What a Difference a Year (and a Pandemic) Makes on New Year’s Eve in Disney World

We’ve seen the crowds at Disney World get a little bigger over the past few months, and we now know that capacity at the parks increased to 35 percent just before the holidays.

Magic Kingdom

But how does that compare to New Year’s Eve’s past? Say 2019? Well, we dug into our photo archives to compare, and BOY, things are CRAZY different (we already knew that but seeing pics really puts it into perspective).

So here’s what Magic Kingdom looked like on New Year’s Eve in 2020 just this morning. The park literally felt abandoned at times.

Crowds did eventually pick back up, though, later in the day. And this is what we consider crowded right now.

But here’s what surprised us! We’ve been so used to limited capacity at the parks that when we looked at last year’s photos at Magic Kingdom, we almost screamed out loud! This is what New Year’s Eve looked like during the day last year:

Magic Kingdom 2019 New Year’s Eve

Just wow! And the night photos we have from last year are equally as shocking. This is the crowd from last year on New Year’s Eve waiting for the fireworks (there are no fireworks planned for this year).

Fireworks Crowds from 2019

To compare again, this is New Year’s Eve 2020 at Hollywood Studios, which is booked to full capacity. 

Hollywood Studios crowds New Year’s Eve 2020

And this is just us trying to leave Magic Kingdom in 2019 after the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Bus Line at Magic Kingdom

So when we say that a park is crowded now, we realize that our definition of “crowded” has certainly changed! But we’ll continue to keep track of crowds and capacity at the parks, so stay tuned for updates!

PHOTOS and VIDEOS: Here’s What the New Year’s Eve Crowds Looked Like in Disney World Today

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Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Preorder Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Your order will include a FREE instant download of the 2020 Edition of the Guide!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

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Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

Have you been to Disney World on New Year’s Eve before? Let us know in the comments!

The post What a Difference a Year (and a Pandemic) Makes on New Year’s Eve in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.

What’s New at Saratoga Springs: New Year’s Eve Celebrations and an Apple Tart!

Bye 2020 and hellooooo 2021!

Saratoga Springs

There’s no surprise here but we are spending the final days of the year reporting from Disney World to bring you all the important updates. Yesterday, we took a stroll around Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa to get in the loop on all the news. Check out the latest in food, construction, and merchandise!

Saratoga Springs Food Updates

Let’s start on the food front!

The Artist’s Palette

The Eggnog Cupcake looked a little different than when we last saw it. It now has a little snowman on it instead of a little wreath!

Eggnog Cupcake

It’s probably still as tasty as ever though. This little treat might not be around for much longer with the end of the season so if you’re hoping to give him a try, you’ll want to do so ASAP.

Click here for our review of the Eggnog Cupcake!

The Artist’s Palette also had a new Apple Tart for $6 which is (one) adorable and (two) delicious.

Apple Tart

You can bet we took a LOT of pics of this beauty and broke down exactly what we thought when we reviewed it earlier. Check it out!

Want to see our FULL REVIEW of the Apple Tart? Click here!

Finally, on the merchandise side of The Artist’s Palette, we spotted some cute little bottles of Champagne for $22 — displayed next to Mickey champagne flutes of course!

Champagne and Glasses

Saratoga Springs Construction Updates

On to construction! Remember, the Paddock Pool, also at this resort, is expected to undergo maintenance soon.

Paddock Pool at Saratoga Springs

We noticed that the High Rock Spring feature pool at Saratoga Springs had a lot more guests visiting than we usually see when we visit.

Click here to learn more about the Paddock Pool refurbishment!

Saratoga Springs Merchandise Updates

Aaaand back over to The Artist’s Palette to check in on merchandise.

The Artist’s Palette

We spotted a super cute display out like we’ve seen elsewhere, encouraging guests to “Celebrate the New Year with Fun for the Entire Family.” Guests can stock up on 2021 merch, puzzles, and games!

New Year’s Eve Merch

And there you have it! That’s everything new at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa today! We’ll check in again soon.

To check our more recent news from Saratoga Springs, click here!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Preorder Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Your order will include a FREE instant download of the 2020 Edition of the Guide!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

ready-to-shop-button
Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

Are you staying at Saratoga Springs soon? Tell us in the comments! 

The post What’s New at Saratoga Springs: New Year’s Eve Celebrations and an Apple Tart! first appeared on the disney food blog.

Raglan Road to Livestream “The Irish Show” on New Year’s Eve from Disney Springs

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New Year’s Eve is nearly here, and Raglan Road is getting ready to send 2020 off with a different kind of Irish goodbye! The restaurant and performance space will host a live-stream of “The Irish Show” from Disney Springs on New Year’s Eve beginning at 8:45 PM and ending at 9 PM Eastern. The show can be seen on Raglan Road’s Facebook page. Disney’s official description of the show reads, “Get jig-gy with them! Head to Raglan Road for a […]

The post Raglan Road to Livestream “The Irish Show” on New Year’s Eve from Disney Springs appeared first on WDW News Today.

Disneyland Paris Welcomes 2021 With New Ad Campaign: “Live Like Never Before”

Happy New Year from Disneyland Paris! As the clock strikes midnight and Europe enters 2021, Disneyland Paris has released a new ad that celebrates Disney’s past as they step into the future. What’s Happening: Disneyland Paris has released a new ad that celebrates the new year. Using Walt Disney’s dedication speech from Disneyland’s opening day, the […]

The post Disneyland Paris Welcomes 2021 With New Ad Campaign: “Live Like Never Before” appeared first on LaughingPlace.com.

Gal Gadot Reveals New Women-Focused National Geographic Docuseries “Impact”

Gal Gadot, star of the recently released Wonder Woman 1984, has taken to her Instagram account to reveal a new women-focused docuseries from National Geographic. According to Deadline, Gadot will serve as an executive producer for the new National Geographic docuseries Impact. The six-part series will highlight stories of resilient young women around the world. Gadot’s […]

The post Gal Gadot Reveals New Women-Focused National Geographic Docuseries “Impact” appeared first on LaughingPlace.com.

Saying Goodbye to 2020 — Disney World Wait Times for December 31, 2020

New Year’s Eve is traditionally the busiest day of the year at Walt Disney World.  With capacity limits and no scheduled fireworks, though, it’s likely today won’t even be in the top 50 for any park. (EPCOT’s wait times today are grossly inflated – a trend we’ve seen for a while now.)

We counted 487 of 500 guests (97%) wearing masks according to Disney’s guidelines today at Hollywood Studios.  We received 161 actual wait times today. Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had an average wait time today of 53 minutes. Its 7-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #91 for the past year. We received 9 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 55% of the posted wait time.

Magic Kingdom wait times for Thursday, December 31, 2020
Astro Orbiter
Average Posted Wait
36
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#21
365-Day Rank
#79
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Average Posted Wait
53
Actual Waits Were
55%
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#17
365-Day Rank
#91
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Average Posted Wait
35
Actual Waits Were
48%
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#26
365-Day Rank
#122
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Average Posted Wait
8
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#29
365-Day Rank
#187
“it’s a small world”
Average Posted Wait
41
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#24
365-Day Rank
#71
Jungle Cruise
Average Posted Wait
49
Actual Waits Were
90%
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#7
365-Day Rank
#88
Mad Tea Party
Average Posted Wait
12
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#27
365-Day Rank
#156
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Average Posted Wait
32
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#11
365-Day Rank
#11
Peter Pan’s Flight
Average Posted Wait
41
Actual Waits Were
110%
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#15
365-Day Rank
#104
Pirates of the Caribbean
Average Posted Wait
48
Actual Waits Were
81%
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#21
365-Day Rank
#93
Space Mountain
Average Posted Wait
54
Actual Waits Were
73%
7-Day Rank
#4
30-Day Rank
#10
365-Day Rank
#96
Splash Mountain
Average Posted Wait
63
Actual Waits Were
60%
7-Day Rank
#4
30-Day Rank
#8
365-Day Rank
#49
The Barnstormer
Average Posted Wait
20
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#26
365-Day Rank
#132
The Haunted Mansion
Average Posted Wait
18
Actual Waits Were
41%
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#27
365-Day Rank
#206
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Average Posted Wait
12
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#26
365-Day Rank
#158
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Average Posted Wait
25
Actual Waits Were
100%
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#24
365-Day Rank
#133
Tomorrowland Speedway
Average Posted Wait
12
7-Day Rank
#5
30-Day Rank
#27
365-Day Rank
#186
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
Average Posted Wait
15
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#1
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Average Posted Wait
82
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#7
365-Day Rank
#87
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
Average Posted Wait
12
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#29
365-Day Rank
#192

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Posted wait times at Expedition Everest were about three times higher than actual waits, which is really unusual and tells you that today’s posted wait times aren’t to be believed. Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 41 minutes. We received 17 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 30% of the posted wait time.

Animal Kingdom wait times for Thursday, December 31, 2020
DINOSAUR
Average Posted Wait
61
7-Day Rank
#4
30-Day Rank
#9
365-Day Rank
#31
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Average Posted Wait
41
Actual Waits Were
30%
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#7
365-Day Rank
#95
Kali River Rapids
Average Posted Wait
50
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#2
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Average Posted Wait
33
Actual Waits Were
60%
7-Day Rank
#4
30-Day Rank
#11
365-Day Rank
#93
It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
Average Posted Wait
38
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#1
TriceraTop Spin
Average Posted Wait
9
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#10
365-Day Rank
#70
Na’vi River Journey
Average Posted Wait
87
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#34
Avatar Flight of Passage
Average Posted Wait
84
Actual Waits Were
69%
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#7
365-Day Rank
#94

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 78 minutes. Its 7-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 64 minutes, so today ranks #3 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #37 for the past year. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 84% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios wait times for Thursday, December 31, 2020

Rise of the Resistance has had a couple of long ride outages today, delaying the calling of boarding groups to experience the ride.

Rise of the Resistance boarding groups for Thursday, December 31, 2020
Muppet*Vision 3D
Average Posted Wait
38
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#1
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Average Posted Wait
69
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#60
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Average Posted Wait
45
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#14
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Average Posted Wait
78
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#3
365-Day Rank
#49
Toy Story Mania!
Average Posted Wait
32
Actual Waits Were
61%
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#11
365-Day Rank
#100
Slinky Dog Dash
Average Posted Wait
84
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#56
Alien Swirling Saucers
Average Posted Wait
29
7-Day Rank
#6
30-Day Rank
#16
365-Day Rank
#100
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Average Posted Wait
43
Actual Waits Were
79%
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#22
365-Day Rank
#166
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Average Posted Wait
78
Actual Waits Were
84%
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#3
365-Day Rank
#37

EPCOT Wait Times

Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 81 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #2 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 37 minutes, so today ranks #6 for the past year. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 50% of the posted wait time.

EPCOT wait times for Thursday, December 31, 2020
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
Average Posted Wait
20
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#6
Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Average Posted Wait
33
Actual Waits Were
15%
7-Day Rank
#2
30-Day Rank
#2
365-Day Rank
#10
Living with the Land
Average Posted Wait
14
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#8
365-Day Rank
#89
Mission: SPACE Orange
Average Posted Wait
69
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#3
365-Day Rank
#8
Reflections of China
Average Posted Wait
15
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#1
365-Day Rank
#1
Soarin’
Average Posted Wait
81
Actual Waits Were
50%
7-Day Rank
#2
30-Day Rank
#2
365-Day Rank
#6
Spaceship Earth
Average Posted Wait
38
7-Day Rank
#3
30-Day Rank
#3
365-Day Rank
#14
Test Track
Average Posted Wait
100
7-Day Rank
#2
30-Day Rank
#2
365-Day Rank
#4
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Average Posted Wait
23
7-Day Rank
#2
30-Day Rank
#2
365-Day Rank
#34
Frozen Ever After
Average Posted Wait
66
Actual Waits Were
47%
7-Day Rank
#1
30-Day Rank
#16
365-Day Rank
#83

The post Saying Goodbye to 2020 — Disney World Wait Times for December 31, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

PHOTOS: Cast Members Checking for Reservations at International Gateway Entrance to EPCOT Resort Hotels for New Year’s Eve

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EPCOT guests looking to take a stroll around Crescent Lake this evening for New Year’s Eve should be advised that Cast Members are scanning MagicBands for reservations at the bridge from International Gateway. For access to Disney’s BoardWalk and Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, guests must have a valid resort or dining reservation to enter. With the theme parks closing before midnight tonight, it seems this new precaution is being taken to avoid a rush of guests at each […]

The post PHOTOS: Cast Members Checking for Reservations at International Gateway Entrance to EPCOT Resort Hotels for New Year’s Eve appeared first on WDW News Today.

PHOTOS and VIDEOS: Here’s What the New Year’s Eve Crowds Looked Like in Disney World Today

We’re kissing 2020 goodbye at Disney World today! It’s been a long year and we’re ready to move forward into 2021.

Cinderella Castle

Disney World is celebrating New Year’s Eve a little differently this year. The theme parks are closing before midnight for health and safety reasons. Guests are encouraged to ring in the new year from their resort where Disney will host special activities tonight. We’re heading into the parks to see what the crowds, wait times, and the overall vibe is like. 

Crowds

We arrived at Hollywood Studios and noticed that it was definitely busy, but we expected that as the park is at capacity today.

At this point, though, it didn’t feel that crowded, and everyone was doing a good job of keeping distances between groups.

Hollywood Studios Crowds

Toy Story Land felt particularly crowded, though.

Over at Magic Kingdom, things were looking busy on Main Street, U.S.A., but not nearly as busy as at Hollywood Studios!

But Adventureland wasn’t that bad at all!

Seriously, there were times at Magic Kingdom when we were wondering where the people were!

As the day progressed, though, more people started entering the park.

EPCOT didn’t seem crowded at all, at least at first.

EPCOT Crowds

But once we entered World Showcase, we saw the crowds in full force!

Wait Times and Lines

The attraction lines stretched beyond the designated queues for many of the rides. Disney has been allocating other spaces for the extended lines. Don’t be too fooled by the big lines! The lines look about twice as long due to physical distancing between travel groups. But we did see Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with a 100-minute wait at one point today!

The line for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, though, was only 60 minutes when we stopped by, which really isn’t that bad for this popular attraction!

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Line

Don’t let this next photo fool you, because that 80 minute wait time is NOT for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was for Slinky Dog Dash way over in Toy Story Land!

Slinky Dog Dash Line

There was a 50-minute wait time for Toy Story Mania!

Toy Story Mania Line

We always expect the Millennium Falcon line to be long, but the wait time today, when we stopped by today, was a whopping 110 minutes!

Millennium Falcon Wait Time

In Magic Kingdom, the Splash Mountain wait was only 45 minutes when we visited mid-day.

Splash Mountain Wait Time

The longest line we saw at Magic Kingdom wasn’t even for an attraction — it was for food at Sleepy Hollow! Dining has been tricky today, with many table service restaurants not having any Walk-Up Waitlist spots available! So guests are having to choose Counter Service unless they have advance dining reservations.

In EPCOT, there was a long line for food, too! This is what Via Napoli looked like!

We think that might even be longer than the posted wait time for Spaceship Earth, which was 45 minutes mid-day.

Spaceship Earth

Frozen Ever After had a wait time of 80 minutes this afternoon.

We’ve seen New Year’s Eve bring in much bigger crowds than we saw today (especially since the park is capped at a 35% capacity). Still, considering the limited capacities and early closing times, the holiday attracted a lot of guests! Tune in with us tomorrow for our crowd reports for New Year’s Day!

Check out some of the New Year’s Eve resort activities happening tonight!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Preorder Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Your order will include a FREE instant download of the 2020 Edition of the Guide!

Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

ready-to-shop-button
Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

Are you heading to Disney World soon? Let us know in the comments!

The post PHOTOS and VIDEOS: Here’s What the New Year’s Eve Crowds Looked Like in Disney World Today first appeared on the disney food blog.

REVIEW: New Year’s Donut at Voodoo Doughnut in Universal CityWalk Orlando Is So Bad, It Belongs in 2020

voodoo-doughnut-2021-donut

Voodoo Doughnut at Universal CityWalk has a new holiday doughnut in its lineup. We’ve already reviewed the snowman and ornament doughnuts, now we’re trying the special new year doughnut, which is only available through January 3, 2021. This rectangular fried yeast donut is filled with raspberry white mocha whipped cream, dipped in chocolate icing, and covered with sprinkles as fireworks. Our doughnut was decorated a little differently than the display version. The splatter-looking fireworks reminded us of vintage Nickelodeon designs… […]

The post REVIEW: New Year’s Donut at Voodoo Doughnut in Universal CityWalk Orlando Is So Bad, It Belongs in 2020 appeared first on WDW News Today.