Extra Night or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas?

[timsueshd]

My family has received a 3 night / 4 day trip to Disney for 2 people, included is air, hotel and hopper passes. We will be paying for our 13 year old. Right now I am looking at traveling the week right after Thanksgiving, I am hoping it is not crazy.

As a family we have only been to Disney once and that was when DS was 4, I have been there three other times when I was younger. I know this will be a different experience since DS is older, but it will probably be our last trip to Disney for a long time and I want to make the most of it.

So my question... If you had a choice of spending another night or using the money to pay for tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which you would pick? It looks like the pricing is very comparable about $300 for the tickets and $500 for an extra night stay.

As I am looking at flights, it seems like I can get an early flight in and arrive in Orlando around 11 am and then take a later flight out leaving Orlando around 5 pm, but that really only allows 2.5 days for the parks, I am not sure if I want to try to visit a park on departure morning.

This is my thinking... I know we will have to pick and choose what is important because I know we will not see everything, but if I buy tickets for MVMCP we could:

Arrival - Epcot
Day 1 - Animal Kingdom / maybe finish Epcot
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - MVMCP Evening
Depature - Pool / relax around Resort

We enjoy the holidays and "I" think the Christmas Party would be very neat, but is it worth it? I need to be able to sell whichever avenue I pick to my better half.

Thank you for your advice!!!

 

[DaisyNY]

That's a tough one...while an extra day in Disney is great, the MVMCP with special parade and fireworks is a great experience. I think you'll find that you can also cover a lot more ground during the party than regular park hours. We have gone the week after Thanksgiving twice and enjoyed the low crowds and nice weather. One thing I noticed that you didn't include was exploring resort decor...Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, and others have amazing Christmas displays.

 

[PPFlight75]

If I wasn’t going to be back for a long time and I was going at Christmas time, I would definitely do the party!!

 

[dizneegirl]

With a 13-year-old boy? I'd opt for an extra day, personally. You'll still get the Christmas feel.

 

[hllb]

any way you could swing both? I would want at least 4 park days - one for each park. With so much of your trip being covered, I'd try to do both, personally. You do have almost a year to save the extra money.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

I would do the extra night. The parties were so over crowded it was insane.

 

[Minnie368]

My family would choose the party. We always do mvmcp or mnsshp when we’re there. My kids love the cookies and hot chocolate I know it’s just a small thing but they love running into every place giving them out when we pass them. Also love the Jingle Cruise. But to make it worthwhile I think you need to be prepared/rested to stay till midnight because the last couple hours are when you’ll get the most done and see the shortest lines. I’m always stunned when I see people leaving after the first parade or after fireworks!

 

[Monki]

I would say it depends on what is most important to you; Rides or Character Meets. The party has so many exclusive meets, and I loved the parade. Typically, we don't do parades or a lot of meets, ie, standing in line. During the party, the parade is a must do in my book. If you are going to the park on a "normal" day - the parade is a great time to ride! I agree with PP who said to get your value, you must go into the party at 4, and stay until midnight. Eat before, and cram as much Christmas fun as possible into that 8 hours! Congrats on the trip, and hope you have a great time, regardless of your choice.

 

[sharonabe]

My family has received a 3 night / 4 day trip to Disney for 2 people, included is air, hotel and hopper passes. We will be paying for our 13 year old. Right now I am looking at traveling the week right after Thanksgiving, I am hoping it is not crazy.

When you say "received," do you mean you won it or were gifted in some way? And by adding another night, do you plan to also buy an extra day on those tickets? The reason I ask is because many times tickets that are a prize of some sort are NOT eligible for adding days. So I would first try to determine that.

How many days are on the tickets you received? Are they 4-day hopper tickets? If so, then I would definitely use them on my departure day with that late of a flight. You will have at least 5 hours of park time, and that's plenty to get lots done. You can relax when you get home. If you're not planning another trip for quite some time, you're going to want as much park time as you can get.

 

[anomamatt]

I'd do the extra day, no question. Parties are cool, but they have been crazy crowded lately. And without the ability to use FP, it's hard to get much done at a party. An extra day... you can do so much. And while the party is in MK, you can be at another park.

 

[anomamatt]

When you say "received," do you mean you won it or were gifted in some way? And by adding another night, do you plan to also buy an extra day on those tickets? The reason I ask is because many times tickets that are a prize of some sort are NOT eligible for adding days. So I would first try to determine that.

If they cannot "extend" their prize (my assumption was this was a prize of some sort), the $500 they are estimating for another night could be used as a single night split stay and 1 day tickets and still be within/around budget. Though almost certainly the tickets can have a day added at a ticket counter. And making that budget depends on where they want to stay that night, of course.

 

[timsueshd]

The trip was given as a gift and we can add nights, but obviously have to pay for any additions.
I believe it is a 4 day hopper pass.

 

[Shanti]

My family has received a 3 night / 4 day trip to Disney for 2 people, included is air, hotel and hopper passes. We will be paying for our 13 year old. Right now I am looking at traveling the week right after Thanksgiving, I am hoping it is not crazy.

As a family we have only been to Disney once and that was when DS was 4, I have been there three other times when I was younger. I know this will be a different experience since DS is older, but it will probably be our last trip to Disney for a long time and I want to make the most of it.

So my question... If you had a choice of spending another night or using the money to pay for tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which you would pick? It looks like the pricing is very comparable about $300 for the tickets and $500 for an extra night stay.

As I am looking at flights, it seems like I can get an early flight in and arrive in Orlando around 11 am and then take a later flight out leaving Orlando around 5 pm, but that really only allows 2.5 days for the parks, I am not sure if I want to try to visit a park on departure morning.

This is my thinking... I know we will have to pick and choose what is important because I know we will not see everything, but if I buy tickets for MVMCP we could:

Arrival - Epcot
Day 1 - Animal Kingdom / maybe finish Epcot
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - MVMCP Evening
Depature - Pool / relax around Resort

We enjoy the holidays and "I" think the Christmas Party would be very neat, but is it worth it? I need to be able to sell whichever avenue I pick to my better half.

Thank you for your advice!!!

I recommend adding an extra day. I don't imagine the thirteen year-old will really want to wait in line for the special character meets at the Christmas party, and the party itself can be crowded.

I recommend devoting another day solely to MK, as the half day you have planned won't be enough during the crowded fall season, or really during any season. Choose a party day (where the park closes to non-party guests at 7pm) as the extra MK day, as those tend to be less crowded than non-party days. So you'll likely get more done at MK, despite having to leave early. Do the MK fireworks on your MK half-day, and just go have a nice dinner somewhere else after leaving MK early after your full day there.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My family has received a 3 night / 4 day trip to Disney for 2 people, included is air, hotel and hopper passes. We will be paying for our 13 year old. Right now I am looking at traveling the week right after Thanksgiving, I am hoping it is not crazy.

As a family we have only been to Disney once and that was when DS was 4, I have been there three other times when I was younger. I know this will be a different experience since DS is older, but it will probably be our last trip to Disney for a long time and I want to make the most of it.

So my question... If you had a choice of spending another night or using the money to pay for tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which you would pick? It looks like the pricing is very comparable about $300 for the tickets and $500 for an extra night stay.

As I am looking at flights, it seems like I can get an early flight in and arrive in Orlando around 11 am and then take a later flight out leaving Orlando around 5 pm, but that really only allows 2.5 days for the parks, I am not sure if I want to try to visit a park on departure morning.

This is my thinking... I know we will have to pick and choose what is important because I know we will not see everything, but if I buy tickets for MVMCP we could:

Arrival - Epcot
Day 1 - Animal Kingdom / maybe finish Epcot
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - MVMCP Evening
Depature - Pool / relax around Resort

We enjoy the holidays and "I" think the Christmas Party would be very neat, but is it worth it? I need to be able to sell whichever avenue I pick to my better half.

Thank you for your advice!!!

As someone who just did MVMCP this past December, I would opt for the extra night. The party was fine, but it really wasn't worth it, IMHO. If you aren't going back for a while, I would do the extra night and take advantage of the hopper ticket that you already have. Where are you staying? You could probably get that one night stay cost down as well depending on where you are staying and/or if you are willing to move for your last night.

 

[sharonabe]

The trip was given as a gift and we can add nights, but obviously have to pay for any additions.
I believe it is a 4 day hopper pass.

Add a day!!

 

[JennyDrake]

I would do the extra night. The parties were so over crowded it was insane.

DITTO! The crowds IMHO cannot be overstated.