NYE in Florida

[Thesiscokid]

Happy Friday everyone.

We have booked to do Orlando this Christmas although having now read some of the reviews on here I'm starting to regret it. We've been before and had a great time so arent too fussed about doing the parks so much. My question is has anyone done anything non-park related on NYE where there is maybe a bit of a party and some fireworks. We have got a 10 & 16 year old with us. Dont mind driving out of Orlando. Also any general recommendations for things to do at Xmas around Orlando (think we are going to do clearwater, is it worth it?)

Also exactly how mental are the parks (think we'll only be doing Universal and Hollywood studios for the new Star Wars ride)? We've booked discovery cove for Xmas day which should be quite good if the weather is good.

Sorry for the long post

[sprocket]

Firstly, never regret booking a Florida holiday. Everything can be planned to ensure the best time.
It will be cold, so plenty of clothes, but warmer than the UK.
It will be insanely busy, so timetables and FPs. Universal, ensure you get express passes. Most parks in Disney and Universal will be 1-2 hour waits for the rides.
Avoid HS, the queues for Starwars land Im sure will still be epic.
Use the Dibb historical queue guide.
Discovery Cove has limited access so will never be worst than other times.
But, apparently its one of the most magical times to visit.

Originally Posted by Thesiscokid

Also exactly how mental are the parks (think we'll only be doing Universal and Hollywood studios for the new Star Wars ride)? We've booked discovery cove for Xmas day which should be quite good if the weather is good.

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[HappyM]

We spent 2 weeks in Orlando last Christmas/New Year. We stayed in a villa and didn’t have access to early/late magic hours. Yes it was manic but it was such a great time. We went to Epcot on. Christmas Day and Magic kingdom on NYE. In fact a different park each day. We did have to queue to get in to MK on NYE as they had shut due to reaching capacity. We headed there In The afternoon and expected it to be busy. We are actually going again this year but not doing the parks. You can get such a good Christmas vibe from visiting Celebration, Disney Springs, City Walk, Deluxe hotels etc. It will be busy everywhere so accept that and enjoy being in Orlando for Christmas and/or New Year.

[HappyM]

BTW - weather was gorgeous. For the first few days we wore a sweatshirt and long shorts during the day. from about Boxing Day onwards we were in shorts and t-shirts every day, putting a hoodie/sweatshirt in the evenings.