Mickey's Christmas party worth it?

[PrincessAnnabell]

Is it worth almost $400 for our family of 7 to attend the Very merry Christmas party in Nov.?

 

[100AcreWood]

If you do a search you will find long threads with people arguing over the value of the parties. What are the ages of your kids? That would be a big factor to me. We only went to the Christmas party once and our 3 year old dd (at the time she was 3) stayed awake until 11pm. We couldn't believe it. Same kid, a year later and she couldn't make it to 9pm at the Halloween party. We ultimately decided after taking all three of our kids to the Halloween party two years ago that it was not worth the extra money. They don't have the stamina to enjoy a party that doesn't start until 7pm.

IMO, the Christmas party is better than the Halloween party. I would understand anyone wanting to check it out at least once but I think the parties are getting oversold and that takes away from the experience. Good luck with your decision!

 

[DCbride]

DH and I love Disney. We went to MNSSHP last year and had a great time with our then 3yo. I had never been to MVMCP and was thrilled that during our Nov trip this year we would have a chance to see it. I think the $150 we spent was worth it- crossed it off my to do list.

BUT, $400 is a lot of money! My in laws paid for themselves and they honestly didn't get much more out of the party than a normal day in the park. (And I am pretty sure my 4yo didn't either) If you do not go to WDW a lot I think your family would have just as good of a time doing the many things that your regular ticket would get your family.

How old are your kids?

 

[nilseks]

Our family of 4 enjoyed it last month, but I would not do it again. It was nice but I really didn't feel it was much better than a 'regular' night at Disney, due to the fact that the added perks weren't so special. My kids LOVE hot cocoa and cookies. I thought, oh this will be great, cookies and hot cocoa galore, free all night! My kids took one sip of the cocoa and hated it (it definitely tasted bad), and they hated the cookies as well. I can't remember ever seeing my kids turn their nose up at a cookie before! As for the parade, I think the promise of this 'special parade' brings out the worst in people. We staked out a very nice spot and waited patiently for the parade. People had absolutely NO problem coming and standing right in front of our kids, 2 and 3 deep. Honestly, I was appalled.

I am only pointing out the low points of the night. All in all it was nice, but I don't feel it was worth the additional $$$.

 

[mousetravel]

We did the MVMCP last month for our first time. I would not do it again. The day after the last MVMCP day, you can still see the parade, which for me, was the best thing about the party. Getting a spot for the parade, for us, was terrible. We sat in a spot for an hour, before being told we could not wait there. By then, there was no way we even seen a spot to be able to see the parade from. The only character in the holiday outfits that we had time for, was Mickey & Minnie. It was way too crowded. We usually go at Spring Break time, and the MVMCP was the worse crowd I have ever seen.

You can get pics with characters in their holiday outfits at times other than at the party.

Hint: If you can, plan a day to tour the resorts during "Holiday Fun" time, which was 4:30pm to 8:30pm when we went. Most or all of the deluxe resorts have characters in their holiday outfits and photopass photographers to take pictures in the lobby.

I am currently doing a TR of our trip, with more details and lots of pics.

 

[Neesy228]

I agree with the others who said that it's nice to do once, but I probably wouldn't do it again. I've been to both MNSSHP and MVMCP and while they're both cool, I found them to be too crowded and a little disappointing overall...The parades (IMHO) are the best parts of the evenings - Disney magic at it's finest between the headless horsemen and the toy soldiers.

If the perks were better and/or crowds were lighter, then I would definitely do it again, but as it stands now, once was enough for me.

 

[Marionnette]

I've MVMCP twice. The first time (2001) it was awesome! The price that year was $31.80 (adult) and $21.20 (child). We didn't even do the cookies and hot chocolate or the free photo. We just took in the holiday shows, rode the rides with no waits and enjoyed the parade. At the time, I felt that the money was well spent.

The second time (2009) it was just so-so. The parade only ran once due to rain. It seemed as if there were fewer characters in costume for photos. The crowds were thick in spite of the weather. I paid $52.00 (adult) and $46.00 (child) for the advance purchase price. I didn't think it was worth it.

The price in 2011 was $53.95 (adult) and $47.95 (child) for the advance purchase. We were not in Disney during the parties but if we had been there, I would not have purchased the tickets.

I have no idea what they will cost this year. We will be in Disney in early December. I have no plans to spend that kind of money on a few hours in the MK, special parade or not.

 

[pyrxtc]

Is it worth almost $400 for our family of 7 to attend the Very merry Christmas party in Nov.?

I think it was totally worth it and I would do it again and again.

 

[dhardawa]

I looked at what I got for the money.

1. Characters in Christmas attire - I can get this anywhere around the holidays

2. A Christmas parade - There are parades in every park every day with the characters in Christmas attire

3. Fake snow - I can see the fake snow for free at Hollywood Studios

4. Cookies and hot chocolate - That is some really expensive hot chocolate and cookies.

5. Rides with, technically, lower crowds - Lets face it, if you're there anytime other than Christmas week, the crowds are already low so you really don't gain a thing.

So, the way I see it, I was just paying a fortune for things I was already getting. We skipped it and used the money for other things.

 

[madelyn]

We have been to the Christmas party 3 times. Once w/out kids and twice with kids. Always had a great time! BUT we have always gone on a day that we haven't used a ticket to get into another park. We have always been able to enter the Magic Kingdom with our party ticket at 4pm. It might be a day we arrive so wouldn't have been able to go to another park anyway, or plan something else for the earlier part of the day. That sorta justifies the cost for me. My last trip in 2010, we could have gone to a Christmas party but since we were in other parks earlier in the day, we were tired and wanted to avoid the extra expense.

 

[Marionnette]

I looked at what I got for the money.

1. Characters in Christmas attire - I can get this anywhere around the holidays
While this is true for the holiday weeks, it isn't true for November and early December.

2. A Christmas parade - There are parades in every park every day with the characters in Christmas attire
This parade is different than the parade that runs at 3:00 in the MK. It is long and so much more elaborate. But not worth the cost of admission, IMO.

3. Fake snow - I can see the fake snow for free at Hollywood Studios
Only when the weather cooperates. If it rains, there is no snow. It makes the pixie dust melt.

4. Cookies and hot chocolate - That is some really expensive hot chocolate and cookies.
And they are not even good hot chocolate and cookies from what has been reported. We never tried them because the lines were so long. You cannot get them just anywhere in the park. There are select locations.

5. Rides with, technically, lower crowds - Lets face it, if you're there anytime other than Christmas week, the crowds are already low so you really don't gain a thing.
The MVMCP crowd in 2009 was much more dense than any crowd that I had seen in any of the parks all week. So much for limiting the number of tickets!

 

[North of Mouse]

Is it worth almost $400 for our family of 7 to attend the Very merry Christmas party in Nov.?

A big no! That's one more expensive cup of chocolate and cookie . It seems like there is very little extra that you get with that than what anyone can enjoy with a regular ticket

 

[powelweb]

We have been to the Christmas party 3 times. Once w/out kids and twice with kids. Always had a great time! BUT we have always gone on a day that we haven't used a ticket to get into another park. We have always been able to enter the Magic Kingdom with our party ticket at 4pm. It might be a day we arrive so wouldn't have been able to go to another park anyway, or plan something else for the earlier part of the day. That sorta justifies the cost for me. My last trip in 2010, we could have gone to a Christmas party but since we were in other parks earlier in the day, we were tired and wanted to avoid the extra expense.

This is exactly how we do it, too.

We do a character breakfast at the hotel late and low key afternoon, maybe with a nap, and then use the MVMCP ticket to get into MK at 4pm.

We really enjoy the park when most folks line up for the early parade and we focus on a few rides like Thunder Mountain and then we go see the later parade.

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

We went to MNSSHP almost 9 years ago and then MVMCP this past December. I liked both of them and I'm glad we were able to go to them.

I'm not sure if we would either of them again.

We got a great deal on the MVMCP tickets, almost $100 off due to the military discount. We also went on a down day halfway through our trip. We slept in, toured other resorts and then came back to the room and the kids found Santa hats and mvmcp tickets waiting for them on their pillows. The other thing I really loved was getting the photo with all of the 7 dwarfs. Dh was nice enough to wait in line while I took the kids on rides and we ended up being the 5th family to see them and then we spent the rest of the night having a blast. I think I just talked myself into doing it again

 

[AnjieNet]

For us, the MVMCP was worth it if only to see the Princes with the Princesses. In 2008 our DD, 5 at the time, was totally enamored with "the boys" and talked repeatedly about meeting them ever since. She was disappointed when we went to DLR in 2009 that "the boys" weren't there to see her but got happy really quickly when Naveen showed up with Tiana. We plan on heading to the MNSSHP this year just to see Flynn.

DD also really enjoyed the dance parties and the Christmas themed shows. They had Belle's Christmas storytime that year and she loved it. I'd say, take a look at the line-up when the dates get closer and see if it's worth it for your family and what you want to get out of the experience.

 

[tinkmom2]

I think the MVMCP is my favorite Disney parade! The castle looks amazing and they have a special castle show. I would do it again if I could. It was $250.00 total for the 4 of us. My Dh gets a discount for tickets through his work but we didn't know that until I purchased them.

We just used the MVMCP ticket as a park day entering at 4. We were sometimes the only ones on the rides. The lines weren't as bad for character meets also. I preferred the Christmas party over the Halloween party.
Here's video from my favorite parade in 2009. PS the party parade isn't the same parade you see on tv. But to each his or her own. For us it was totally worth it. Since we like to do different things I think our next big trip is going to be Star Wars Weekend or Aulani.

http://youtu.be/GOc9PEc_nkM

 

[DizneyDogs]

I went once but it really wasn't worth it and I can watch the Christmas parade on tv for free. For $400 I would rather get a nice souvenir or have a nice dinner.

After being to Tokyo where the Holiday events aren't an extra charge but rather free with your admission, it just put a bad taste in my mouth how much WDW charges extra for their sub-par events that are the exact same year after year. Tokyo builds new parade floats, characters get new costumes each year and there is tons of new merchandise for each event but then it's not Disney running the show there either and their budget is so much bigger than WDW.

Anyway my vote is save your money!

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

We've done both and we preferred the Halloween Party over Christmas. I felt that the cost of the party wasn't that much more than a normal park day. We hung out all day at the resort doing all those things we never seem to have time for (bikes, community room, pool, etc.) Then we were entered the park at 4:00 with our event ticket. Kids had a blast. It was fun to see all the characters in Halloween costumes. We haven't gone in a few years so things may have changed.