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Five, four, three, two, one! New Year’s Eve is such an exciting holiday full of nostalgia and excitement for the future. While many are aware of the celebrations that occur within Walt Disney World parks, lesser known are the individual celebration that occur in Walt Disney World convention centers, hotels and the like. Read on for a review of the Contemporary Resort’s Countdown to Midnight and Ink & Paint Club experience.

Event description

The Contemporary Resort’s Countdown to Midnight contains many of the common features of a typical New Year’s Eve party. Beginning at 8PM, guests gather in the ginormous Fantasia Ballroom, nosh on delicious food, sip beverages from the open bar and enjoy a band and DJ while waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Of course, Disney has to up the ante and incorporate special touches. The event concludes at 12:15AM with a fireworks viewing from the porte cochere.

If you’d like a more intimate and upscale experience, consider the Ink & Paint Club VIP add-on experience.  This experience officially begins at 7PM. Guests have a separate check-in, private courtyard patio, VIP reception area and character experiences. The Ink & Paint Club add-on must be purchased at the time a ticket to Countdown to Midnight is purchased and cannot be purchased separately. The event concludes at 12:15AM with  fireworks viewing from a private dessert party area.

In this review, I purchased the Countdown to Midnight with the Ink & Paint Club experience.

Booking and pricing

Booking for the Countdown to Midnight experience historically opens during the summer months. The price for the Countdown to Midnight party is $299 per guest including tax and gratuity.

The Ink & Paint Club experience is $499 per guest including tax and gratuity and includes the Countdown to Midnight experience. The Ink & Paint Club experience must be purchased at the same time as a Countdown to Midnight ticket.

Discounts (Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club, etc.) are not accepted for this event.

Reservations can typically be made beginning in the summer months via disneyworld.com.

Check-In Process

Countdown to Midnight

Countdown to Midnight check-in begins at 7PM and the event begins at 8PM. The check-in area is located at the main registration area near the entrance of the Contemporary Resort Convention Center facing the doors of the Fantasia Ballroom. Check-in lines are divided into sections based on your last name.

Ink & Paint Club

Ink & Paint Club guests have a separate check-in section near the courtyard and private reception area. Multiple cast members stood at registration to answer questions and check in guests. We were given wristband credentials, shown the seating map for both events and informed that the courtyard would be open by 6:30PM. I also received a special menu denoting allergy and dietary information due to the dietary restrictions I included with my reservation.

Ink & Paint Club Experience

Pre-reception

 To our very pleasant surprise, the courtyard opened earlier than expected. This area essentially serves as an upscale pre-event space prior to the start of the reception.

In the center of the courtyard area, illuminated lanterns featuring classic Disney characters were hung from a tree. High top tables with tablecloths and candles were scattered throughout the courtyard.

There was no seating at the tables. Themed props reflecting cartoons from days of yore were placed in areas around the courtyard. Music is piped in through the area and sets a very nice tone.

A very personable bartender manned the open bar and a cast member walked around collecting empty glasses and taking orders for refills.

Main Reception

At promptly 7PM, the doors to the Ink & Paint Club dining space opened to guests. Food stations, props, character meet and greet areas were placed around the perimeter of the room.

Ambiance

A pianist played throughout the night and added an air of elegance to the event.

A variety of props and backdrops set the scene for Old Hollywood.

Seating

Guest tables were placed on the interior of the room and adorned with tablecloths, glassware, menu and a Mickey-shaped styrofoam. One nice feature is that tables in this section are not shared and are only for those in your party.

Menu & Food

The menu featured light bites – cold and hot tapas, cones and shooters and miniature desserts.

Most stations were staffed which made for a visually pleasing experience as well as the opportunity to ask specific questions. The food was exceptional. I think I had too many “light bites” because by the time I got to the main ballroom, I wasn’t all that hungry. What can I say? I’m a sucker for beef short ribs.

The full menu is as follows:

Cones & Shooters

Cold Tapas

Hot Tapas

Action Carving Station

Dessert Friandise

Open Bar

The ballroom featured a few bars scattered throughout the ballroom. The event featured a signature drink but there was an array of wines, beers, liquors, sodas and juices. The line was short throughout the night.

Character Interaction

Soon after the event began, talking Mickey and Minnie appeared dressed in their finest and ready to take photos. Yes..talking Mickey and Minnie. Though speaking Mickey no longer appears at Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom, he and Minnie were in a very chatty mood at the event.

A Photopass photographer was on-hand but there was also a character handler that could take pictures if you did not want to use Photopass. The character interaction was wonderful and not at all rushed. Mickey and Minnie took time for each party to chat a little bit and get the pictures they desired. The line did back up a bit because of this. The characters took breaks periodically. Guests standing in line were informed when the line would reopen and characters would return.

Hours

The Ink & Paint Club was open from 7-11PM. Food was available until 8:30PM and the bar was open until 11PM.

Overall

The overall ambiance of the room was very relaxed yet upscale and very “Old Hollywood”. It was a nice change of pace from the experience in the main Countdown to Midnight ballroom and allowed for a respite if the shenanigans in the larger party got to be too much. I thoroughly enjoyed the privacy of the individual tables, the shorter lines and the character interaction.

The Countdown to Midnight ballroom opened at 8PM. In 2018, the staff in the Ink & Paint Club staff let us know that the main ballroom had opened. This year, we noticed that the room had thinned out, looked at our watches and realized that the other room must have opened.

Countdown to midnight Experience

Ambiance

The first thing to know about the main event is that the Fantasia ballroom is MASSIVE. If I had to guess, I’d say there were over 1,000 people in attendance.

In terms of layout, food stations and bars are placed in the perimeter of the room. Large screens which showed shadows of chefs cooking food were placed in the two back corners.

 In the front corners of the room, there were two Photopass photo opportunities – a Minnie and Mickey topiary and a miniature Cinderella’s castle.

There was a large stage for the band and DJ and a dance floor in front of it.

A craft area for children was placed near the dance floor.

Seating

Unlike the tables in the Ink & Paint Club reception area, your seats are shared with parties other than yours. We noticed that our table was shared with other people from the Ink & Paint Club reception and that our tables had an amazing view of the dance floor.

Keep in mind, though, that it made the music very loud. The tables featured individual menus, bread service, water, noisemakers and hats.

Open Bar

The ballroom featured a few bars scattered throughout the ballroom. The event featured a signature drink but there was an array of wines, beers, liquors, sodas and juices.

Drink lines were longer than I remember in years past. A few times I considered going back to the Ink & Paint Club for faster service.

Countdown to Midnight Menu

Countdown to Midnight is brilliant when it comes to marketing Walt Disney World restaurants. The entire menu features food crafted by the chefs of the property’s top restaurants. The food was nothing short of amazing. With such a large event, lines formed but they were served quickly.

The menu is as follows:

Musical Entertainment

The musical entertainment features both a live band and DJ. Both were amazing. To appeal to a broad audience, the band plays hits consecutively through the decades beginning with the ‘60s. Their vocals and instrument talent were on point.

For some songs, they brought additional dancers on stage. During their breaks, a DJ kept the crowd entertained.

Dessert Party & Fireworks Viewing

One of the main selling points of the party is the viewing area for the Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks in Magic Kingdom. Fantasy in the Sky is the big kahuna of Disney World fireworks shows. While Disney World has multiple fireworks shows around the property daily, they bring out all the stops on New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July. The roughly 10 minute show is so breathtaking that the first time I saw it, I cried. No..seriously. Tears. You feel as though you are immersed in fireworks due to the 360 view and multiple fireworks launch areas. It is hands down the best fireworks show I have ever seen.

The Magic Kingdom often reaches capacity early on New Year’s Eve due to the large crowds who hope to ring in a new year while watching the phenomenal show. The great news is that the viewing spot of the party is ideal to take in the immersive experience and allows you to move more freely than you could if you were packed in tight at Cinderella’s castle. Even better, sound from the park is piped into the area for both Countdown to Midnight guests and Ink & Paint Club guests.

Dessert Party

At check-in Ink & Paint Club guests were instructed to leave the main party at 11PM to go to the outdoor dessert party/fireworks viewing area. The dessert party was a new addition and I greatly enjoyed it. Black tables and chairs were placed throughout a cordoned-off patio area. The space was very large for the size of the group.

Hot coffee and water for tea were available. A bar was also set up with liquors suitable for desserts.

The dessert offerings included chocolate covered strawberries, bon bons, macarons and lemon bars. While dessert variety was limited, I would consider a step above traditional dessert party offerings.

The Final Countdown

Well, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The piped in music swells, all eyes turn to the sky while holding cameras, cell phones and passed champagne or sparkling cider.

There is no way that my video can capture the majesty of the evening. Check out the official Disney Parks Live video below.

Overall Thoughts

The Contemporary Resort’s Countdown to Midnight and Ink & Paint Club is, in my opinion, a wonderful experience offering relaxation and excitement, photo opportunities and character interaction, delicious food and drinks, and an excellent view of one of the best fireworks show Walt Disney World has to offer.

I’d love to hear from you. Does this sound like an event you’d be interested in? Have you celebrated New Year’s Eve on Walt Disney World property?