New Year’s Week 2008

By Dave Shute

OVERVIEW

This remarkably difficult Disney World itinerary (click thumbnail to open; when open, click again to enlarge) is a variant of the Easter/Summer Itinerary optimized for the special conditions of New Year’s Week created (among other things) by the almost unimaginable crowds.

• One set of variations ensures that you see all the special Christmas and New Years Eve events
• Another set adapts to the unusual hours created by the crowds–e.g. for resort guests, the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom open at 7am almost every day.
• The third set of variations is driven by the fact that it will not be unusual for the Magic Kingdom–and sometimes even the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios–to simply close* to any new guests. (The parks typically close at the earliest at 9:30 am, so your days almost all start early, which is also a fundamental tactic for beating the crowds and getting on more rides.)

Because of this, most of your visits to the Magic and Animal Kingdoms have been moved to the end of the itinerary—towards the end of New Years week crowds lighten up. The second change because of this is that your January 1 morning and afternoon are left free, so that you can catch up from New Year’s Eve. Finally, your recommended deluxe hotel is now the Contemporary, instead of the Polynesian, as it is in almost every other itinerary. It’s the only one from which you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, making both those 7a openings and park closures easier to deal with.

*As a Disney resort guest, you have the right to enter a park…but not necessarily the one of your choosing!

GENERAL ITINERARY LINKS

For itinerary design goals and the basic December Itinerary, see this

For shorter and longer itineraries targeted at the same December week, see this

For itineraries covering all the other parts of the year, see this

To design your own itinerary, see this

For rides that might be skipped, see this

For a comprehensive guide to rides and attractions, see this

Home      Donate      Sitemap