MVMCP - Is it worth it???

[SaraJayne]

We're going the first week of the parties in Nov. Will those nights be packed as well??

 

[Rash]

We're going the first week of the parties in Nov. Will those nights be packed as well??

I would like to know this as well. We're considering 11/17 - the second day. How crowded are the early Nov. nights? Do they sell out?

 

[PoohsFan1]

we are going thursday december 3rd, and after reading all these negative comments, im worried!

We are going the same night....

This is going to be our first time and I was getting so excited about this party and now I am very worried about the crowds and such. I know I really want to see the Twas the Night before Christmas show, fireworks, and possibly the parade. If the parade if overly packed then I think we will probably by pass that and do something else, either go see some characters or ride some rides. Seems like there is more negativity than positivity towards this party.

 

[mom2rtk]

We are going the same night....

This is going to be our first time and I was getting so excited about this party and now I am very worried about the crowds and such. I know I really want to see the Twas the Night before Christmas show, fireworks, and possibly the parade. If the parade if overly packed then I think we will probably by pass that and do something else, either go see some characters or ride some rides. Seems like there is more negativity than positivity towards this party.

If all you want to do is Twas the night, the parade and the fireworks, than you won't be disappointed. Be in line for Twas the night by 6 pm. When it's over go stake out your spots on Main Street and just hang there and see the sights and absorb the atmosphere. DON'T miss the parade. The marching toy soldiers and reindeer are worth the price of admission!

Have a great time and don't let the nay-sayers get you down.

We were there on a sell out night last year, as well as a lesser attended night. Both were great. The crowds slow you down, especially on Main Street, but set your expectations right, and you'll have a great time no matter what!

 

[disneyfan2kids]

I'm not willing to pay the $200 for the parade or the special fireworks OR the rides.

But... will I get to see the ice castle lights on the regular MK nights? Or are they only lit during the party???

THAT might persuade me to buy a ticket!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm not willing to pay the $200 for the parade or the special fireworks OR the rides.

But... will I get to see the ice castle lights on the regular MK nights? Or are they only lit during the party???

THAT might persuade me to buy a ticket!

Maybe I'm alone here, but I thought the party was great and went twice last year.... The parade is awesome, and you can't see it during regular park hours until after the last party.

You CAN see the castle lights every night. They do a lighting ceremony during regular park hours that is absolutely charming. They will take your breath away!

 

[disneyfan2kids]

Maybe I'm alone here, but I thought the party was great and went twice last year.... The parade is awesome, and you can't see it during regular park hours until after the last party.

You CAN see the castle lights every night. They do a lighting ceremony during regular park hours that is absolutely charming. They will take your breath away!

Eh... I'm not really a parade person. They're nice if we're passing by at that time we'll stop and watch for a few minutes...but not my thing really. Although I completely get why others feel differently. So, I'm not really interested in seeing a special parade (as wonderful as I'm sure it is!) for $200. Nor do I want to pay it for the rides (which I can do during non-mvmcp hours.) So... I sort of feel like I'd be paying $200 for snow on main street and cookies & cocoa. If money were no object...I'd feel differently.... but like I said, parades and shows are less our thing.

Now...having seen the lighting of the Ice Castle a few times in the past... I'd ABSOLUTELY pay for that again! So glad I won't have to now

 

[WDmommyof4]

Oh boy, what a let down. I was so looking forward to doing this party after the Pirate and Princess one was so good, but I have read nothing on every site but bad reviews about how crowded it is because they don't enforce arm bands.

I really wanted to see it "snow" on main street especially because I have never even seen snow. I heard however that they only do that at 7 at the beginning of the party when all the people exiting the park are the ones who get to take advantage of it and the people who paid the extra money don't. I don't want to shell out an extra $300 to see people who paid nothing extra enjoying the same luxuries. That would make me upset and that is the last thing I want at Disney World.

So, let me ask. Our last day in the parks is the 19th and we were going to be at the MK because it is my son's birthday. We will be able to see the Christmas parade and fireworks that day? If so, I think I will save my money because it seems like such a waste if they won't enforce the rules.

 

[annamonte]

I am on the fence about going to the party myself. My family went in '06 and it was miserably hot and humid.... the snow they were trying to make turned to raindrops! Also, the lines for cocoa and cookies were unbelievable!

Twas the Night Before Xmas was one of the highlights of the night, but I thought I read somewhere it won't be going on anymore. I believe the Galaxy Theatre has been demolished??? I think that is what I read. If that is the case, I am leaning more towards not going to the party.

The parade was beautiful, but if you don't park yourself somewhere for an hour or so before, you won't get a decent spot to watch it!!

In any case, I think everyone should try to go to the party once ... then make a decision if it fits in the family's "must do" lists for years to come!

 

[nhl66pens]

I also went on 12/9 last year (as a PP noted) it was unbelievably crowded. There is no way for me to convey the crowd in words that would let you know what it was like. My wife was miserable and my daughter could hardly get around. If you plan one event and make it to that you'll be lucky. People tend to get frustrated in situations like this so the rudeness level also goes up. If you still go, at least you'll know what to expect. My advice is to plan on riding on the TTA (if it is open by then) several times in a row. It will be a great relief from the stress of trying to get anywhere in the park. I remember even the 2nd parade was packed with people 3 or 4 deep.

 

[jpolak]

Hmm, just when I thought I was convinced we were going I have to read this thread. We were planning on going 12/6 which is a Sunday, but is also a discount night. Any thoughts?

 

[mom2rtk]

Eh... I'm not really a parade person. They're nice if we're passing by at that time we'll stop and watch for a few minutes...but not my thing really. Although I completely get why others feel differently. So, I'm not really interested in seeing a special parade (as wonderful as I'm sure it is!) for $200. Nor do I want to pay it for the rides (which I can do during non-mvmcp hours.) So... I sort of feel like I'd be paying $200 for snow on main street and cookies & cocoa. If money were no object...I'd feel differently.... but like I said, parades and shows are less our thing.

Now...having seen the lighting of the Ice Castle a few times in the past... I'd ABSOLUTELY pay for that again! So glad I won't have to now

To be honest, if you're not a parade person, it really does lose a lot of the value. They do the castle lighting during regular park hours, and they are on every evening, party or not. The party only really offers:

1) special parade
2) special shows (Twas the night and castle stage show)
3) special character m & g's
4) cookies and hot chocolate

If you take off the top 2, the decision to go gets much harder..... For us it's a slam dunk, because those are some of our favorite parts of Disney!

 

[mom2rtk]

I also went on 12/9 last year (as a PP noted) it was unbelievably crowded. There is no way for me to convey the crowd in words that would let you know what it was like. My wife was miserable and my daughter could hardly get around. If you plan one event and make it to that you'll be lucky. People tend to get frustrated in situations like this so the rudeness level also goes up. If you still go, at least you'll know what to expect. My advice is to plan on riding on the TTA (if it is open by then) several times in a row. It will be a great relief from the stress of trying to get anywhere in the park. I remember even the 2nd parade was packed with people 3 or 4 deep.

There is just no way to know ahead of time which nights are going to be really busy. We were there on Tuesday 12/16 and Thursday 12/18. Tuesday was a sell out and very crowded. If you pick your favorite thing and stake it out early (around 6) you won't miss it. We staked out Twas the Night then and were 6th or 7th in line. After that we stayed in Fantasyland and Toontown and it wasn't bad at all. I heard Main Street was really busy. Fortunately for us Thursday night was a MUCH lighter crowd.

FYI to the above poster: They also told us that Tuesday the 9th had ALSO been a sellout.

 

[akayek31]

I was so excited to see that I was going to be there during a MVMCP but after reading this I am not. It doesn't seem worth it since the only thing we will miss Christmas week is the snow. I am glad I read this since I was on the phone waiting to speak to a CM at Disney to add the tickets.

 

[MissionMouse]

Our family have attended MVMCP multiple times with the last time being December 2007. Each time we have gone we have made it a Family Christmas Party where each child gets to pick out a Disney Christmas hat of their choice. The party becomes what we make of it. Take a break or two during the night taking in the hot chocolate and cookies. Rides line during our experiences were initially light at the beginning and after the first parade. Often the night temperature played a role in the crowds and another time a light and short rain spell made many guest exit the park. While another time is was more the kids batteries dying ..they fell a sleep.

We have been fortunate since each time the night was not a sell out. I would have concerns these days to the number of tickets Disney is selling. Their current trend is to max out most offerings, reduce what is offered-provided while charging more. No one wants to pay the prices their asking only to be stuck in a human log jam.

We always took the position to at least try it once.

I would think the closer you get to Christmas, the larger the crowds will be.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

To be honest, if you're not a parade person, it really does lose a lot of the value. They do the castle lighting during regular park hours, and they are on every evening, party or not. The party only really offers:

1) special parade
2) special shows (Twas the night and castle stage show)
3) special character m & g's


What special character m&g's did you encounter? Thank you.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

Well, we are taking the plunge this year. We have never been at WDW at the right time of year to take advantage of MNSSHP or MVMCP, and for the first time, we are!

I hemmed and hawed on the cost (2 A and 2C in my eyes, but Disney thinks my 10 yo is an adult! ). We are using the military salute tickets so we have 5 days in the parks, but 6 days to play. I finally decided to go ahead and add the party and that will be our 6th "park day." Even though we have not been before, I am enough of a Disney freak that I want to try it once. We are going in Nov (the 19th to be exact!), and I am hoping that it will be fun!

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Maybe it would help to know what day of the week and date people were there on? I'm sure some nights were more crowded than others. I noticed several people mentioned Dec 9 being very crowded. Was it possibly a passholder/dvc discount day? That could have brought in more crowds.

If any of you would mention the day of the week, the date, and whether or not it was crowded, I would appreciate it. Also, if you know if it was sold out or not.

Thanks.

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe it would help to know what day of the week and date people were there on? I'm sure some nights were more crowded than others. I noticed several people mentioned Dec 9 being very crowded. Was it possibly a passholder/dvc discount day? That could have brought in more crowds.

If any of you would mention the day of the week, the date, and whether or not it was crowded, I would appreciate it. Also, if you know if it was sold out or not.

Thanks.

I already mentioned that we were there last year Tuesday 12/16 and it was a sell out. We were also there Thurs 12/18 and it as not nearly as busy. That was the second to the last parth, the final one was the next night the 19th.

Hope that helps!

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

I thought of another question. We were going to buy tickets to the party ahead of time to save money. It would save us about $30. I noticed some people said it's nonrefundable if the weather is bad. We were thinking of waiting until we get there to see how the weather is. It kind of goes against my whole plan it all out strategies, but whatever... Even if I wait until the day before, would I get the discount? Also, would they be able to tell you if a certain date was almost sold out or not so you could pick a date that would be less crowded?