Here is a quick review of our evening. We had a wonderful time and found out this was the time to go as the party was not crowded at all.
We arrived at the TTC at 4PM, the will call windows were open and ready and we had our tickets in less than 60 seconds. Very efficient, the person knew exactly what to do.
Went ont the monrail, excitement building. Realized we should have took the ferry when the monorial stopped for a good 15 minutes just outside of the Contemporary resort and then crawled to the station. No explanation given. It was the first of many such delays.
So, it was't dark yet, the park was rather empty, let's go on some rides!
First one - Splash Mountain as the sun was still up and it was still somewhat mild. Early in ride, just after we sailed by the finale drop (on the lower part), the ride comes to a halt. 2 delays in a row! It took about 10 minutes, then we proceeded through the rest of the ride, until the end, when we met a back up of 10 cars due to the previous stop.
Cast members told us that Space Mountain was going to be open, so over there we rushed and, yes, sure enough, it was open, yeah! The line was short, but not moving. 10 minutes later, Space Mountain was closed for the day, test failed. 3 for 3 (although this was a soft opening, so I'll give them a break here).
Return to Adventure land for Big Thunder (Oh, btw, no fast passes during MVMCP, so all the FP were gone). After waiting 20 minutes, guess what, ride failure, don't know when they will re-open. 4 for 4.
Go over to the Haunted Mansion. Halfway through the ride, it stops for 10 minutes. 5 for 5. Don't they maintain any of these things?????
Oh yes, one final delay, when we stopped for cocoa and asked for sugar free (my DW is a diabetic), all you got was a packet and some hot water. It took them more than 10 minutes to figure out how to get the hot water. It was a bit annoying watching everyone march past us as we waited and waited. I did not ask about sugar fee cookies.
Later on, while riding the TTA, we also had an unexplained 10 minutes delay, not quite 6 in row, but yet another ride interuption. This was a bit cool, as this was long after Space Mountain had shut down, but all the lights were on, so we could see them testing it (no riders) in the light.
Thankfully, that was the last of the ride failures. At least for Disney, at Universal, we also encounted delays and failures on The Mummy and Popeye. On Popeye, we actually had to be evacuated after they drained the ride, that was fun. Oh yes, sitting soaking wet, waiting for someone to show up to tell us what to do, watching the water drain, wondering what the heck was going on, look for the whole story on the Universal board later this week.
Oh well, back to the party. By now, it was getting dark, but not quite 7 yet. At 6:30 the castle lit up, while we were on Dumbo. During the evening, we also enjoyed Mickey's Philharmagic, IASW, Pirates, TTA, and Buzz Lightyear's thingy and finally, a ride on Big Thunder around 11:45. So, as you can see, getting rides in during the party is not a problem. We rode everything we wanted.
We also saw the Christmas show at the castle. This was very enjoyable and full of holiday spirit. It features Michey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and the Chipmunks plus a cast of dancers and elves. We actully paused to watch it again on our way out. We watched the early time parade from the train station. The park was not crowded at all and there was space for everyone to see and enjoy the parade. Disney brought out all the stars and it is a can't miss event. I espcially liked the wooden soldiers marching in front of Santa, they are incredible.
After the parade, we walked down main street and listened to the barbershop quartet, they were very good. We also grabbed a couple of surprising good (if not expensive) hot dogs at Casey's. We never found the Pirate singers.
Then came Christmas Wishes. Well, Disney KNOWS fireworks and this show doesn't disappoint. We then went back on some rides and when we got off of IASM, the parade started again. This time, we watched it near the begining, at ground level. The crowds were very light and we just walked up to the rope and watched. Try and do that in December!
It was just as much fun the second time around.
So, I would say overall it was a 8 out of 10. Not cheap, but we had a good time. Glad we did it early in the season, I can imagine it being not so much fun with a larger crowd.
Oh yes, we skipped the Stich and Buzz show. While on the TTA, we saw a couple minutes of it and it was soooooooooo lame.
And, while I was getting cookies (I know, a bad example for the DW), the DJ in the restaurant by Tomorrowland and Fantasyland had everyone up and dancing. I think the Chipmunks were there too.
If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer them. I think I have included everything we did.
Dolby1000
We arrived at the TTC at 4PM, the will call windows were open and ready and we had our tickets in less than 60 seconds. Very efficient, the person knew exactly what to do.
Went ont the monrail, excitement building. Realized we should have took the ferry when the monorial stopped for a good 15 minutes just outside of the Contemporary resort and then crawled to the station. No explanation given. It was the first of many such delays.
So, it was't dark yet, the park was rather empty, let's go on some rides!
First one - Splash Mountain as the sun was still up and it was still somewhat mild. Early in ride, just after we sailed by the finale drop (on the lower part), the ride comes to a halt. 2 delays in a row! It took about 10 minutes, then we proceeded through the rest of the ride, until the end, when we met a back up of 10 cars due to the previous stop.
Cast members told us that Space Mountain was going to be open, so over there we rushed and, yes, sure enough, it was open, yeah! The line was short, but not moving. 10 minutes later, Space Mountain was closed for the day, test failed. 3 for 3 (although this was a soft opening, so I'll give them a break here).
Return to Adventure land for Big Thunder (Oh, btw, no fast passes during MVMCP, so all the FP were gone). After waiting 20 minutes, guess what, ride failure, don't know when they will re-open. 4 for 4.
Go over to the Haunted Mansion. Halfway through the ride, it stops for 10 minutes. 5 for 5. Don't they maintain any of these things?????
Oh yes, one final delay, when we stopped for cocoa and asked for sugar free (my DW is a diabetic), all you got was a packet and some hot water. It took them more than 10 minutes to figure out how to get the hot water. It was a bit annoying watching everyone march past us as we waited and waited. I did not ask about sugar fee cookies.
Later on, while riding the TTA, we also had an unexplained 10 minutes delay, not quite 6 in row, but yet another ride interuption. This was a bit cool, as this was long after Space Mountain had shut down, but all the lights were on, so we could see them testing it (no riders) in the light.
Thankfully, that was the last of the ride failures. At least for Disney, at Universal, we also encounted delays and failures on The Mummy and Popeye. On Popeye, we actually had to be evacuated after they drained the ride, that was fun. Oh yes, sitting soaking wet, waiting for someone to show up to tell us what to do, watching the water drain, wondering what the heck was going on, look for the whole story on the Universal board later this week.
Oh well, back to the party. By now, it was getting dark, but not quite 7 yet. At 6:30 the castle lit up, while we were on Dumbo. During the evening, we also enjoyed Mickey's Philharmagic, IASW, Pirates, TTA, and Buzz Lightyear's thingy and finally, a ride on Big Thunder around 11:45. So, as you can see, getting rides in during the party is not a problem. We rode everything we wanted.
We also saw the Christmas show at the castle. This was very enjoyable and full of holiday spirit. It features Michey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and the Chipmunks plus a cast of dancers and elves. We actully paused to watch it again on our way out. We watched the early time parade from the train station. The park was not crowded at all and there was space for everyone to see and enjoy the parade. Disney brought out all the stars and it is a can't miss event. I espcially liked the wooden soldiers marching in front of Santa, they are incredible.
After the parade, we walked down main street and listened to the barbershop quartet, they were very good. We also grabbed a couple of surprising good (if not expensive) hot dogs at Casey's. We never found the Pirate singers.
Then came Christmas Wishes. Well, Disney KNOWS fireworks and this show doesn't disappoint. We then went back on some rides and when we got off of IASM, the parade started again. This time, we watched it near the begining, at ground level. The crowds were very light and we just walked up to the rope and watched. Try and do that in December!
It was just as much fun the second time around.
So, I would say overall it was a 8 out of 10. Not cheap, but we had a good time. Glad we did it early in the season, I can imagine it being not so much fun with a larger crowd.
Oh yes, we skipped the Stich and Buzz show. While on the TTA, we saw a couple minutes of it and it was soooooooooo lame.
And, while I was getting cookies (I know, a bad example for the DW), the DJ in the restaurant by Tomorrowland and Fantasyland had everyone up and dancing. I think the Chipmunks were there too.
If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer them. I think I have included everything we did.
Dolby1000
But, man, experiencing that many ride/ transportation breakdowns in one evening must be some kind of a record! 
We'll be going on12/18 the last party day, so I hope they aren't sold out of merchandise! Thanks!
