Is Mickey's Christmas Party worth the money?

[omegak]

I would think it may be worth it for a one time thing just to experience it.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

thanks for that video. It gave us a good idea of what it would be like. We are probaby gonna skip it. It seems like we can get a similar xmas experience just normally at the parks. I'm sure they have xmas parades etc.. normally at the parks right?

They only have the Christmas parade in the parks right at Christmas. I don't have the exact dates, but I'm sure someone else knows. It's only for a week or 2 at most. Basically it's when they stop having the party because the crowds are so high right at Christmas.

 

[monique5]

If you didn't enjoy MNSSHP, you probably will not enjoy MVMCP. After the last party, the parade is in the park the next day for all guests to enjoy. However, I've seen numerous posts stating that they are different. MNSSHP of course has the candy stations and new party within parties.

I thoroughly enjoyed MVMCP 2014. We where there for 10D & still did the party. I felt that Christmas parade was too crowded during regular park hours, as attendance had increased closer to Christmas. Saw both parades during MVMCP and did the Wishes Dessert party during MVMCP.

I think attending parties/cost of party value is completely subjective. Also, I believe your experience is what you plan for and knowing there may be bumps in the road. I went with 7 things I wanted to do during the party and any thing extra was a plus; I had a list of my extras. Numerous posts stated the last party would be the most crowded and not worth it since parade would be in parks later. I did not base the party on the parade. I wanted to meet 7D, Sandy Claws, Princesses with their Princes, Santa Goofy, & Minnie in Peppermint Dress - WE DID. I wanted to see the parade @ night (in front of Casey's Corner), see the fire works, see the Castle Show (we were very close to castle stage) - WE DID. We also meet some other characters, took photos with PhotoPass photographers, and rode a few rides. We did not do the dance parties. We reserved the 3FP+ b/t 4-7pm. WE had dinner at CRT @ 2:30pm. Snack @ Casey's prior to parade. We enjoyed the treats at a few locations.

If it's in your budget, I would attend at least once, IMO.

 

[Baptist]

I agree with other posters. It's not really worth the money. But, you should probably try it once to see for yourself. I have been on both a sold out day and not sold out. They were both crowded. Even with everyone in character lines, 7DMT was a 60 minute wait.

 

[larryz]

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We have only done parties when we were only going to be there for a short stay and the party was the only admission we were paying for (no other park-visiting on those trips). Since we do not have annual passes, the price of the party would be comparable to buying a regular days' admission. For example, last year before our cruise, we spent 2 nights and just went to MNSSHP the second night (didn't go to a park other than for that). We enjoyed the parties, but to add on the cost of the party to the cost of tickets, I would say not worth it.

 

[100acreHiker]

We didn't get enough out of it. Parade was great, but my kids got tired before the fireworks even started, it rained for an hour, the cocoa and cookies were awful, etc. We are not meet and greet or special holiday merchandise people. I don't regret it, we had fun, but I wouldn't spend the money on it again.

I will add that it wasn't terribly crowded, as some people worried it would be (first week in December). I didn't like that most the food options shut down.

 

[Seeker615]

We did the party in early November. we were at Universal for a few days and I wanted a Disney fix so we did the party.
When we first arrived around 4:30 it was nightmare. Wall to wall people. I felt like a salmon trying to swim again the current. I thought we would never get through Main Street. Lines were horrendous and we could not get on anything. We finally ducked into Pinocchio's to get away from the crowd.

After we ate we went and rode the Haunted Mansion and then a few rides in Fantasy-land. It was closer to 7pm and things were getting easier to manage.

We rode pretty much everything we wanted to once the actual party started and had a good spot for the fireworks and second parade. We did no character meet and greets. We tried one and were told they were going on break. Rest of the lines were way too long.

So if you only have one day it is worth it to ride the rides fairly easy and see a real good parade and fireworks.

 

[chelynnah]

We're in the minority, but we loved it so much we bought another party night as well. We were there on the first party this past November, then again 10 days later. It was just me and DH. Maybe if we had to shell out for kids as well we might think twice, but I just loved how Christmassy and magical it was.

We didn't even try to watch the parade on Main Street or hub. Best viewing was adventureland. The fireworks and castle display were easily watched from the FP areas (without FP needed). It was busy, but not crowded. Overall best fireworks viewing was on the train station. DH got some awesome photos.

I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I've not been to mnnshp but I understand there are more activities there. So if you weren't keen on that probably skip the Christmas one.

 

[staceyrhood]

Is this the only way to see the Christmas parade and fireworks?

They run the Christmas parade the whole week of Christmas during park hours.

 

[LadyRayado]

When I first booked our trip, I thought, "Of course we're going to go, its the Christmas party!" but the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to skip it. We went in 2014 and have been to three MNSSHPs with increasing disappointment. The MVMCP we went to was very crowded and cold, the cookies and hot chocolate were not good or worth the effort to get, and my son crashed halfway through the first parade (barely 2 at the time). He'll be almost four this year, but I'm not sure its worth the cost of the ticket for the parade, fireworks, and stage show (as we're not into meeting the special characters). I think I'm more inclined to spend the money on dinner or the Pirates and Pals cruise instead.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Well... it's hard to explain for me personally. We had some really great moments watching the fireworks and the parade in a very very very awfully very packed hub area. It was difficult to feel the magic and to not want to be snarky to the people showing up late and landing on your kids etc. I really had to work at keeping focused and not being grumpy. That's not the norm for me at Disney. This was probably due to the fact that we got in line for Sandy Claws at 5pm (two hours prior to party time) and even though he came out at 5, we waited two hours to meet him, which cut out the ability to get in line for the Dwarfs..which was my plan and yeah...all the plan...all out the window. We literally fit in one cookie and cocoa stop. We had to split up at one point to make sure that our daughter was able to meet certain characters and still get the special Sotmk card. Basically, if you want to meet characters and ride rides and see the parade and fireworks and special shows...it's not gonna happen. We didn't see one party specific show, or dance party. We did get to meet the roaming Country Bears, which was a highlight. The lines for characters overall was just tremendous though. If we had gotten in line for the Dwarfs after Sandy...we wouldn't have done many of the other greets/parade/etc. We also didn't make it on any rides. It was just a very hectic experience, though there were many good moments. (The snow and lights on Main Street were gorgeous.) I'm glad we did it because we don't normally go at that time of year and because now we know what to expect. I also think part of the stress is that the tickets cost so darn much and you plan for months and then ahhhhh.
(Seasoned Disney planner here and this party got me good.)

 

[tsme]

We use to think the parties were worth it, but not any more. The last two parties we went to were so crowded, it wasn't any fun. Actually, the last one we went to was in Dec. 2015 & by 8-8:30 we had enough & left. We won't be attending another party unless we read things have changed for the better.

 

[Arielismyfave]

i would recommend experiencing it at least once. We loved being able to get in at 4pm w 3 FP+, then meeting the exclusive characters like 7 dwarves.

It rained buckets our party day so we didn't get to enjoy the lower crowds for rides or fireworks.

Although a relative dismissed the party saying that the only perk in their mind was free cookies and cocoa and the price isn't justified, so it truly is to each their own...

We plan to do MNSSHP at least once, too.

 

[5Hfan]

While you can see the Christmas parade during the day Christmas week, I really enjoyed it much more at night time during the party. But to truly get all the experiences from the party, I think it takes 2 parties, which really makes cost an issue. We've always used party tickets as our only park entry for the day though, so there is some better value there. But our party experiences from 2010 to 2014 and then 2015, I'd say if you are on the fence, no not worth it anymore IMO.

 

[chocolateavocado]

We went back and forth trying to decide if we should get MVMCP tickets for our trip this past year - we went Thanksgiving week 2015. We did end up getting tickets and we're sooooo happy we did! For us, it ended up being one of the top highlights of the trip. Lines for rides were very short/some walk on, the parade was fabulous- just the whole atmosphere was just wonderful and made for a very special night and a great way to kick off the holiday season.

 

[jpeden]

Personally, I liked the Christmas Party better than the Halloween Party. My wife was the opposite. I thought MVMCP was worth it since we can't go when they do the Christmas stuff during normal hours.

 

[Mabel67]

They run the Christmas parade the whole week of Christmas during park hours.

Thank you for the info....we would be looking at going after Thanksgiving, so I guess we would need to to to party to see these.

 

[lustergirl]

I think you should experience it at least once. We have been to the halloween and xmas party.

 

[Lothlórien]

So we've been to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and we thought it wasnt exactly worth the money. So do you think the Christmas Party is worth paying for? We will be there during Christmastime for the first time and are considering attending this.

That is subjective.

In year's past I think it certainly was. The price goes up each year and they cut back on offerings. They also sell more and more tickets each year, so although the crowds are not quite as heavy as a standard park day, they are not as light as they once were. Ultimately, you are paying for a special Christmas version of Wishes, a different parade and some cookies and cocoa that are not really any good.

Having said that, if you pay $75 for a party ticket and you have never been to MVMCP, you might feel it was worth it. For those of us who have been many times, we can see the increases in prices, decreases in offerings, etc.