"Budget" Christmas Parade Question...

[kimsuenew]

Hi! We are blessed with a trip the end of November through the 11th of December! We are making it our Christmas in its entirety... in fact our in-laws are even giving us the amount that they normally spend on each of us to apply it directly to the trip cost!

As I begin grad school full-time in the fall (I graduate after summer quarter with my BA) and am saving for co-pays, oop expenses, and deductibles for two knee replacements and a hip replacement we are being as frugal as possible with this trip (and in life in general)!

We are staying at Pop with the free QSDP and will not upgrade to DDP, as not only the cost per person needs taken into account but also the 20% tip per meal. We do plan one nice TS dinner (Le Cellier or Coral Reef, no dessert or appetizer ) and perhaps one Chef Mickey's breakfast.

The one dinner (and possible breakfast) will be our only "splurge" meal wise. We are not big on souveniers (we do pressed pennies, take lots of pictures ourselves, have a few leftover pins to trade, and have joined a PP share on another site) so we are fine with that.

My main question is if the cost of Mickey's Christmas Parade worth it? We are contemplating that as THE big trip splurge.

Will it be enjoyable to all? Are rides open during it? Do we have to have a park admission ticket to get in plus a parade ticket OR will the parade ticket include a late day park admission? That would be awesome if so, as it would save one day off of our 10 day pass (we are there 13 nights/14 days) yet still get us in to a park for awhile!

Also, are the events like the Candlelight Processional and Osborne Lightsfree to attend with park admission?

I think there is a chance we will be there when they tape the WDW Parade... is the park really, really busy/crazy that day? Is there an extra cost involved?

TIA for your help! I know that many of you go this time every year and know the answers... I have no idea!

 

[cat83]

Hi! I'll be there the same time.

Do you mean the party? I think it is a wonderful thing to visit at least once. The big thing is the atmosphere, the parade, the special fireworks...

It is fun- BUT- if you are looking to save money, the Christmas atmosphere is not lacking anywhere!! You will not feel that you missed out on anything if you skip the party.

Osborne lights are free, and amazing. Candlelight Processional is free. There are so many wonderful things to do during this time, I could make a long list.

The party can be a lot of fun, and its hard to say if it will personally be worth it to you- having been a few times, I know that if I were on a tight budget, it would be the one thing I would cut. But at the same time, if you do spring for it you'll have a lot of fun

The party ticket will get you into MK around 4, and the official party starts at 7. (I haven't been in a few years; since I've been to both the Christmas and Halloween parties several times, its not worth it to us anymore)


As far as parade taping goes- it is also something interesting to see! It can be frustrating, because around Main Street and the Hub will be HUGE crowds; but if you relax and just take in the spectacle, its entertaining to see! You will definitely be there during taping time (first December weekend).

Have a great trip!

Oh, edit: There is no extra cost to watch parade taping, just your regular admission.
If you are there for 14 days, and not planning to do parks every single day, I would personally make the weekends the days I don't do parks. They tend to be the busiest (last year, I remember the Saturday of parade taping being particularly busy, even though the rest of the week before/after wasn't).
Another Christmas tip: visit the resorts! They are decorated beautifully. And take some time to explore World Showcase, and visit the Storytellers from each country for the Holidays.

 

[kimsuenew]

Hi! I'll be there the same time.

Do you mean the party? I think it is a wonderful thing to visit at least once. The big thing is the atmosphere, the parade, the special fireworks...

It is fun- BUT- if you are looking to save money, the Christmas atmosphere is not lacking anywhere!! You will not feel that you missed out on anything if you skip the party.

Osborne lights are free, and amazing. Candlelight Processional is free. There are so many wonderful things to do during this time, I could make a long list.

The party can be a lot of fun, and its hard to say if it will personally be worth it to you- having been a few times, I know that if I were on a tight budget, it would be the one thing I would cut. But at the same time, if you do spring for it you'll have a lot of fun

The party ticket will get you into MK around 4, and the official party starts at 7. (I haven't been in a few years; since I've been to both the Christmas and Halloween parties several times, its not worth it to us anymore)


As far as parade taping goes- it is also something interesting to see! It can be frustrating, because around Main Street and the Hub will be HUGE crowds; but if you relax and just take in the spectacle, its entertaining to see! You will definitely be there during taping time (first December weekend).

Have a great trip!

Oh, edit: There is no extra cost to watch parade taping, just your regular admission.
If you are there for 14 days, and not planning to do parks every single day, I would personally make the weekends the days I don't do parks. They tend to be the busiest (last year, I remember the Saturday of parade taping being particularly busy, even though the rest of the week before/after wasn't).
Another Christmas tip: visit the resorts! They are decorated beautifully. And take some time to explore World Showcase, and visit the Storytellers from each country for the Holidays.

Awesome information... thank you so much! Enjoy your vacation as well! It is a long way away but I am so excited! As I use a ECV (due to knees and hip) and ride very little, I just love taking in the sites! I cannot wait to see the decorations and displays everywhere!

 

[cat83]

Awesome information... thank you so much! Enjoy your vacation as well! It is a long way away but I am so excited! As I use a ECV (due to knees and hip) and ride very little, I just love taking in the sites! I cannot wait to see the decorations and displays everywhere!

Then you will definitely LOVE this time of year
My favorite part is slowing down and taking in all of the little details....the sights, the smells, the music. You are in for a big treat

 

[tinkmom2]

We got free dining and added one TS when we went last November. We also went to the MVMCP. It was absolutely worth it for us. We only bought one other park ticket and went to Epcot. The Chirstmas parade it not to be missed. I think I like it more than Spectromagic. We got to ride all the rides without a line and loved the smaller crowds. The MVMCP is a seperate ticket that goes on sale in May. It allows admission from 4pm-on. We went and visited the resorts and saw decorations. We didn't go to Hollywood Studios but Epcot had Christmas around the world.
I would much rather go to the MVMCP than the taping of the parade for tv. At night they have snow and everything is lit up beautiful. You can click my trip report in my signature to see what the pics look like.