We went to a sold out
MVMCP last December, on a Tuesday the week before Christmas week..
The 7DMT waits were my biggest disappointment with the party. It was the one attraction that we had never done before that we wanted to hit. We went over there three times (skipped going the first two times as waits were too long and would have meant good possibility of missing the Anna/Else castle show the first time and the second parade the second time (two other must do things on our list)). We got into the party at a little after 4:30 p.m. and went over to 7DMT (maybe there at 4:45 p.m.) (note between 4 and 7 you have party guests and regular guests). The queue looked long and waits were posted as an hour and 15 minutes (too close for comfort wanting to hit a 6 p.m. event). We skipped and did splash mountain and big thunder mountain instead -- short enough waits and time to get back to the castle to see the Anna/Elsa castle show (talk about being packed in like sardines by the castle -- crazy). Next we thought we'd try hitting the mine train during the first parade -- everyone's going to be at the parade, right? We'll so much for that idea. The queue looked just as long as the first time and had posted wait times at an hour and 15 minutes again. So we hit Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pirates, and then got to Frontier Land in time for the fireworks and second parade. So OK -- now time is running out and we headed to the mine train one last time and said we're doing it. Ride times now were posted as being an hour -- a little disappointing as the two things we still wanted to hit were this and space mountain. Actual wait ended up being 45 minutes. So once off we ran over to Space Mountain and got in two rides there -- second one in line at about 11:58 p.m.
My mom and nephew were with us for most things, but skipped the mine train and space mountain for pictures with characters and met us over there at midnight. My son and I were able to do eight attractions in total -- two rides on space mountain plus Anna / Elsa castle show, fireworks, and second parade. We wasted a bunch of time, though, going over to 7DMT two times and not doing it.
I had read about crowds on rides being so light and walk on, but being a rope drop person myself I found lines for rides during the party quite a bit heavier than they are those first two hours after rope drop.
Oh and after Anna/Elsa the wait at the counter service place Casey's to get hot dogs for dinner was 30 minutes too. Again party and regular guest were both in the park at that point.
We did get all our must dos in (one was doing some Main Street USA shopping), but that had to wait until after midnight and we were there from midnight to 1:30 a.m. (no time for that earlier) -- Party was more crowded and we were more rushed than I would have liked given fewer park hours to get everything we wanted to do in. We chose the party instead of a day at the MK -- didn't do both on the trip. For attractions, IMHO, rope drop is better than the party on days with a crowd calendar level posted as a seven for less.
I've been going since 1971 when I was 10. This was my first party -- 42 trips in total over a 44 year period.
