Holidays

Ringing in New Year’s Eve at Disney World With Kids

New Year’s Eve at Disney World With Kids: Our 2023–2024 Experience

Welcoming 2024 with our family at Magic Kingdom · Scene from our film (21 sec)

▶Watch scene from our film 21 sec

We welcomed 2024 at Magic Kingdom with our five kids. The fireworks and dance parties were memorable, and so were the crowds, tired feet, and sleepy little ones. Here is what our family’s night was really like.

Have you ever brought in the New Year in a famous place?  My husband, Chris, has talked for years about what it would be like to ring in a new year at the New York City ball drop or on the streets of the Champs-Élysées in Paris.  However, we’ve always just watched these events on TV instead.  

We surprised the kids with a post-Christmas trip to Orlando. Our New Year’s Eve celebration was at Magic Kingdom, and Universal’s Wizarding World was a separate stop during our Orlando trip.

Our Orlando family trip: Disney World, New Year’s Eve and Universal · Full film (22 min 4 sec)

▶Watch full film 22 min 4 sec

This full film covers our wider Orlando trip, including other Disney World park days and a separate Universal Studios visit. The New Year’s Eve scenes record our 2023-to-2024 celebration; check the current official calendar, ticket terms, and entertainment before planning another year.

For New Year’s Eve 2023, welcoming 2024, we decided to surprise our Disney-loving kids with a post-Christmas trip to Orlando and Disney World.  They didn’t even know we were going until three days before we left.  I belatedly realized, after booking the trip, that we would be there for New Year’s Eve.  Panic set in.. what is New Year’s Eve really like in Disney World?

The Disney World agent who helped me book our package for the 2023–2024 celebration told me to be sure to be in Magic Kingdom and to have a park reservation because it could fill up and people could be turned away. Turn people away from Magic Kingdom? Woah. It looked like we were finally going to bring in a new year in a famous place amidst a massive crowd. That was the advice for our trip; check Disney’s current requirements for your ticket type before planning another visit.

What was it like?  Was it worth being there on such a big night?  

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Watch our original related film on YouTube

Overview of New Year’s Eve in Disney World

We stayed to welcome 2024 with the midnight fireworks in front of Cinderella Castle. The show was incredible, but the long wait caught up with our little ones: some fell asleep, and my feet were aching as we took turns holding our youngest. That’s part of my memory of the night too. The film moves from our family watching the sky near Tomorrowland to the castle fireworks, with 2024 appearing in the projection as the new year begins.

For the transition of 2023 to 2024, Magic Kingdom and Epcot both offered celebrations for Disney guests.  Checking the park hours for the day is crucial and best done with the app.  For our visit, the hours were:

• Magic Kingdom Park: 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• EPCOT: 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Disney Springs: 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

We opted for Magic Kingdom, which had fireworks at 7 pm and midnight on our visit. For a new trip, check Disney’s current ticket and reservation requirements: date-based tickets generally do not need a theme park reservation, while some other ticket types do. Visiting more than one park requires applicable Park Hopper benefits and is subject to capacity. Do not rely on hopping or re-entry to reach your preferred celebration. Confirm that year’s hours and entertainment in the official calendar and My Disney Experience app.

If we were to do it again, I’d opt to try Epcot.  It’s better suited for massive crowds, as the fireworks are over the main lake in the center of the park.  The food also tends to be the best in Epcot, with plenty of holiday offerings and food festivals happening there all the time.

Reasons To Go to Disney World for New Year’s Eve

One of my favorite parts of our New Year’s Eve was dancing around Magic Kingdom with my family. It felt like going clubbing with the kids—each area had a DJ and its own dance space. We danced near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, rode Buzz Lightyear, and later found another DJ in Tomorrowland with lights, bubbles, and a fog gun. The footage catches a child dancing with the crowd before the stage and its Happy New Year message come into view; it brings me right back to the fun between the fireworks shows.

Our family dance-party memory before midnight · Scene from our film (18 sec)

▶Watch scene from our film 18 sec

I have to admit, the overall experience was cool. We had no idea what to expect, except that we knew it would be crowded—and it was crowded to a whole new level!  I knew that the fireworks shows would be at 7 pm and midnight.  I figured we had to stay until midnight because I would want to be up that late anyway!  Being in a Disney park would be way better than a hotel room, right?

Knowing what we do now, I wish we had prepped and attended the 7 pm showing instead.  We could have enjoyed the fireworks and hit some rides later in the night while everyone else was crowded like sardines into Main Street for hours.  This is my biggest piece of advice!

Overall, however, the fireworks show was incredible.  I’m not sure the kids would agree that it was worth the multi-hour wait at such a late hour, but the show was all around the park and completely massive.  The energy was amazing, and it was really cool to end 2023 right there in front of the Cinderella Castle.   They even had countdown fireworks: fireworks in the shape of the numbers from 10 to 0!

I was also stunned by how quickly we got out of the park after the fireworks. The park was open until 1 am that night, but many people left immediately after the show. We waited only a few minutes for our bus to Pop Century, our Disney hotel for this stay, and we were back in our room by about 12:40 am. Incredible! That was our experience, not a promised crowd-clearance or transport time.

Additionally, the dance parties and festivities around the park, starting after the first 7 pm showing, were super fun.  I’ve never been clubbing in my life, but it felt like going clubbing with my family at Disney.  Each part of Magic Kingdom had its own DJ and massive dance area.  We danced hard in Frontierland near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then headed over to do the Buzz Lightyear ride.  When we reached Tomorrowland, we again danced to another amazing DJ.  She had a fog gun, lights, bubbles, and more.  

Reasons You Should Avoid New Year’s Eve at Disney World

As you can imagine, the night was not all fun. On our visit, rides including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad stopped around 40 minutes before the 7 pm fireworks. That affected our plans, but it is not a closure rule for every perimeter attraction or another year. Check current attraction status and follow Cast Member instructions.

The wait times for rides are horrible during the day on New Year’s Eve, as it is perhaps the busiest day of the year.  We decided to take a mid-day break and head over to Disney Springs.  It was insane!  The main Disney store had a wait time and line like an attraction, with the line snaking around the building.  Every store had a wait time, and everything was so crowded.  We should have skipped this and gone back to our room for a nap instead.

On our New Year’s Eve visit, we felt we needed to find a fireworks viewing spot several hours before the show. Arriving early does not guarantee space; follow Cast Member directions and keep an exit plan that works for your children.  We were planning to get some food around 9:30 pm but very quickly realized we had to get a spot instead!  We left our oldest with all the other kids (there are five in total) while we adults went to grab a mobile order. The food was slow, and when we returned at 10:15, we could barely reach the kids.  Eating was now wildly inappropriate, and we got lots of glares as we tried to feed the kids the burgers and fries we had just gotten.

In our viewing area, we were asked to stand a little over an hour before the fireworks. Follow the instructions given for your location; our experience is not a fixed timing rule for every show or viewing area.  Sadly, some of our littles had fallen asleep on the ground, and it was really hard for us to get them up at this point.  We almost gave up!  Instead, we took turns holding our little one while waiting on aching feet.

As usual, people are grumpy and territorial about their spot.  You have to be assertive in keeping your little space, or it will quickly be taken by someone else.

Other Ways To Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Disney World

If the theme-park celebration feels too intense, check current dining and entertainment options at Disney Springs. It can also be extremely busy—our daytime visit certainly was! Confirm the hours and any reservations or event tickets rather than assuming this is a quiet alternative.

Disney hotels may have activities worth considering, but confirm that particular hotel’s New Year’s Eve programme, guest eligibility, and any booking requirements. Do not assume a pool party, DJ, or character appearance will be offered.

The venues and named events below were part of our earlier research, not a confirmed New Year’s Eve programme for another year. Some special events may not return. Check the current Disney dining listings and each venue’s own event information for dates, age restrictions, admission requirements, availability, and cancellation terms before booking.

• Toledo at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Mezzanotte at Topolino’s: An Italian Masquerade at Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s BoardWalk
• New Year’s Eve Dinner at the World Showplace Pavilion
• California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Flying Fish at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• Garden Grove at Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• II Mulino at Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Monsieur Paul within France Pavilion at Epcot
• Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Shula’s Steak House at Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Todd English’s Bluezoo Lounge at Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

My Tips for New Year’s Eve at Disney World

• Consider watching the fireworks at the earlier showing and either heading out of the park to somewhere else or riding rides from 11pm-midnight.  Our oldest decided to take our 8-year-old to ride some rides during this hour, and the wait times were super low!  They got to do two rides back to back with only 15-minute wait times.  This was amazing, considering that during the day many rides were 180 minutes or more.
• If you are staying for midnight fireworks, plan to get your viewing spot around 9-9:30 pm at the latest.  Bring a blanket (or two) as it gets a bit cold, and you’ll be there a long time.  Plan for the long wait.  In fact, it’s best to rent a locker early in the day to store all the gear you’ll need that night.  It gets chilly.
• If you have younger kids, have a stroller for the wait.  We don’t use strollers anymore, as our youngest is six and does great walking all day.  However, she fell asleep around 10 pm while waiting for the fireworks, and I yearned for a stroller!  She could have rested in a stroller for those two hours instead of us passing her around.  Note that you can rent a stroller at the theme park.
• Take a nap during the day. We opened the park and closed it at 12:15 am. This was too long of a day. I’m a big fan of staying all day at theme parks, but this is very physically demanding, even for adults. For kids, it really was asking too much of them. I wish we had gone to the hotel room and napped for 2-3 hours. It would have made the night much more enjoyable overall.
• Read the cancellation conditions for the exact dining booking. Windows and penalties vary by restaurant or special experience; use the policy shown when you book and in your confirmation. We couldn’t get anything booked for our New Year’s Eve, even 45 days out.
• Consider headphones for those sensitive to noise or for the littles.  The show (and the DJ dance party before) is very loud and intense. 
• Allow plenty of time for transportation.  We went to Disney Springs during the day on NYE, and it took an extra long time. Wait times for buses and other transportation are extra long today.
• Plan ahead using the current systems. Check Disney’s dining booking window and the current Lightning Lane passes before your trip. Genie+ was the system around our visit and is no longer the product to buy; advance-purchase and selection windows depend on eligibility and pass type. Check availability, prices, included attractions, valid admission, and any reservation requirements rather than following our old universal 7 am instruction.
• Be flexible and festive.  This day at Disney World requires plenty of patience.  The lines will be long, the crowds will be heavy, and your family may run out of steam at some point.  However, the atmosphere is electric and fun.  Keep everyone hydrated and well-fed, as this always helps.  Get some good sleep the night before, and try to rest mid-day if you are staying up late.

Where To Stay Near Disney World With Kids 

If you’re looking for non-Disney family-friendly hotels near Disney World to book for New Year’s Eve, here are some excellent options:

• The Grove Resort & Water Park Orlando: This resort offers spacious suites with full kitchens, a large water park with slides and a lazy river, a kids’ club, and various dining options. It’s located near Disney World and provides shuttle services.
• Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center: Located in Kissimmee, this resort boasts lush tropical gardens, a water park, various dining options, and a variety of entertainment activities for families. It’s a short drive from Disney World and offers shuttle services.
• Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek: Adjacent to the Walt Disney World Resort, this hotel features comfortable rooms, a lazy river, multiple dining options, and easy access to Disney parks via shuttle.

After all these tips and tricks, how do you feel about spending New Year’s Eve with kids at Disney World? I’d love to hear your comments!

Xoxo,

Leslie

Additional Reading

The Stark Reality of Disney: Is It Worth It?

19 Essential Tips for Your First Disney Trip: Everything You Need To Know As A Beginner!

What We Love (And Don’t Love) About Disneyland Paris