyland will remain open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. this New Year’s Eve.
For this year’s celebration, Disney will once again do the Mickey’s Mix Magic fireworks show along with three locations from the “New Year’s Eve” countdown. “It’s a Small World,” Rivers of America and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle will host a countdown celebration where guests can gather to greet 2021.
Mickey’s Mix Magic shows will be at 9pm and then at 11:59 pm to indicate the start of the new decade. While we’re happy enough to see how Mix Magic plays at 9pm, it seems like a shame there isn’t something more unique or nostalgic for the midnight screening.
Both the New Year’s Eve celebrations of the Rivers of America and the Sleeping Beauty Castle will take place from 19:00 to 12:30, while the celebration of “It’s a small world” from 19:00 to 01:30 .
Almost every entertainment offer at Disneyland will have different schedules than usual, so be sure to plan accordingly. Click here to view New Year’s Eve entertainment programming.
New Year’s Eve at Disney California Adventure
Disneyland isn’t the only option you have to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Resort. Disney California Adventure will also extend its operations on Dec. 31, with park hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be several special activities for the occasion.
You can find a New Year’s Eve countdown celebration at Paradise Gardens from 10:45 pm to 1:00 pm and a special dance party taking place in Hollywood Land from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.
If you want to see any normal entertainment on offer at California Adventure, don’t forget to click here to make sure you don’t miss it. All entertainment hours have been adjusted to suit the extended hours of the park.
So you’ve decided to dare the New Year’s Eve crowds at Disneyland … Now what?
It’s no secret that New Year’s Eve at the Disneyland Resort is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, days of the year-round Resort. A fair warning to you: the lines will be long, the roads will be jammed and the conditions can be unpleasant. Still, that shouldn’t stop you from not sounding like the new year at Disneyland. Here are some tips on what to expect during this hectic day, along with some tricks to help you maximize your time and experience all the park has to offer:
- MaxPass – One of the best investments to make on a busy day is to buy MaxPass. This service allows you to book FastPasses from your phone instead of walking to the same attraction, which will save you a lot of valuable time. The whole process goes to the official Disneyland app, so you’ll want to download it to your phone and be ready before you enter the park. Without MaxPass / Fastpass, you will find yourself trapped in long lines and unable to traverse many of the attractions you expected to experience.
- Visualization Fireworks – New Year’s Fire Castle is one of the most popular events offered by Disney. Guests will wait hours to try to secure the perfect viewing venue for the show. If you want to see the fireworks from a decent place, be prepared to hold the place for hours. It will be packed and the other guests will be grumpy, but it’s worth the perfect spot for the fireworks … right? If you can’t do without a prime spot to see Main Street or Castle, there’s more space available at Small World Mall and New Orleans Square.
- Mobile orders – Also done through the official Disneyland app, Mobile Ordering offers a quick way to grab food without having to wait in long lines. Restaurants that offer the Mobile Order option will appear in the app (not all restaurants in the resort participate) and from there you can select which restaurant you want to order and the “return times” available to pick up your food. After selecting the restaurant, choose your food and pay. When it’s time to go back and pick up the food, tell the app you’re there and the food will be out soon. If you have all day planned for shows and attractions, it’s definitely a time-saving trick. Please note that if you back up restaurants, mobile ordering is sometimes disabled.
- Make a game plan – MaxPass and Mobile Ordering only work if you have a rough idea of what attractions and shows you want to experience. So be sure to talk to your group about which attractions are mandatory and which ones you can skip. This will make choosing MaxPasses much easier and will allow you to build your day strategically around the location of the attractions and the order in which you should try to ride them. Any successful mission has an action plan behind it and New Year’s Eve at the Disneyland Resort should not be treated any differently.
- Be patient – Everyone in the park will have the same frustration when it comes to crowds, travel breakdowns, and unexpected obstacles that appear throughout the day. The cast members will do their best to keep the guests happy, but they will not always be able to succeed. The best way to deal with these problems is to be patient. Remember why you chose to experience New Year’s Eve at Disneyland and try to focus on enjoying the excitement of the holidays. Take a deep breath and relax when something doesn’t go as you were supposed to and adjust your schedule to suit the problem. Not many people say that then one year ended and another began within the happiest place on Earth, and that’s a pretty tidy fact to boast about.
- Dress for all time – The climate of Southern California varies greatly this time of year, often in a single day. It is common for temperatures to fluctuate 20 or more degrees from noon to dusk. If you do not want to wear an additional jacket and gloves, consider renting a ticket office on the main street as soon as you arrive. Box offices are often sold in the early hours of New Year’s Eve.
- What if the park reaches its capacity – It is possible, however, that it is not as likely as in the past, that Disneyland will reach its capacity and begin to alienate guests. This is what you need to know. The sooner you arrive, the less likely you are to deviate. If the park starts to fill up, you shouldn’t leave if you can help. Although guests who were already in the park will be granted re-entry in the early stages of door closing, this is not a guarantee. In case the doors are closed, ask where the line is formed to re-enter. When guests leave, they will start letting some guests return to the park. Please note that not all cast members are well informed and are often told false information about what phase of closure the park is currently at and where they are queuing for guests wishing to await re-entry. Still, we don’t expect the park to reach its capacity this year due to aggressive annual shutdowns. Still, it’s okay to be prepared. If you get stuck at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure should stay open and is a good alternative with good cuisine and entertainment from the Festival of Holiday’s to complement the normal park offerings.
Disney Layaway sales have been expanded by $ 99
We have good news for you. Our Get Away Today partners help you save money on tickets and travel packages to the Disney theme park. And, until the end of the year, they have some great ways to give away trips to Disney for a small deposit:
- For tickets and travel packages with discounted theme parks, always start HERE: Run away today (When you call, always mention MiceChat to get your rates and special offers.)
- Expansion of the sale of the Layaway plan: Due to the popularity of the $ 99 Layaway Plan, Get Away Today has extended sales to December 31, 2020. You can vacation in Southern California for just $ 99 off with the final payment just five days before journey. It’s the easiest way to plan a Southern California 2021 vacation.
- Layaway plans can be used for any of our Southern California vacations and can be combined with any of our special offers, such as free additional day tickets and free extra night hotel deals.
Book something amazing to look forward to – HERE
We will listen to you
It is a good assumption that the complex will be full on December 31 (assuming the weather holds). But with the right mindset and strategy, it can still be a memorable journey. Disneyland is a popular New Year’s Eve destination and people shouldn’t scare you. Is there any advice or trick we would have forgotten to mention? Do you have a favorite place to hang out with people? Tips on which restaurants, attractions or shops will have fewer people? We would love to hear your thoughts.
Whether you celebrate at Disneyland or not, we hope you have a happy and safe New Year and look forward to sharing 2021 with you.