Official 2021 Disney Very Merriest After Hours Thread
- Thread starter monique5
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- #christmas
EPCOT-O.G.
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2019
We took a boat back to GF after the event, boarding around 1:30 am
PrincessJasmine88
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2020
Follow up, I called ticket services and explained that i had to postpone my trip due to pulling a muscle, which is true. They gave me a refund as an exception.
We attended on Fri 12/3. Arrived from DHS around 7:45. Getting in was a breeze. We were STARVING having had a busy afternoon/early evening at DHS. I set up a mobile order for Casey's on the bus and then clicked the "we're here" upon arrival at MK. It still took forever and they told me to wait INSIDE Casey's while the 8pm fireworks were going off. Eventually I asked if they could just cancel and they did. So just a word of warning if you choose that terrible time (day guests overlap with AH) to submit the order. We should have eaten before we arrived, definitely our mistake. Dinner became : cookies, popcorn, ice cream sandwich.
But we rode literally everything except a few small Fantasyland rides with no waits. For some reason they had Jungle Cruise listed as 45 mins when we went (first ride) and we literally walked ONTO the boat. Same with SDMT, listed at 40 mins, basically a walk on.
We rode AstroOrbiter during the 11pm fireworks which was cool. We headed towards the exit during the fireworks because we'd started our day at home around 5am, traveled, spent 4 hours at DHS and were ... tired. Long wait for our bus (to POP) but we just missed the prior.
We're so hoping they'll have an AH event when we return with our grown kids/SOs in Feb. They are expensive but you get stuff done!
But we rode literally everything except a few small Fantasyland rides with no waits. For some reason they had Jungle Cruise listed as 45 mins when we went (first ride) and we literally walked ONTO the boat. Same with SDMT, listed at 40 mins, basically a walk on.
We rode AstroOrbiter during the 11pm fireworks which was cool. We headed towards the exit during the fireworks because we'd started our day at home around 5am, traveled, spent 4 hours at DHS and were ... tired. Long wait for our bus (to POP) but we just missed the prior.
We're so hoping they'll have an AH event when we return with our grown kids/SOs in Feb. They are expensive but you get stuff done!
Last edited:
winnieofpooh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 30, 2018
How early do you need to get a spot for the parades and fireworks? We don’t need front row for parade, but a nice view would be nice. Is it something you can set up for like 10 minutes in advance? Or do you need to set aside a huge chunk of time.
Peach026
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2020
Thank you!!
We finally made it to the party last night 12/5.
First off - I watched an entire live stream of the first party (and one other) to get an idea of how packed things would be for the shows/parade and when I would need to be where to get a good spot. Unfortunately, this party was way more crowded than that one (for the entertainment at least).
We were there with a 2 year old so our main goals were:
-Dance party
-stage show
-parade
-fireworks
Getting into the park was kind of a nightmare at 8 but that's to be expected with people leaving/fireworks. They did have the pathway behind main street to tomorrow land opened up which helped some.
Dance party starting at 9 was great, daughter was in awe of stitch and it wasn't too busy. Made our way over for the stage show at 9:10 and it was pretty crowded. Was hoping to get close to the stage but it was just too crazy so we just found a spot. After the show ended (940) we made our way to main street where from past live streams there were spots to sit on the curb still available at this time - unfortunately this night that was not the case. We ended up going to the very front of main street and found a sliver of space between families where my daughter could sit (WIN!) since she doesn't really want to be held (toddler)- wants to sit and see herself.
Parade was AMAZING. Watching it on main street with the snow coming down was just beautiful. This was my highlight. After parade main street really cleared out. We stayed and shopped, took photopass pictures, and sat down to wait for the fireworks. Toddler was very happy with the space to dance around to the music in the snow - I think this was her favorite part.
Fireworks were great. After this we headed out, I'd guess it was around 1140? We were in our car by 1220. Took a lot longer because no trams and we were parked WAY out.
In summary, we had a good time, but for me it felt as crowded as a regular Christmas party, and we paid a LOT more than we did for prior Christmas parties. . I probably would not pay this much $$ again for the after hours because our goal was low crowds for the entertainment. If it had just been my husband and I riding rides and snacking, I may have had a different opinion.
First off - I watched an entire live stream of the first party (and one other) to get an idea of how packed things would be for the shows/parade and when I would need to be where to get a good spot. Unfortunately, this party was way more crowded than that one (for the entertainment at least).
We were there with a 2 year old so our main goals were:
-Dance party
-stage show
-parade
-fireworks
Getting into the park was kind of a nightmare at 8 but that's to be expected with people leaving/fireworks. They did have the pathway behind main street to tomorrow land opened up which helped some.
Dance party starting at 9 was great, daughter was in awe of stitch and it wasn't too busy. Made our way over for the stage show at 9:10 and it was pretty crowded. Was hoping to get close to the stage but it was just too crazy so we just found a spot. After the show ended (940) we made our way to main street where from past live streams there were spots to sit on the curb still available at this time - unfortunately this night that was not the case. We ended up going to the very front of main street and found a sliver of space between families where my daughter could sit (WIN!) since she doesn't really want to be held (toddler)- wants to sit and see herself.
Parade was AMAZING. Watching it on main street with the snow coming down was just beautiful. This was my highlight. After parade main street really cleared out. We stayed and shopped, took photopass pictures, and sat down to wait for the fireworks. Toddler was very happy with the space to dance around to the music in the snow - I think this was her favorite part.
Fireworks were great. After this we headed out, I'd guess it was around 1140? We were in our car by 1220. Took a lot longer because no trams and we were parked WAY out.
In summary, we had a good time, but for me it felt as crowded as a regular Christmas party, and we paid a LOT more than we did for prior Christmas parties. . I probably would not pay this much $$ again for the after hours because our goal was low crowds for the entertainment. If it had just been my husband and I riding rides and snacking, I may have had a different opinion.
Grasshopper2016
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2016
We’re not interested in parades, but it would be cool to see the “snow”. Is it only on Main Street, and only during the parades? Any recommendations for a family that would like to get a look at it for a minute of two but otherwise is at the party only for the rides and the fireworks?
BrotherCraig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2021
Seeing the snow during the parade on Main Street would have been awesome. There were no parades while we were there on 11/19 due to the rain so no snow. I believe it is only on Main Street when the weather is good.
it is so pretty!
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BrotherCraig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2021
Wow. That looks great. We have been twice (Dec 2016 and Nov 2021) and have not experienced that. Maybe when we go back in 5 year they will have it.
Went to the party on 12/5, my experiences/observations:
-Arrived via the monorail at 6:55 PM from Grand Floridian, and it was absolute insanity. They were corralling everyone to the entrance, but from the exit of the monorail we pretty much had to walk all the way down to the other side of the entrance of the park almost as if we were coming from the walkway of Contemporary, or the busses. So that was slightly annoying.
-Even despite the MASSIVE crowds entering, we got lucky and picked a line (stay to the left!!) and got through in a very short time.
-Note to self, people will stop immediately after tapping in at a CM giving bands. But what they don't know is that there are so many CMs giving bands a few steps past. It should be a PSA to not stop DIRECTLY after tapping in, it just clogs the area more and you can easily walk 5 steps forward and find 18 other CM's with bands and no one to give them to.
-We were actually a little sad because a CM directed us to use the pathway around Main Street USA to head towards tomorrowland instead of being able to walk down to the castle. I know it was to diffuse the crowds since a lot were exiting or waiting for the fireworks.
If you don't want to read my play by play of the night below, here are some thoughts:
-It did feel crowded. Some areas of the park were absolutely dead and we were loving life. Others were a mad house and felt like a normal day
-I simply didn't think there was enough time, we missed a lot while of attractions while also missing like all the entertainment.
-I don't know why i thought there would be another performance of Enchantment, it was simply way too crowded to be competing with normal guests and the 'early entry' of party guests to watch the fireworks before the park closed. We were disappointed that the fireworks show we did see a brief moment of was a christmas one, that was just okay. This was our own fault for not devoting the time to watch the fireworks before park closed.
-The wait times for attractions was great, even at the beginning while they were clearing out regular guests i thought waits would still be relatively high
-Do i think it was worth the high price tag? It's tough to say. I felt very rushed. I have such fond memories of MVMCP, and don't worry i know they would be different, but it was kind of a blur of a night honestly. The sold out party definitely felt crowded.
Read below for my play by play:
Our night as i recall:
-at 7 PM, Went right to Buzz. Posted 35, took less than 10
-Headed to Space. Posted 35, took about 20. We walked all the way to the top but they seemed to only have one side open, the other side was still running LL
-Tried to make our way back to Main Street for the fireworks but it was just a nightmare, so we posted up in Tomorrowland to watch the fireworks and listen to the show, couldn't see the projections on the castle obviously but we were happy to be out of the way
-I really wanted to go on Peoplemover but it shut down as we were getting in line.
-SMDT was posted 35 and was definitely less. I would say 15-20
-Winnie the Pooh was posted 25 and was about 10
-Stopped and got popcorn/soda/ice cream and that wait was massive. Especially because the CM hands you what you want, you can't go up and grab it which definitely makes it go slow
-Also stopped for cookies and cocoa which had no wait
-We wanted to keep going in order and hit PP, but that wait still showed 50 so we headed to Mansion which was a walk on
-By the time we got off the parade was heading down our way and we stopped to watch some of the floats--looked really cute!
-Before the parade could finish we made the (wise) choice of going to Splash and Thunder. Splash we were practically the only people in the queue (or group of 12, which was very funny). and Thunder posted a 30 minute wait but it 100% wasn't. It was less than 10.
-Another soda/popcorn/ice cream break
-I got out ruled and wanted to continue onto Pirates but most of our group really wanted to hit Jingle Cruise since the wait was posted long all night. It ended up being basically a walk on which was great, even though it was posted a higher number. I will say that we definitely beat some sort of push of crowd because when we were loading on our boat we saw the queue get a little backed up.
-Backtracked to Pirates which was a walk on, again we were the only people in the queue and i think it was posted a 10 minute wait all night
-This was around 11:30 I believe (i could probably verify because it was right after one of christmas minnie fireworks) and we didn't really know what we wanted to do. We walked back to the hub and it was extremely chaotic. People were posted up everywhere and i was getting very anxious
-Went back around to PP which was posted 25 or 30 and was less than 10
-Our group decided to split up at this point as it was just after midnight. I went to Main Street, others did Philharmagic, or rerode space
-We exited the park, caught the ferry and were back at our Universal hotel around 12:45!
-Arrived via the monorail at 6:55 PM from Grand Floridian, and it was absolute insanity. They were corralling everyone to the entrance, but from the exit of the monorail we pretty much had to walk all the way down to the other side of the entrance of the park almost as if we were coming from the walkway of Contemporary, or the busses. So that was slightly annoying.
-Even despite the MASSIVE crowds entering, we got lucky and picked a line (stay to the left!!) and got through in a very short time.
-Note to self, people will stop immediately after tapping in at a CM giving bands. But what they don't know is that there are so many CMs giving bands a few steps past. It should be a PSA to not stop DIRECTLY after tapping in, it just clogs the area more and you can easily walk 5 steps forward and find 18 other CM's with bands and no one to give them to.
-We were actually a little sad because a CM directed us to use the pathway around Main Street USA to head towards tomorrowland instead of being able to walk down to the castle. I know it was to diffuse the crowds since a lot were exiting or waiting for the fireworks.
If you don't want to read my play by play of the night below, here are some thoughts:
-It did feel crowded. Some areas of the park were absolutely dead and we were loving life. Others were a mad house and felt like a normal day
-I simply didn't think there was enough time, we missed a lot while of attractions while also missing like all the entertainment.
-I don't know why i thought there would be another performance of Enchantment, it was simply way too crowded to be competing with normal guests and the 'early entry' of party guests to watch the fireworks before the park closed. We were disappointed that the fireworks show we did see a brief moment of was a christmas one, that was just okay. This was our own fault for not devoting the time to watch the fireworks before park closed.
-The wait times for attractions was great, even at the beginning while they were clearing out regular guests i thought waits would still be relatively high
-Do i think it was worth the high price tag? It's tough to say. I felt very rushed. I have such fond memories of MVMCP, and don't worry i know they would be different, but it was kind of a blur of a night honestly. The sold out party definitely felt crowded.
Read below for my play by play:
Our night as i recall:
-at 7 PM, Went right to Buzz. Posted 35, took less than 10
-Headed to Space. Posted 35, took about 20. We walked all the way to the top but they seemed to only have one side open, the other side was still running LL
-Tried to make our way back to Main Street for the fireworks but it was just a nightmare, so we posted up in Tomorrowland to watch the fireworks and listen to the show, couldn't see the projections on the castle obviously but we were happy to be out of the way
-I really wanted to go on Peoplemover but it shut down as we were getting in line.
-SMDT was posted 35 and was definitely less. I would say 15-20
-Winnie the Pooh was posted 25 and was about 10
-Stopped and got popcorn/soda/ice cream and that wait was massive. Especially because the CM hands you what you want, you can't go up and grab it which definitely makes it go slow
-Also stopped for cookies and cocoa which had no wait
-We wanted to keep going in order and hit PP, but that wait still showed 50 so we headed to Mansion which was a walk on
-By the time we got off the parade was heading down our way and we stopped to watch some of the floats--looked really cute!
-Before the parade could finish we made the (wise) choice of going to Splash and Thunder. Splash we were practically the only people in the queue (or group of 12, which was very funny). and Thunder posted a 30 minute wait but it 100% wasn't. It was less than 10.
-Another soda/popcorn/ice cream break
-I got out ruled and wanted to continue onto Pirates but most of our group really wanted to hit Jingle Cruise since the wait was posted long all night. It ended up being basically a walk on which was great, even though it was posted a higher number. I will say that we definitely beat some sort of push of crowd because when we were loading on our boat we saw the queue get a little backed up.
-Backtracked to Pirates which was a walk on, again we were the only people in the queue and i think it was posted a 10 minute wait all night
-This was around 11:30 I believe (i could probably verify because it was right after one of christmas minnie fireworks) and we didn't really know what we wanted to do. We walked back to the hub and it was extremely chaotic. People were posted up everywhere and i was getting very anxious
-Went back around to PP which was posted 25 or 30 and was less than 10
-Our group decided to split up at this point as it was just after midnight. I went to Main Street, others did Philharmagic, or rerode space
-We exited the park, caught the ferry and were back at our Universal hotel around 12:45!
We attended the event on 12/2. We got there around 6:30. Because they opened up some new lines to wait, we were about 6th in line to get in. Once we got in, we skipped the first wave of CMs with wtistbands and went directly to a CM behind that had no line. After that, we saw Mickey with no wait. We had ordered dinner at Sleepy Hollow at 7:25, so we checked in at 7:20. I also picked up a couple spring rolls while we waited. After, dinner we headed over to Jingle Cruise and go there right at 8. The wait was listed as 35, actually waited 15. Next walked on at Pirates. After that, walked on at splash, thunder. Got sodas, popcorn, ice cream, cocoa, and cookies after thunder mountain with no wait. Next, walked on HM. Then, headed to SDMT and waited 15 minutes with a posted time of 40. Next, we walked on the tea cups. After that, headed to club tinsel where the kids dance while a I bought a Christmas cookie milkshake. We also got more sodas and popcorn with little wait. Cocoa and cookies had no wait. We then went to main street for fireworks, There was plenty of space, nobody within 10 feet of me. When the fireworks were over, we went to space mountain and walked on. After that, waited for about 5-10 minutes for the car ride. Once we got off that, went to main street for the second parade. We arrived about 5 minutes after the start time (still hadn't begun at main street yet) and we were able to get a pretty good spot to view the parade. After the parade we went back to SDMT and walked on.At that point it was pretty close to 1 so we stopped in at Cosmic Rays for one last round of cocoa and cookies. On our way out, we grabbed the Mickey marshmallows and headed toward the monorail. The monorail was a bit of a wait at that time.
All in all it was a very productive night. We did 12 attractions, ate dinner, saw the parade and fireworks. It never felt crowded anywhere. I think it was worth it considering during the day we would've paid $125 +15 for Genie+ + $17 for ILL selections. What we got was essentially Genie+ on steroids, a bunch of free food, parade, and fireworks. Plus we got to relax the whole day at the pool beforehand! I probably wouldn't do a day at MK AND the after hours though.
All in all it was a very productive night. We did 12 attractions, ate dinner, saw the parade and fireworks. It never felt crowded anywhere. I think it was worth it considering during the day we would've paid $125 +15 for Genie+ + $17 for ILL selections. What we got was essentially Genie+ on steroids, a bunch of free food, parade, and fireworks. Plus we got to relax the whole day at the pool beforehand! I probably wouldn't do a day at MK AND the after hours though.
Pens Fan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2014
We attended last night's party (12/07) and had a wonderful time. While the crowds definitely seemed heavier than the Boo Bash we attended in October it was still significantly less than a normal park day and very manageable.
We arrived at MK by way of the boat from WL around 6:20-6:25. We lined up and they started letting us in around 6:55. We had a 7:20 reservation for the Plaza and were standing outside it (by way of the bypass) by 7:05. As a side note - anyone looking for the Disneyland Monte Cristo at the Plaza will be disappointed. The one the Plaza is serving is nowhere near as good and actually gave me a stomach ache. Shortly after Enchantment, we headed out and rode several rides:
People Mover - 5 minutes
Mine Train - 15 minutes (posted 35)
Haunted Mansion - walked directly into the stretching room with zero wait
Pirates - walk on
Along the way we grabbed hot chocolates and snicker-doodles at Cosmic Rays and Pecos Bill, and saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Captain Hook, Smee, Tiger and Pooh. This may not seem like a lot of rides, but I severely injured my big toe a couple of days ago (I'll spare you the gory details) and was moving pretty slowly. We then made our way back to the hub to grab a spot in the DVC viewing area for the 11:15 fireworks show which was just delightful. Afterwards we moved closer to the castle to catch the 11:45 stage show (so much fun!). This set us up perfectly to grab a good spot right between the hub and the Plaza to watch the 12:05 parade. It was so magical to finally see a real parade again, though we did miss the things they have eliminated from the normal one. Afterwards, my husband and I were pretty tired so we hung out there while our son headed to Space Mountain. By the time he got back to us, it was 12:55 and we headed to the busses. In a great stroke of luck a WL bus was pulling up just as we arrived and we were back "home" by around 1:30.
All in all it was a great night. The weather was wonderful and the park was just beautiful and full of Christmas spirit. We had a great time and felt it was worth the money for us. We did not have a park ticket for this day, so for us this was our park ticket. I understand it's pricey and not for everyone - especially really large families for whom it would get really expensive, but we would do it again on a future Christmas trip for sure.
We arrived at MK by way of the boat from WL around 6:20-6:25. We lined up and they started letting us in around 6:55. We had a 7:20 reservation for the Plaza and were standing outside it (by way of the bypass) by 7:05. As a side note - anyone looking for the Disneyland Monte Cristo at the Plaza will be disappointed. The one the Plaza is serving is nowhere near as good and actually gave me a stomach ache. Shortly after Enchantment, we headed out and rode several rides:
People Mover - 5 minutes
Mine Train - 15 minutes (posted 35)
Haunted Mansion - walked directly into the stretching room with zero wait
Pirates - walk on
Along the way we grabbed hot chocolates and snicker-doodles at Cosmic Rays and Pecos Bill, and saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Captain Hook, Smee, Tiger and Pooh. This may not seem like a lot of rides, but I severely injured my big toe a couple of days ago (I'll spare you the gory details) and was moving pretty slowly. We then made our way back to the hub to grab a spot in the DVC viewing area for the 11:15 fireworks show which was just delightful. Afterwards we moved closer to the castle to catch the 11:45 stage show (so much fun!). This set us up perfectly to grab a good spot right between the hub and the Plaza to watch the 12:05 parade. It was so magical to finally see a real parade again, though we did miss the things they have eliminated from the normal one. Afterwards, my husband and I were pretty tired so we hung out there while our son headed to Space Mountain. By the time he got back to us, it was 12:55 and we headed to the busses. In a great stroke of luck a WL bus was pulling up just as we arrived and we were back "home" by around 1:30.
All in all it was a great night. The weather was wonderful and the park was just beautiful and full of Christmas spirit. We had a great time and felt it was worth the money for us. We did not have a park ticket for this day, so for us this was our park ticket. I understand it's pricey and not for everyone - especially really large families for whom it would get really expensive, but we would do it again on a future Christmas trip for sure.
princesswahooey
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2010
This is totally our plan, including Sleepy Hollow order
Glad to hear it worked out! Thanks for the report!
BrotherCraig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2021
Anyone every hear back from their customer service when there were issues with the Merriest After Hours? We got back on 11/26 and emailed them (as instructed by their customer service) and still have not heard back. I emailed them again on Monday.
mtrib
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2017
Heard on a recent podcast that emails have moved to the bottom of the priority chain due to the staff needed for the high number of calls. I think you are better off settling in for a four hour hold time and talking to someone.
BrotherCraig
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2021
Thanks for the info. I spent 3.5 hours on hold on Monday and got disconnected. lol That was painful. My job doesn't pay me to sit on the phone with another company. ha! This is one of the reasons we are going to hold off on anymore Disney trips for a few years. We were planning on going there for a few days before our cruise in early June but it is just too much of a headache for a vacation. We went to Universal and even called them - no issues. I miss the old days. - pre-Covid.
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