Mickey's Christmas Party- Do they really kick you out?

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

I love the suggestion of buying the party ticket at $67. Save money and get all the extras! No need to have a regular park ticket when you can enter at 4pm with a party ticket

 

[itchin2go]

Great to know thanks. I have no interest in staying but think I should get to stay until 7. We have 7:30 ressies at CM one night so we will be off to that. LOL! I guess I'll see first hand about it, easywdw claims it is slower during the day of a party day because a lot of people want to see parade and fireworks, etc and go on those days. We will be in MK over 4 days (12 potential FP+) so not too concerned with seeing everything we want to, but still despise lines and crowds.

2 things:

(1) All guide books and crowd calendar gurus have always agreed that party days are GREAT days to visit MK because of lower crowds. This is sound advice. We have visited on party days before, and had a great time.

(2) Off topic, but your last sentence disturbs me, although I may be misconstruing it. I would hate for people to start thinking that potentially all they can expect to ride in a day are their 3 fp rides. 4 days at MK is alot, and you can easily see everything you want to (A&E excluded) even without FP in that period of time.

 

[maxiesmom]

As you can see from the answers, the new "Disney spirit" is spelled "Di$ney $pirit."

I don't think trying to get for free something others have paid good money for screams Disney Spirit.

As far as affording party tickets goes, many of us scrimp and save in order to afford them. They are not solely for rich folks.

 

[Yonich2501]

Well - it does annoy me that they have these extra ticketed events at time when the park would have been open otherwise - but I would be very annoyed if I paid $67-70 (on top of my regular ticket) and they did not kick people out.

At least Universal has deal to add these things on to your day ticket - for example HHN is $40 more if you already have a day ticket - a full price ticket is $96. I'd be much less put off if Disney did the same..but I guess they don't need to - it always sells out.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

Why should I pay $67 a person to stay late for the party, while some schmucks try and stay in the park for free. I can't believe some people would even have the nerve to ask something like this.

Completely outrageous. It drives me crazy when people try and get something for nothing. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.

 

[Missyrose]

Whoa whoa whoa... calm down there. Sorry I'm not rich... I just wanted my husband to be able to experience some Disney Christmas magic and didn't realize it was going to cost so much extra, which we cannot afford. We were just tacking this day on to the end of his work trip as it's the only way we could afford it, and I was a bit disappointed. So I was trying to see if he could at least experience a small piece of it. I think your rudeness was a bit uncalled for and not in the Disney spirit at all.

That being said, thanks everyone else! Sounds like it probably won't be worth the trip for us, which is unfortunate wince we're moving to Idaho at the end of the year and who knows when we'll be able to come back. So sad. :-( Wish it was included the whole holiday season! I saw it once years ago at New Years and it's pretty fun. But we just can't pay an extra $130 for it (nor would it be worth it for a free cookie. ;-)

Rude, huh? And it's not rude to insinuate that anyone who has bought tickets to MVMCP is rich and willing to to waste hundreds of dollars on a "free cookie?"

You aren't the first person to ask about staying for the party without paying and you won't be the last. My answer to those who come before and after you is exactly the same as I said to you.

There are plenty of ways to experience Christmas at Disney, many of the best ideas have been given in this thread. It would be a shame for you to bag the whole thing just because you can't stay in the park without buying a party ticket.

 

[DebbieB]

Great to know thanks. I have no interest in staying but think I should get to stay until 7. We have 7:30 ressies at CM one night so we will be off to that. LOL! I guess I'll see first hand about it, easywdw claims it is slower during the day of a party day because a lot of people want to see parade and fireworks, etc and go on those days. We will be in MK over 4 days (12 potential FP+) so not too concerned with seeing everything we want to, but still despise lines and crowds.

That is true in my experience. I'm going next Saturday, I have Sunday & Thursday as my MK days, will park hop somewhere else for the evening. Been to the party before, not doing it this time.

My question is…

Did they check for a party wristband on Sonny?

He didn't have one so he was told to finish his song and head to the exit.

 

[KimBean]

2 things:

(1) All guide books and crowd calendar gurus have always agreed that party days are GREAT days to visit MK because of lower crowds. This is sound advice. We have visited on party days before, and had a great time.

(2) Off topic, but your last sentence disturbs me, although I may be misconstruing it. I would hate for people to start thinking that potentially all they can expect to ride in a day are their 3 fp rides. 4 days at MK is alot, and you can easily see everything you want to (A&E excluded) even without FP in that period of time.

I probably just didn't communicate it right... This will be my 9th trip, so I have a good idea how it works, however first FP+ trip (dec 2012 was last.) We will be in MK 4 days, so 12 FP+, but not all full days. First day will be 4 hours, second day a full day rd-close, third day is a party day, and last day is just a burst before we hit the rode with a breakfast CRT ressie and a few last FP's and bonus morning EMHs. I don't anticipate having any issues getting everything in, with rests, snacks and LOTS OF PIN TRADING!!

 

[boltfan]

I love the suggestion of buying the party ticket at $67. Save money and get all the extras! No need to have a regular park ticket when you can enter at 4pm with a party ticket

We always go on our arrival day and don't buy an admission ticket, but get a MVMCP ticket instead. It's a great tradition that we've been doing for the past 10 years!

 

[maiapapaya]

I agree that the party only is a great option. Cheaper than a normal park ticket and you get the atmosphere and other activities. Hit the more popular rides during the first parade (when the lines will be virtually non-existent) and watch the second parade.

Another option, although it will cost you a bit extra, but not as much as the party, is to get the hopper option and head to DHS for the night. The Osbourne Lights are one of our favorite WDW holiday activities. They are fantastic!

 

[heartse]

Haven't read all the replies...

OP, have you considered just doing the party, and not buying a regular ticket for the day? You get to enter the park at 4, and would have plenty of time for rides and such from 4 to midnight. Plus, the lines for the rides are super short during the party, which is a major bonus!

 

[CutlerP]

We were there for MNSSHP in September, got to the park around 430...I forget exactly what we were doing, but at one point, I would guess it was shortly after 7 - we were on Main Street to do a little shopping. At that time many of the doors entering the shops were closed with a CM directing guests to one "central" door, where wristbands were checked on the way into the shop. No wristband...no shopping.

 

[disneycraz]

If I remember correctly it does Snow in Hollywood Studios near the Osborne Lights. You can always go over there in the evening. It's really beautiful. I agree with others, we pay a lot of extra money to go into the parties, It wouldn't be fair for others to experience what we pay extra to see. Sorry, just my opinion?

 

[tmj212]

Well I should hope so!! I paid $300 for my family to enjoy this party and we are not rich. I'm not sure in the end if it will be 'worth it' for us, but I belive it will be.

Before I bought the tix, I asked the CM about how strict they are about party crashers. I didn't want to be the only schmoe that paid for something that others could get for free. Reading your post--I see that my concerns were valid.

Just put yourself in the shoes of guests that paid for this experience and others were trying to get a 'little of the magic' for free.

 

[Bluegrrl]

Yes, they shoo you out. At MNSSHP, we were in Gaston's tavern and cm's swept through to make sure everyone was banded. It was around 6-7pm.

Should they do this? Heck yeah. It's a private ticketed event that has been going on for years and everyone should know that this is how it is - it shouldn't be a surprise for anyone.

If you want "Christmas Magic", there are a few options for you:

Go to DHS and see the Osborne lights. They have a cool light show, and it does snow there. It's free.
Do a "ginger crawl" at all the hotels. Basically, just walk around various resorts and look at all the cool decor and gingerbread houses.
Go to EPCOT and visit all the "Santas" at each country.
Go to DTD and visit "Santa" there.
Just get a ticket for the party, not the full day, and go in at 4pm. You can then go to all the events, and have cookies, go to basically "walk-on" rides, go to the dance parties and meet all the characters. It's fun, and cheaper than a full day ticket.

One secret for you: if you are military, and you are going to one of the early parties, you can get tickets for around $48 per person. You have to buy them at Shades, I think, and they are honored by Disney even if the party is sold out that day. It's a very good bargain.

 

[Jennasis]

Ooh! For additional holiday magic, try going on a tour of the RV loops at Fort Wilderness! Some of the folks there go hog wild with the Christmas decor.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes, they shoo you out. At MNSSHP, we were in Gaston's tavern and cm's swept through to make sure everyone was banded. It was around 6-7pm.

Should they do this? Heck yeah. It's a private ticketed event that has been going on for years and everyone should know that this is how it is - it shouldn't be a surprise for anyone.

If you had someone shoo you out before 7, you had a rogue CM. Guests are absolutely entitled to use every minute of park time up until 7.

If I was in Gaston's at 6:30 and someone came through, I would just smile and say fine......then sit there and finish my food.

I guess a lot of it boils down to how the CM approaches it. If they are coming through to remind everyone the park closes early and they just have X minutes left, no issue with me. If they try to get me to leave at 6:30 or 6:45, then that's not right. But I'm not going to let it bother me because I know I have until 7 and will stay until then.

 

[AmyB2006]

I was just going to say what someone else already, I think... you can get in the park at 4 pm with a party ticket. The party ends at midnight. That's 8 hours. A lot LESS people than normal hours so lines are much shorter.

This way, you don't need a 1 day ticket for entry, just the party ticket. The two hours you would lose would be more than made up for by the lack of crowds that are there.

Something to consider.

 

[Robo]

I was just going to say what someone else already, I think... you can get in the park at 4 pm with a party ticket. The party ends at midnight. That's 8 hours. A lot LESS people than normal hours so lines are much shorter.

This way, you don't need a 1 day ticket for entry, just the party ticket. The two hours you would lose would be more than made up for by the lack of crowds that are there.

Something to consider.

This is not such a "bargain" as it sounds if the guest already has (or will buy) multi-day park tickets.

While comparing the cost of a one-day MK ticket to the cost of a single MK Party ticket,
it appears like the Party ticket is comparable or better.

However, if you compare the cost of an MK ticket in a, say, 5-day (or more) multi-ticket, that cost drops dramatically on a per-day basis.
But, the Party ticket price remains the same and (comparatively) costly.

 

[tony67]

Go to DHS and see the Osborne lights. They have a cool light show, and it does snow there. It's free.

Was just going to mention this.
I decided not to do the party - I don't see the value for me - and I'd rather go over and see the lights - they are much more Christmasy than the MVMCP IMO.

Of course I'm sure that will become a ticketed event at some point too - I think they already sell a VIP pass of some sort for it.

 

[cakebaker]

This is not such a "bargain" as it sounds if the guest already has (or will buy) multi-day park tickets.

While comparing the cost of a one-day MK ticket to the cost of a single MK Party ticket,
it appears like the Party ticket is comparable or better.

However, if you compare the cost of an MK ticket in a, say, 5-day (or more) multi-ticket, that cost drops dramatically on a per-day basis.
But, the Party ticket price remains the same and (comparatively) costly.

That's exactly why we just go ahead and add the day on even though with park hopping we could do it without a ticket for party day. The add on days become so inexpensive that it doesn't make sense to not get the extra day and keep the flexibility.

But as I understand it, the OP was just going to be there for 1 day, and in that case, a party ticket is a good deal.