Ringing In The New Year [Walt Disney World]
As I mentioned in Every Dog Has Its Day, Jessica and I decided on an impromptu trip to Walt Disney World for New Year’s Eve.
As Disney Vacation Club members, we’re eligible for the Disney Sorcerer Annual Pass - even though we live out of state. Unfortunately, that pass comes with holiday blackout dates, which don’t lift until January 2nd. Since we couldn’t go to the parks on New Year’s Eve, we crafted what we thought was a very well-planned itinerary for the day and evening.
Overall, we had a wonderful time on this trip - and I would absolutely do it again - but there were things we wanted to do and didn’t. Things we tried to do and couldn’t. And things that were just plain perfect. So, first things first: let’s run down our New Year’s Eve “to-do” list, and then we’ll see how successful we were at actually accomplishing any of it.
The Plan
Go to the Disney Character Warehouse outlet store.
Do all the free (or relatively cheap) activities - minigolf, visiting the horses at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, archery at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, and the Christmas Tree Walk at Disney Springs.
Have a lovely sit-down dinner at one of the three Monorail resorts.
Do a New Year’s Eve Monorail Crawl and ring in the New Year watching fireworks from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Spoiler alert: we still had a wonderful time—despite racking up more strikes than I would have liked.
All the Free (or Relatively Cheap) Activities
You may be asking, “Why go to Disney if you can’t go to the parks?” The truth is there’s so much to do at Walt Disney World outside of the parks. In many ways, you can treat it like any resort destination. If the weather’s nice, the pools are always a great option. But there are also plenty of free or inexpensive activities sprinkled throughout property.
As you can see from our itinerary, we planned to play minigolf, see the horses at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, try archery, and complete the Christmas Tree Walk at Disney Springs.
I should mention that I was the only one interested in minigolf. We have so many “free minigolf” vouchers sitting in our My Disney Experience app that I felt obligated to use them. Sadly, I couldn’t convince Jessica - or Things 1 and 2 - to play.
Strike one.
Instead, we hopped in the car and drove over to Disney’s Character Warehouse at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets. A couple of quick tips here: go first thing in the morning and aim to arrive before the store opens so you don’t miss out on popular items later in the day. And yes, there will be a line to get in—because it’s Disney.
I was genuinely surprised by how good the selection was. While we may have gone a little overboard on retail therapy, for the amount we paid, we walked out with an incredible haul. Several t-shirts, a couple spirit jerseys and sweaters, and each girl scored a jean jacket - all for a fraction of what you’d pay in the parks.
Just to give you an idea: they were selling a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge legacy lightsaber for $89, compared to the $169-ish price tag you’d see in the parks or online. It wasn’t a lightsaber I personally wanted, which was mildly disappointing - but still a fantastic deal. This was an absolute win.
On the way out, the girls made their obligatory bubble tea stop, and from there we headed to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campgrounds to see the horses, walk around, and maybe shoot an arrow or two.
Sadly, upon arriving at the gate, the security guard informed us that due to holiday crowds, they weren’t allowing non-guests to park at the resort. Sure, we could have driven back to Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside, parked, taken transportation to Magic Kingdom, and then hopped on a boat…but there was absolutely no chance any of us felt like putting in that level of effort.
Strike two.
Thing 1 standing in front of the beautiful Christmas tree at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
After an unexpected U-turn, we headed to Disney Springs to check out the Christmas trees. Instead, the retail therapy continued - and, once again, was wildly successful. Jessica picked up an awesome Stoney Clover Lane crossbody on sale, a pink knitted Daisy Duck sweater, and the girls browsed Sephora and treated themselves to cupcakes from Disney’s Candy Cauldron.
We walked all over Disney Springs…and maybe actually noticed one or two Christmas trees.
Strike three? This could go either way depending on your perspective.
Thankfully, Disney isn’t baseball - so we’re just going to keep playing.
“If you’re planning to travel during this time of year, make your dining reservations 60 days in advance and you should be just fine.”
New Year’s Eve Dinner
Jessica is on top of everything and never misses a beat when it comes to planning. But since this trip was last-minute - and during peak holiday season - we weren’t able to snag a dining reservation at any of the Monorail resorts.
Strike four.
Monorail Crawl
I really enjoy all three Monorail resorts - Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - for very different reasons. The Grand Floridian is upscale and offers a refreshing break from the traditional Disney aesthetic. The Polynesian has great shopping, though it’s not my personal favorite in terms of theming. And Contemporary offers solid shopping, a great quick-service option, and excellent fireworks views from almost any upper level.
We kicked off the evening at Steakhouse 71. The food and service are consistently excellent - and, coincidentally, we seem to get the same server every time we visit. He obviously didn’t remember us, but it was still fun seeing a familiar face. We shared a few small plates - wings, a hamburger, and a salad - and enjoyed a couple of cocktails.
Hamburger at Steakhouse 71
For more information about the menu, click here.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re traveling with kids: they’ll likely want a flashy mocktail so they can join in on the fun. These mocktails are priced similarly to the signature cocktails, so keep an eye on that bar tab.
From there, we hopped on the Monorail and headed over to the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian.
A word of caution: Tambu Lounge is small. There are only a handful of tables, some seating just two people. When eating at Tambu, Jessica and I try to be very mindful of anyone who might be waiting in line to be seated. We tend to eat, drink, pay the tab, and head out. This was the first time we encountered multiple tables where guests had clearly made themselves comfortable watching a college football game.
To be fair, there’s no policy limiting table time - and I don’t think there should be - but the wait took a bit of the wind out of our sails. The kids were getting hungry and bored, and Jessica and I (along with everyone else in line) were starting to get a bit irritated. We waited close to 60 minutes before tables finally opened.
Enjoying cocktails and fireworks at Tambu Lounge.
For more information about the menu, click here.
Did we have to wait? No. Could we have moved on? Absolutely. Why didn’t we? Because we’re stubborn fools who didn’t want to lose our place in line. I’m sure you’ve been there before - that moment when you think, “I’ve already committed this long…what a waste it would be to give up now.”
Once seated, the drinks and food came quickly. We enjoyed wings, noodles, and pot stickers - always a safe bet at Tambu Lounge. As an added bonus, we were able to watch the first round of Magic Kingdom fireworks right from our table.
Unfortunately, despite it being nowhere near midnight, both Things 1 and 2 were starting to crash. Hard. Thankfully, both kids love soap and lotion, which made it easy to bribe them with a stop at Basin White inside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
While the kids were busy mixing soap concoctions, Jessica and I put our names in at the Enchanted Rose Lounge. The bribery worked on Thing 1, but Thing 2 hit her wall. If you have young kids, you know the kind of wall I am referring to – it comes with dragging feet, watery eyes, and a steady whine.
Thing 2, curled up and out cold at the Enchanted Rose.
For more information about the menu, click here.
Luckily, we were seated quickly at Enchanted Rose, where the furniture is incredibly comfortable. Thing 2 curled up…and was out cold.
Our original plan was to make it to midnight and watch the fireworks from the Grand Floridian, but feeling bad for our exhausted littles, we called it a night around 11:15 p.m.
Strike five.
For more on our favorite Monorail stops, be sure to check out A Quick Getaway | Adults-Only Style.
Back at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside, Jessica and I purchased a small bottle of champagne from the quick-service restaurant and headed to the room with the kids. Now, parents - can you guess what happened next?
That’s right. The two goblins who were beyond exhausted moments earlier were suddenly wide awake, bouncing off the walls. Laughter ensued, and overtired giggles filled the room.
We turned on the TV, watched the ball drop, and toasted to the New Year.
Given the five strikes, do I feel like we “struck out”? Absolutely not. It’s Disney - you never strike out at Disney.
In the end, the company was wonderful, the food and drinks were great (as always), and the Cast Members were exceptional. But the real takeaway here is that you either need to plan ahead when visiting Disney - or be comfortable winging it and hoping for the best.
As seasoned travelers, we’ve been fortunate to experience a lot of what Disney has to offer, and we know we’ll be back. So, if we miss something, we miss something. But if your Disney trip is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation you’ve saved up for, it’s worth planning accordingly.
Disney is an incredible place to make unforgettable memories - but things don’t always go as expected. Take a deep breath, find your Zen, and roll with it. In the end, you’ll walk away with great stories to tell.
Jessica enjoying a Cosmopolitan at the Enchanted Rose lounge.
Want to know more about each lounge, please visit Disney’s website further information:
Steakhouse 71 Lounge at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is a stylish, retro-inspired bar offering creative cocktails and elevated small plates. Expect classic and signature drinks with modern twists, alongside bar bites like loaded mac and cheese, lump crab cakes, chicken wings, and other savory snacks.
Tambu Lounge at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a laid-back, tropical hideaway tucked inside the Great Ceremonial House. The menu features colorful specialty cocktails, rum swizzles, mojitos, and other island-inspired libations, paired with Hawaiian-style appetizers like pot stickers, noodles, peel-and-eat shrimp, honey-coriander wings, and BBQ pork ribs.
Enchanted Rose Lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is an elegant, Beauty and the Beast-inspired lounge just off the grand lobby. The cocktail menu includes handcrafted drinks, martinis, wine, and champagne. Signature offerings include the Island Rose and the Lavender Fog (Jeremy’s personal favorite), alongside upscale small plates like artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, flatbreads, truffle fries, and croquettes.
Happy New Year from The Bare Necessities Travel Blog!
