Ferb, I know What We're Going to Do Today! - Updated 9/30

[TarzansKat]

I'm relieved this day is over!

I have heard that sometimes the holiday parties can be crowded, and I think you had the misfortune of experiencing that.

All I can say is dinner was good, it had that carafe of caramel.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Ugh. I'm sorry about your evening. You just couldn't catch a break! I have heard that MNSSHP is THE Disney party to attend. I'm sure if I go during the Holidays that I'd go to MVMCP but I've heard that it is usually more crowded which is no fun when you pay those prices.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I cannot even begin to agree with that more!!!!

I can really, really sense your frustration and disappointment, Crissy! I"m so, so sad for you. I"m a serious tightwad, and had missed 2 and a half hours of party time due to ride/bus issues, I think I might have gone to guest relations to try to get some money back. That's HALF the party!!!

Part of me really wanted to, but in the end I didn't really want to bother. We could have skipped our ADR and still made it to the party on time. That had been our choice.

Missing so much of the party really didn't help though. By the time we got there we were already playing catch up. Next trip I'm making sure that is not going to happen again on our party night. There will be taxi fare allowed, and my dinner ADR is in the Magic Kingdom, not at a resort.

But 'Ohana!! Mmmmm..... Now I'm actually afraid, I'll not even get to try everything. I'm a VERY light eater, and by the time the dessert comes around, I'm so afraid I'll be stuffed from all the other good things.

You definitely need to pace yourself at Ohana. It's very dangerous since they just keep coming around with the food. Luckily most of what I eat is the veggies and the heavier meats are just side dishes for me. You have to leave room for desert.

Poor Crissy!!! I am so sorry that party was pretty much a bust for you between the crowds of people, long lines, and a Space Mountain that took up too much time! I do still think that is a precious picture of you with Pooh and Eeyore.

Were the cookies and hot chocolate good at least?

It was really the Space Mountain thing that pushed me over the edge. I may have been more understanding about the crowds if I was cranky already. The worst thing about getting stuck in the line at SM was that no one was giving us any information about what was going on. Being stuck behind the wall you couldn't really see anything, and felt so cut off from everything. The family in front of us told us that this trip every time they tried to ride a rollercoaster it broke down while they were in line. It seemed to be happening alot this trip with the coasters.

I do love the picture too. I love them in their winter gear. It was a fun moment. I loved that they really took the time to play around with 2 adults just as if we were kids.

The cookies and chocolate were okay. The hot chocolate really hit the spot since it was cold out. It was feeling more like home in CT than Florida weather wise this trip.

That's too bad about the party. I have read on the DIS that MMVCP is not as good as the Halloween party, but since I have never been to both I will not have anything to compare it too. But for the price of those tickets, they better make you feel magical.

Your day very much lacked any pixie dust. I hate those days were nothing goes right.

I think the interactiveness of the Halloween party really helps make it special. I probably would have enjoyed the Christmas party more if I had been able to really enjoy more of it like the snow and the castle show.

My holiday spirit was taking a bit of a beating by this point.

I'm relieved this day is over!

I have heard that sometimes the holiday parties can be crowded, and I think you had the misfortune of experiencing that.

All I can say is dinner was good, it had that carafe of caramel.

The Christmas parties seemed to be really popular. I'd guess that if ours wasn't sold out it was really close. I had seen signs up near the MK entrance a few other days saying the parties on those nights were sold out so it seemed to be crazy busy for them in general. Our night at MNSSHP a few years ago didn't seem as busy, or maybe we were just having more fun and we didn't notice.

Dinner was the best part of the night. The carmel sauce is what did it I think.

Ugh. I'm sorry about your evening. You just couldn't catch a break! I have heard that MNSSHP is THE Disney party to attend. I'm sure if I go during the Holidays that I'd go to MVMCP but I've heard that it is usually more crowded which is no fun when you pay those prices.

It was just a day that wasn't going to go right no matter what I guess. MNSSHP for me is a don't miss, but this I feel content that I did it once. I think I would have been happier to spend the night at Epcot checking out the storytellers (which I never got the chance to do). Best bet probably would have been to go a week or so later and see the parade and fireworks during normal park hours.

 

[skier_pete]

Oooohhh...that wait for Space Mountain would have had me boiling too...to pay all that extra money and get stuck in line.

I think your experience is the problem that has become of the hard ticket parties. When they first started, the concept was you could do all these unique things and ride the rides with little to no wait. I think they have since pushed the capacity of the parties...and now the parties are crazy crowded and its no longer about getting low crowds...it's the same crowds as the daytime and sometimes worse. In fact, the one thing I discovered is if you go to MK on a party day, it's super uncrowded in the morning, but them by 4 PM, it gets totally packed.

We completely avoided the MVMCP on our christmas trip, and I'm glad we did. Your response to it did not differ much from many others. We were able to see Christmas Wishes (from the CG) and both the parade and castle show for no extra charge anyways. I would say that all were very good and much bigger & different than the regular versions, but I'm glad I didn't spend $200 extra for them.

I just yesterday bought my tickets to MNSSHP for Oct 21st. That sounds much more appealing to me than the MVMCP. We were debating our costumes last night. (DW had the idea to go as CM/characters from the Adventurer's Club...an idea I am totally behind, but I think the costumes will be super-hard to pull off. Our other idea will be much simpler and still Disney...so we'll see what we go with.)

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I went to the Christmas Party in 2008 and I wasn't that impressed either for the price I paid to be there. I'm sorry that it was just such a bum day from start to finish. That's a bummer. Is the next day better? Please tell me yes!

 

[MRYPPNS]

I so hate it when it feels like you've lit a hundred dollar bill on fire.

 

[If U Had Wings]

Oooohhh...that wait for Space Mountain would have had me boiling too...to pay all that extra money and get stuck in line.

I was bordering between anger and just being resigned. I wish they had just emptied it out earlier instead of making us wait there.

I think your experience is the problem that has become of the hard ticket parties. When they first started, the concept was you could do all these unique things and ride the rides with little to no wait. I think they have since pushed the capacity of the parties...and now the parties are crazy crowded and its no longer about getting low crowds...it's the same crowds as the daytime and sometimes worse. In fact, the one thing I discovered is if you go to MK on a party day, it's super uncrowded in the morning, but them by 4 PM, it gets totally packed.

We hit huge crowds this entire trip, which I was not expecting it at all. I didn't think we'd hit empty parks, but being what they called value season I wasn't expecting wall to wall people either. The parties were no different. I was surprised how many of them seemed to be selling out. I don't know exactly how many tickets they sell, but being on Main Street it felt like a few thousand too many.

I just yesterday bought my tickets to MNSSHP for Oct 21st. That sounds much more appealing to me than the MVMCP. We were debating our costumes last night. (DW had the idea to go as CM/characters from the Adventurer's Club...an idea I am totally behind, but I think the costumes will be super-hard to pull off. Our other idea will be much simpler and still Disney...so we'll see what we go with.)

I loved MNSSHP when we went, just hope you don't get a rainy night. My parents went on a horrible night and nearly everything was getting cancelled. Disney did comp them one day park passes when they wrote and complained later. They probably should have just complained at guest relations that night and had them switched to another day.

I really feel the halloween party offers a bit more that makes it worth it. Just having the guests being able to dress up and trick or treat adds a lot to the night. The parade at the Halloween party is amazing (and I'm not even a parade person), and the fireworks are great when they go off all around you on Main Street. This party was just lacking something.

I went to the Christmas Party in 2008 and I wasn't that impressed either for the price I paid to be there. I'm sorry that it was just such a bum day from start to finish. That's a bummer. Is the next day better? Please tell me yes!

Sorry you had the same experience. I wasn't feeling they offered much else that was special that night. Had they run the parade in the afternoon of a regular day there would have been practically no difference.

The next day improves a little bit. Nothing really bad happens, but to be honest I was just a miserable, cranky mess at this point. All I wanted was to hop the first plane home. I didn't think I had one, but I had hit my Disney limit.

I so hate it when it feels like you've lit a hundred dollar bill on fire.

That's exactly what it was feeling like. My friend was feeling the same way. It was a bit of a let down.

 

[aprilisis]

WHAT A DAY! You must have been completely exhausted that night.
You know- I have to say that I agree the Christmas Party is nowhere near as good as MNSSHP. It seemed more crowded (than MNSSHP) to me, too, the one time I went.

 

[If U Had Wings]

WHAT A DAY! You must have been completely exhausted that night.
You know- I have to say that I agree the Christmas Party is nowhere near as good as MNSSHP. It seemed more crowded (than MNSSHP) to me, too, the one time I went.

I definitely crashed that night when it was over. I was so glad it was over at that point!

 

[If U Had Wings]

We had finally hit our last full day at Disney, and I for one was a bit relieved. This is the first time in all my trips to Disney that I had enough. Even my trip the year before, with all the family drama, hadn't zapped the Disney magic out of me, but this trip for some reason was. Still we had one last full day left to enjoy.

I always like to leave my final day at Disney pretty open, with just a later dinner reservation. That way the day can be spent hitting the attractions I love the most, and doing whatever feels right whatever park it's in. It's always the day I get the most use out of the hopper option. Part of us really wanted to sleep in a bit today, but my friend really wanted to try to ride TSM one more time so instead of sleeping in we were up to make rope drop at DHS yet again. We awoke to a pretty cold morning. Temps on our last day were in the low 50's most of the afternoon, and ended up dropping into the low 40's after dark. Very chilly! It was just a wee bit too cold to sit out on the balcony this morning for breakfast so we ate in the concierge lounge before heading out.

It was nice not having to worry about getting fastpasses at TSM, and we were able to get on the ride with just a minimal wait. As usual, my friend kicked my butt. I always get a kick out of how competitive she is at Buzz and TSM.

After we got off we watched the Army men putting some kids through a drill.

The show they were putting on was pretty funny. I think DHS has the best live entertainment woven throughout the park. I always find that I'm coming across something entertaining while I'm there. I loved this one army guy. I thought of all of them he looked the most authentic.

I didn't want to leave DHS without one last ride on my favorite attraction so we headed off to Tower of Terror.

DHS was pretty busy this morning (it was a Fantasmic show day) and the line for Tower was quite long already. Long enough to require snaking the queue through the outdoor garden areas. Understandably most people would be annoyed at having to wait in such a long line, but I am such a Tower of Terror geek that I was thrilled. I love getting the chance to soak up all the theming at the Tower and love when I actually get to go through the garden line. Besides the fastpass return hadn't opened yet so the line wasn't going to move too slowly. I took a bunch more pictures as I waited in line. I promise these are my last ones. I just heart all the little details in the theming and how it's carried through the gardens so well with all the overgrown plants and fake cracks in the cement.

I love this little gate!

The concierge desk -

Checking in?

One of my favorite details is the genie on the top of the book shelves in the library. It's such a great little nod to the original tv show. (Which is one of my favorite shows of all time). There's another little tv show nod in there too. On one of the shelves is a copy of the cookbook "To Serve Man". I wanted to snap a picture of that too, but it wasn't near where I was standing. Those are the only two nods I've found, but there may be more.

After Tower we headed out of the park and where on our way to our next stop for a bit more holiday resort hopping. Unlike the previous days, I knew exactly where I wanted to go this day

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Ok, this must have been Friday, the 11th? Am I right? We were in MK early that morning and it was really chilly. Brrr. I also adore the ToT theming. It's so authentic!!

 

[MRYPPNS]

I always forget about the garden part of the que! And you're right there are more nods to the tv show in the library....I think there is a pair of glasses (the show was about a man and all he wanted to do was read and his glasses broke) and sheet music (I don't remember what the sheet music is in reference to)

 

[praisehisname]

I'm so sorry about MVMCP. That's a lot of money to spend and not be "wowed."

I didn't want to leave DHS without one last ride on my favorite attraction so we headed off to Tower of Terror.

I took a bunch more pictures as I waited in line. I promise these are my last ones.

Please don't apologize! I can never get enough pics of the ToT line!!!

 

[TarzansKat]

What a great morning at DHS! Sounds like this is shaping up quite nicely!

I love your pics from the queue for ToT, I never get on it anymore, and I miss those wonderful details.

 

[If U Had Wings]

Ok, this must have been Friday, the 11th? Am I right? We were in MK early that morning and it was really chilly. Brrr. I also adore the ToT theming. It's so authentic!!

It was Friday the 11th. Way too cold for Florida, although it was downright warm compared to my Feb./March trip this year.

I could spend eons wandering around just checking out the details on ToT.

I always forget about the garden part of the que! And you're right there are more nods to the tv show in the library....I think there is a pair of glasses (the show was about a man and all he wanted to do was read and his glasses broke) and sheet music (I don't remember what the sheet music is in reference to)

I love the episode with the glasses, the one with Burgess Meredith. I'm not sure about the music one, and I think I've seen just about every episode of TZ. I'm going to have to go do a google search to see what else they reference.

I'm so sorry about MVMCP. That's a lot of money to spend and not be "wowed."

Thanks. I just wish I had gone in to it in the right mood so I would know if it the party itself or if my experience was tempered by everything else. As it is, I wouldn't do it again.

Please don't apologize! I can never get enough pics of the ToT line!!!

I'm so glad that other people love the ToT theming!

What a great morning at DHS! Sounds like this is shaping up quite nicely!

I love your pics from the queue for ToT, I never get on it anymore, and I miss those wonderful details.

The day went much better, I was still sulking a bit inside though. I tried my best to hide it, and just embrace the new day. I was vacationed out.

I love all the theming there. I wish I could just wander everywhere though!

 

[jenjolt]

I'm coming out of lurkdom to let you know how much I have enjoyed reading about your trip!

I'm sorry about the crowds at MVMCP! That is no fun at all! I have been to MNSSHP and I loved it and I'm looking forward to going again! Will have to do MVMCP someday!

You got some amazing pictures of TOT!! WOW!! I just love the details put into that ride!! I can't believe the inside shots you got! I'm so jealous!

 

[All7OfUs]

I'm a TZ geek too!! I love it! Both To Serve Man and the one with that creepy devilish genie thingy are CREEPY!!!! But yes, you're right, there are more props in there- the glasses and the others that a PP mentioned. THey are on my hidden gems list to find.

I think it seriously is one of the best themed rides in the park. Bar none.

 

[aprilisis]

I LOVE the ToT photos! That is my favorite, too.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I love all your ToT pictures, it looks so pretty around there.

I'm uber competitive on Toy Story Mania, can't wait to kick Marc's butt in September.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I'm coming out of lurkdom to let you know how much I have enjoyed reading about your trip!

I'm sorry about the crowds at MVMCP! That is no fun at all! I have been to MNSSHP and I loved it and I'm looking forward to going again! Will have to do MVMCP someday!

You got some amazing pictures of TOT!! WOW!! I just love the details put into that ride!! I can't believe the inside shots you got! I'm so jealous!

I lucked out with my pictures at ToT this trip. Usually they come out way too dark. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of the settings on my camera.

I really found MNSSHP to be the much more entertaining of the two parties. Even if the Halloween party was really crowded it was still fun to people watch everyone in their costumes.

I'm a TZ geek too!! I love it! Both To Serve Man and the one with that creepy devilish genie thingy are CREEPY!!!! But yes, you're right, there are more props in there- the glasses and the others that a PP mentioned. THey are on my hidden gems list to find.

I think it seriously is one of the best themed rides in the park. Bar none.

It's my hands down favorite. I think it's worth going through the queue even if you don't plan on riding it. Too many fun details to miss. I'm going to have to look for more TZ references in there. What they need is a bin with the 5 dolls in it. That's one of my favorite episodes.

I LOVE the ToT photos! That is my favorite, too.

It's so perfectly themed. Instead of turning into the building, I always want to duck under the rope and hang out on the balcony for awhile. Sadly I don't think they'd let me do that.

I love all your ToT pictures, it looks so pretty around there.

I'm uber competitive on Toy Story Mania, can't wait to kick Marc's butt in September.

I'm so not competitive, at least against other people. (I do like to try to beat my prior scores). My friend though takes it so seriously. We always laugh when we see the pictures they snap of her on Buzz, it's a look of utmost concentration. I don't have a chance.