Over the years, Disneyland has become increasingly popular as a place to ring in the new year.* If you will be attending this year’s New Year’s Eve festivities, we have a few untried-but-true tips you should consider:
- Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance. While it might be convenient to just stand in the enormous line to purchase tickets when you arrive at the park on New Year’s Eve, you can save time by visiting the park a day early and standing in the enormous line then.
- If you have a blog about Disneyland and have a tip to post about buying tickets on the day before New Year’s Eve, be sure to post it sometime before the day before New Year’s Eve.
- Remember that Disneyland’s code of conduct does not permit big, hairy, adult men to visit the park dressed only in a diaper and a banner that proclaims them to be “Baby New Year.”
- On New Year’s Eve, arrive at least three hours before the park opens. When you get to the parking lot, park your car in line to wait for the lot to open, then get out, go to the drivers of all the cars parked in front of you, and tell them that you just heard on the radio that Disneyland decided to stay closed so cast members could stay at home and enjoy the day with their families. After everyone else has left, you’ll be first in line!
- Due to crowds, Disneyland often declares itself filled to capacity before noon. If that happens, you can either have your celebration in the attractive plaza between the parks, or try one of the secret phrases that some experts use to get through the gates (e.g., “I’m just going in to use the bathroom,” or “Do you know who I am?”)
- If you are in the park when it reaches capacity, you may not be allowed to return to Disneyland if you exit. This is a good time to ask your in-laws if they will please fetch something you left in the car.
- Make sure to use the restroom before you leave he house in the morning, and don’t do anything that might cause you to need a restroom until you get back home.
- If there is an attraction you particularly want to go on, be sure to go to it immediately when you arrive (even if you have to skip the parking-lot tram and speed-walk to the park entrance to beat the crowds). Lines can get long, but if you go to Space Mountain (for example) right when the park opens, you may be able to ride it as much as twice before the park closes.
- Plan on standing in a lot of lines. You may want to bring something with you to do while waiting (we like to write our holiday thank you notes or scrapbook).
- You will be in close contact with a lot of strangers, so practice being friendly. You might want to memorize some interesting Disneyland trivia to entertain those you are forced to stand with for a long time. For example, on New Year’s Eve Disneyland is open from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m., making it the only day of the year when it’s open for negative-six hours.
- If you think you are going to have trouble getting up early and staying awake until midnight, bring a sleeping bag or comfortable blanket and scope out a nice bench to nap on. Alternately, go on the Winnie the Pooh attraction for a simulation of catching 20 winks.
- Because restaurants may be crammed, don’t bother trying to eat anything that doesn’t come from a cart.
- Take in a Christmas parade and enjoy a moment of nostalgia for last week.
- If you’re interested in purchasing one of the delicious hand-made candy canes from the Main Street candy shop, you’re late.
- If you are visiting with kids, keep them up late the night before and wear them out as soon as possible once you get to the park. Let them fall asleep, then wake them up for the 8:30 fireworks and tell them it’s midnight. Then go home.
- At midnight, most guests will be packed into one of the “countdown” locations, so this is a good time to go on a few rides.
- If you leave right after the stroke of midnight, you can go to Main Street, lift your legs, and just let the crowd carry you out to the tram. It’s relaxing!
*In point of fact, many scientists who shun peer review have noticed that there is a statistically significant correlation between New Year’s Eve Disneyland attendance and global climate temperature, but the cause/effect of this statistic has not yet been thoroughly worked out.
