For some rabid TDL fans, New Year’s Eve actually begins on December 30 in the small parking lot in front of the Disney Resort Line station at the park. The black tarmac with white boxes could have been any parking lot in the world, but by 7pm on December 31, over 30,000 guests were snaked around in lines, marked by regular highway cones. Ironically, guests would spend more time in the parking lot of this day than inside the park. Lindsay and I arrived to begin queuing at 9am and there were already 1,000 guests, sitting on their special groundsheets, decked out in their finest Disney garb, usually topped with a set of Mickey-shaped earmuffs or the winter hat du jour, a faux fur balaclava number complete with Mickey ears and even a small beanie toy attached to an ear.

To both of us, we had never seen such a spectacle, almost 10 hours to park opening (and then another five to the countdown itself) at any Disney event. Even the Millennium at EPCOT did not generate this type of hysteria amongst fans. The Guest Relations cast members involved (and there were dozens of them in their green overcoats) must have received military-style training as the coordination was implemented without much of a hitch. We were moved in small groups to in front of the ticket booths once the park was nearing the end of normal operating hours. I should explain that TDR is rather unique, in that December 31 and January 1 are actually considered 3 separate trading days. On the eve itself, the park closes operations at 6pm. The park reopens just two hours later, but only to guests either staying on property (at either the Disney Ambassador, the Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta or the 5 official TDR hotels) or those that were selected in the lottery process earlier in the fall. Annual passports of any description do not confer entry privileges for the Countdown Party itself. The park then opens to general admission at 2am and continues to operate until 10pm (yup, that is 26 hours of continuous trading).

The general level of decorum exhibited by the expectant guests was exceptional throughout the day, despite numerous relocation exercises. However, that decency was swiftly despatched once the turnstiles were activated. Guests pushed and shoved, trapping some children under adult’s backpacks and their feet, causing many to scream and cry as the funnel towards the gates became narrower. In the space of 50 feet, the queue shrank from over 50-people wide to just two turnstiles. It was quite simply the worst Disney queue I have ever experienced and left me gasping for air and drained of energy. However, it then became a sprint finish, as we charged through Tomorrowland, across the bridge to the hub and to a spot just off the plaza itself.

The view itself was worth the wait. We had a panoramic view of the World Bazaar side of the Central Plaza, and the clearest possible sightline to the castle (bar the too high trees). We were firmly in place by 7:30pm, delighted with our location, but still 4 hours away from the parade step-off. And there we sat. Luckily, park management opted for a performance of the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights, which ensured people returned to their spot and it was quite a sight to see thousands of people, (to put it into perspective, guests were sat back as far as the former Meet the World Building, deep inside World Bazaar, beyond the crossroads and back almost as far as Space Mountain) cheering along to the music and energised by the performers.

The Countdown Parade stepped off from Fantasyland (between Haunted Mansion and it’s a small world very merry holidays) at 11:30pm. Sporadically throughout the evening, cast members and Disney characters travelled the route on a series of vehicles including those turn-of-the-century omnibuses closely associated with Main Street USA and the Rainy Day parade float to keep the crowd entertained and to build to the arrival of the main event. The Countdown Parade itself was actually slightly shorter than the normal version as the Rain Day float was not utilised, but the number of performers was vastly increased, as dance schools from across Chiba Prefecture were invited to join TDL regulars. The parade was spectacular, and personally, being able to see Mickey on his floating star and the laser countdown on the castle was a magical sight. The fireworks that heralded the New Year were beautiful, huge bursts of colour situated alongside the Castle. The fireworks show is also a feature of the normal countdown performances and rather oddly, utilised Hercules’ Go the Distance as it’s signature number.

As the last shell exploded behind the park, guests collected their articles and headed for a long morning in the park. Lindsay and I wandered around the park, watching fellow guests for a few hours, but opted for a 2am exit. My lasting memory will be a photo of Lindsay’s in this collection, of two exhausted Japanese girls, collapsed in World Bazaar, complete with Disney items. My birthday had just begun (being a New Year baby!) and we headed for the Resort Line to take us home. Our January 1 was spent exclusively at Tokyo DisneySea with their Oshagatsu New Year Greeting, which will be our next update for the Tokyo Disney Resort.

Personally, it was certainly an experience of a lifetime and I would always recommend a visit for New Year to any Disney enthusiast. However, the lengthy waits ensure that the advantage is firmly with the locals and the sheer volume of guests is hard to cope with. I doubt whether we shall be returning any time soon for another Countdown Party experience at TDR, but maybe, in time, that will change…………..

A note on the photography: The first set of black and white images cover the waiting in the car park during the day of December 31st. The colour photographs are a mixture of two presentations of the Countdown Parade - the close up performer images come from the Dec 29th and the long shot/fireworks come from Dec 31st.