Panic is setting in!

[carrieh]

I have booked to go to DLP for new years eve as it's the first year we have no house parties to go to and two bored 16 year olds to go with! We have booked to fly out on 29th and arrive in Paris at 9pm, we have booked transfers already. We fly home on 1st January am and again have transfers for that too. We are staying at the Explorers hotel for the 3 nights and have our park tickets already. Other than that i am completely clueless! We have been to WDW world 4 times now and plan with military precision. All i have heard so far are bad reviews about going this time of year! We do know to expect large crowds and plan on being in the Studios for NYE as the crowds are smaller. Do we need to plan as much as Florida? We have no dining reservations either as i have no firm plans for each day, is this wrong?

[Guest]

Don't panic! We are there the same dates as you. We've been a few times but never at this time of the year. I'm expecting it to be busy too but you will be fine. Use fastpass for the rides with big queues or get on them 1st thing in the morning or during parades etc.
Regarding dining reservations, this is the first time I have actually done it. Just go to city hall in the park when you decide where you would like to eat and book there. Some restaurants can't be booked until you get there, eg Annette's diner and rainforest cafe. In fact I only booked cafe mickey for lunch on NYE today so there are still tables left!
Don't worry you'll have a great time!
Just to add- we stayed at the magic circus last time which is next to explorers, it looks lovely and the buses to the parks are very good.

[Hels80]

When we went over New Year, we booked Café Mickey for about 6pm so it was before their special NY menu so was same price as usual. After we'd finished, we went back in to the park for the fireworks etc. Have a great time!

[carrieh]

I had no idea you could book on the day in the park, that's fantastic to hear! I'll have a look at cafe mickey though that sounds great! Fastpasses are a great idea, are they still free? I know the children would like to do the bigger rides which will be a nightmare, but we are willing to queue and expect it to be packed so we are going with our eyes wide open. We were also told to get in the park and stay there as they stop letting people in when they reach capacity, has anyone ever encountered this before or are we safe to leave and come back? I feel a bit better now, thank you both!

[Hels80]

When we went I wasn't aware it was at full capacity.
Fast passes are free still yes.
The only issue we came across was the buses back to the hotels (we stayed at the Dream Castle) were packed all the time.
The main park is a place for French people to go and celebrate New Year, in the same way people go to the London Eye etc, so it does get very busy. May be worth you eating at lunch time and then having a snack later on in the evening, inside the park.
Whatever you do or don't do, you'll have a ball as the atmosphere is amazing. Freezing cold though! Take lots of warm clothes!

[carrieh]

Thanks so much theyre great tips, seems everything I've been worrying about isn't too bad after all!

So looks like our plan to go to the studios rather than the main park is the best idea then, thanks!
The lady who told me that it was hurrendous also told me you had to pay about 8 euros per person for each fast pass which I hadn't heard before so it's great to hear they are still free too. Thanks so much for your reassurance, i can start being excited again now! x

[Guest]

No you don't pay for fast passes. Crushes coaster in the studios doesn't have fast pass and is always a big queue so go straight to it at 10am when the park opens!
Also bear in mind that some restaurants have a special NYE menu that evening and are very expensive! Cafe mickey is normal priced menu though and good characters so I'd get in there if you can. If you're flexible with times they can usually fit you in.

[carrieh]

Definitely flexible with time as all of the four children we are taking are older now and so can snack in between. Didn't know about crush so we will definitely do that, thanks!

[BevS97]

In a pinch, you can walk back to your hotel. Or get a bus to the Santa Fe and walk from there. We walked one evening when we couldn't get on a bus, and it's quite doable.

[carrieh]

Is the route safe to walk, i have done it on google maps and it seems fine. It looks like it would take approximately half an hour is this right?