Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Central 2005

[Joanna71985]

Where do you buy the tickets for the MVMCP and MNSSHP tickets? Online? Over the phone? I really hope to go this year, so I am trying to find out everything there is to know.

 

[Emilee's mom]

This may seem like a dumb question, but do they close the park to everyone who doesn't have a wristband from 7pm for the rest of the evening? We are comtemplating going one evening when we are there but according to the dates that means the MK will be closed for 5 evenings of our trip!

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Yes, that means it will close at 5pm! I would just plan around the schedule.

 

[beattyfamily]

This may seem like a dumb question, but do they close the park to everyone who doesn't have a wristband from 7pm for the rest of the evening? We are comtemplating going one evening when we are there but according to the dates that means the MK will be closed for 5 evenings of our trip!

Yes, in December the park closes early many nights. This is a hard ticket event that is held after the park is close and to get in you must buy a ticket.

The park closes at 6:00p party nights.

Where do you buy the tickets for the MVMCP and MNSSHP tickets? Online? Over the phone? I really hope to go this year, so I am trying to find out everything there is to know.

When they go on sale you can buy them over the phone or at WDW and then usually a couple of weeks later they become available to buy online as well at www.disney.com under Special Events.

 

[Joanna71985]

Thanks a lot!

 

[Mickey's Sister]

We check in on the 23rd...I hope they might add our date...but if not..its ok.

Now I really need help planning this trip-I have never been at wdw for Christmas. We are doing the dining plan and want to do CP for Christmas eve. Anyone know when CP tickets usually go on sale? Anyone have a list of must do's(we are experienced wdw visitors-and will be going again just not at Christmas) So what do you do? I am expecting massive crowds, but really don't do well waiting...(not good for me I know)...but we are night owls and I am hoping to get our ride fixes in at the late EE. Does anyone have some ideas for me? Also I really need a clothing list-what is cold? TIA

We were at Disney the week after Thanksgiving 2005. It was quite cold for half of the trip. My DSis has lived outside Orlando for almost 14 years & warned me to be prepared for anything. Still, I brought mostly shorts & was only able to wear them a few days. We actually wore down parkas to MVMCP & CP - and I'm a northerner. (It was 19 degrees when we left PA.) We had 2 evenings in the upper 30's/low 40's. So be prepared!

CP is IMHO, the best holiday offering. It should be incredibly magical on Christmas Eve! We LOVED it! I'm probably one of the very few who did not much enjoy MVMCP. The parade & fireworks were awesome & I think everyone should try it at least once, just to see for yourself. It's probably just me but I did not feel especially 'Christmasy'. Despite reading the many threads & making plans, we always seemed to be in the area of the biggest crowds. Plus I was disappointed to be shuttled to Frontierland rather then Tomorrowland for the hour before 7. There was very little there that we wanted to do. If I had known about this, we would have scheduled dinner at that time. Instead, we had a large late lunch so we could devote as much time as possible to the party. We looked longingly at the happy diners in LTT, wishing we could join them. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say! I would suggest making ADR's as soon as you get your MVMCP tickets (or as soon after that as allowed)at your favorite MK sit-down restaurant to help cover the 6 - 7 time period. If you've never done LTT - it's a lovely meal & it looked especially festive for the holidays. My only outright complaint was about the picture takers for the free photo. The ones we had to deal with were unbelievably rude. I've never encountered behavior like that at Disney. My Dsis & her boyfriend - both former long-term CM'S - were extremely upset by the behavior & for the first time ever complained to guest services. These picture takers were talking in Spanish about the guests assuming no one could understand them. Dsis's boyfriend is fluent & so knew what was said & confronted them. Not a good experience... Then to top it off our pictures were awful, though many here have received good pictures. It might just be our bad luck.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Osborne Lights. Crowds were small & the whole atmosphere was very magical.

I also recommend visiting the different resorts to see their holiday decorations. WL is stunning - even more so at Christmas than usual... The GF lobby is very impressive as well - you must see the huge gingerbread house! You might want to consider booking one of the carriage rides during your visit to a resort. WL offers a 'sleigh ride' (the carriage is decorated to look like a sleigh). FW has a hayride through the campground which is supposed to be a lot of fun - they pass the decorated campsites & everyone sings carols. I've read about this here but have not experienced it first hand.

Sorry for getting a bit off topic. Enjoy your planning. We were doing the same thing last year at this time. That's a big part of the fun!!!

Jessica

 

[Joanna71985]

Mickey's Sister, would you suggest getting advanced reservations to the CP at Epcot? I am thinking about going and I'm not sure if I should just wing it when I'm there, or order it in advance.

 

[canwegosoon]

We were at Disney the week after Thanksgiving 2005. It was quite cold for half of the trip. My DSis has lived outside Orlando for almost 14 years & warned me to be prepared for anything. Still, I brought mostly shorts & was only able to wear them a few days. We actually wore down parkas to MVMCP & CP - and I'm a northerner. (It was 19 degrees when we left PA.) We had 2 evenings in the upper 30's/low 40's. So be prepared!

CP is IMHO, the best holiday offering. It should be incredibly magical on Christmas Eve! We LOVED it! I'm probably one of the very few who did not much enjoy MVMCP. The parade & fireworks were awesome & I think everyone should try it at least once, just to see for yourself. It's probably just me but I did not feel especially 'Christmasy'. Despite reading the many threads & making plans, we always seemed to be in the area of the biggest crowds. Plus I was disappointed to be shuttled to Frontierland rather then Tomorrowland for the hour before 7. There was very little there that we wanted to do. If I had known about this, we would have scheduled dinner at that time. Instead, we had a large late lunch so we could devote as much time as possible to the party. We looked longingly at the happy diners in LTT, wishing we could join them. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say! I would suggest making ADR's as soon as you get your MVMCP tickets (or as soon after that as allowed)at your favorite MK sit-down restaurant to help cover the 6 - 7 time period. If you've never done LTT - it's a lovely meal & it looked especially festive for the holidays. My only outright complaint was about the picture takers for the free photo. The ones we had to deal with were unbelievably rude. I've never encountered behavior like that at Disney. My Dsis & her boyfriend - both former long-term CM'S - were extremely upset by the behavior & for the first time ever complained to guest services. These picture takers were talking in Spanish about the guests assuming no one could understand them. Dsis's boyfriend is fluent & so knew what was said & confronted them. Not a good experience... Then to top it off our pictures were awful, though many here have received good pictures. It might just be our bad luck.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Osborne Lights. Crowds were small & the whole atmosphere was very magical.

I also recommend visiting the different resorts to see their holiday decorations. WL is stunning - even more so at Christmas than usual... The GF lobby is very impressive as well - you must see the huge gingerbread house! You might want to consider booking one of the carriage rides during your visit to a resort. WL offers a 'sleigh ride' (the carriage is decorated to look like a sleigh). FW has a hayride through the campground which is supposed to be a lot of fun - they pass the decorated campsites & everyone sings carols. I've read about this here but have not experienced it first hand.

Sorry for getting a bit off topic. Enjoy your planning. We were doing the same thing last year at this time. That's a big part of the fun!!!

Jessica

Jessica thank you for your awsome post...I am c/p it to a file for my Christmas Plans. I think I am going to book a meal at GF again to get over to see the Gingerbread house. I am hoping to get into VWL or BWV (I know I will be waitlisted). Any one have suggestions for Christmas Day? I am traveling with 2 boys and hoping to have a small tree and will probably ship a 2 gifts from Santa with a note that the rest are at home. I also want to do a Santa meet, and the Story Tellers at Epcot. I am hoping to do LeCellier for Christmas eve with the CP 2nd choice is the Beirgarten...I bet that would look nice for Christmas too.

Has anyone else heard of some great ideas for Christmas.

 

[Mickey's Sister]

Mickey's Sister, would you suggest getting advanced reservations to the CP at Epcot? I am thinking about going and I'm not sure if I should just wing it when I'm there, or order it in advance.

I would definitely advise getting advanced reservations for CP. I subscribed to a CP thread here and I reads post from many disappointed people. There are some who don't mind just waiting in line, but to me it just wastes so much park time and there is no guarantee that you'll get a seat. I guess it depends too when you are going, which of the 3 show times you want to attend, and how many are in your party. I look at it this way, we have to eat anyway, so I buy the package & guarantee the seat. Plus I'm an obsessive planner so take that into consideration, LOL! Whatever you choose to do, it's definitely a worthwhile experience. My son & I absolutely loved it.

Enjoy!

Jessica

 

[Mickey's Sister]

Jessica thank you for your awsome post...I am c/p it to a file for my Christmas Plans. I think I am going to book a meal at GF again to get over to see the Gingerbread house. I am hoping to get into VWL or BWV (I know I will be waitlisted). Any one have suggestions for Christmas Day? I am traveling with 2 boys and hoping to have a small tree and will probably ship a 2 gifts from Santa with a note that the rest are at home. I also want to do a Santa meet, and the Story Tellers at Epcot. I am hoping to do LeCellier for Christmas eve with the CP 2nd choice is the Beirgarten...I bet that would look nice for Christmas too.

Has anyone else heard of some great ideas for Christmas.

You're welcome! It's fun for me because talking about Disney is the next best thing to being there.

Speaking of Christmas trees, last year triplefigs arranged a tree swap. Someone would buy a little tree for their resort stay, put lights & decorations on it & then at the end of their stay would pass it on to another pre-arranged person who would also add things & then pass it on to someone else, and so on... Maybe someone will do that again.

The Santa at DTD was absolutely Great!!! One of the best I've ever seen. We saw him in the early afternoon & there was no line. Plus there was no pressure to buy the photo package. They let you take your own photos at the same time.

I would book Le Cellier as soon as it is possible. That one seemed to be a very difficult ADR to get, I would grab that the day it becomes available - seriously! Especially for Christmas Eve. We actually did the Biergarten & ended up not liking the food The staff was lovely & it's a very festive environment, but there was almost nothing we liked to eat. But everyone's taste is different...

I agree with the dinner at GF idea! We always eat dinner at 1900 Park Fare on the day we arrive at Disney. It's especially lovely at the GF at night, when they have the live music playing, plus add those incredible holiday decorations...(wow, I envy you!) Then we take a ride around the monorail loop.

Another thing your boys might like, depending on their ages, is the Winter Summerland miniature golf. It's all Santa/Christmas themed. We had hoped to do that too, but couldn't fit it in the schedule.

The resorts all have special things going on around Christmas - visits from characters, live carolers & music, gingerbread decorating - it varies by resort. It's usually on Deb Wills's site as soon as it's available. So you'll know what your resort is offering.

Now before I get into serious trouble for being off-topic... SORRY!

Jessica

 

[Madi100]

Mickey's Sister, would you suggest getting advanced reservations to the CP at Epcot? I am thinking about going and I'm not sure if I should just wing it when I'm there, or order it in advance.

I'm going to second you getting advance reservations. We were going to just get in line. We were visiting DVC that day and our guide told us to save it for our next trip and get reservations.

 

[canwegosoon]

You're welcome! It's fun for me because talking about Disney is the next best thing to being there.

Speaking of Christmas trees, last year triplefigs arranged a tree swap. Someone would buy a little tree for their resort stay, put lights & decorations on it & then at the end of their stay would pass it on to another pre-arranged person who would also add things & then pass it on to someone else, and so on... Maybe someone will do that again.

The Santa at DTD was absolutely Great!!! One of the best I've ever seen. We saw him in the early afternoon & there was no line. Plus there was no pressure to buy the photo package. They let you take your own photos at the same time.

I would book Le Cellier as soon as it is possible. That one seemed to be a very difficult ADR to get, I would grab that the day it becomes available - seriously! Especially for Christmas Eve. We actually did the Biergarten & ended up not liking the food The staff was lovely & it's a very festive environment, but there was almost nothing we liked to eat. But everyone's taste is different...

I agree with the dinner at GF idea! We always eat dinner at 1900 Park Fare on the day we arrive at Disney. It's especially lovely at the GF at night, when they have the live music playing, plus add those incredible holiday decorations...(wow, I envy you!) Then we take a ride around the monorail loop.

Another thing your boys might like, depending on their ages, is the Winter Summerland miniature golf. It's all Santa/Christmas themed. We had hoped to do that too, but couldn't fit it in the schedule.

The resorts all have special things going on around Christmas - visits from characters, live carolers & music, gingerbread decorating - it varies by resort. It's usually on Deb Wills's site as soon as it's available. So you'll know what your resort is offering.

Now before I get into serious trouble for being off-topic... SORRY!

Jessica

Yes I am definatly doing the LC as the CP dining...I have heard it is impossible to get an ADR otherwise(I will try as we are on the dining plan). Any advice as to going to CP first then dinner or vice versa...I am trying to get a feel for it, but have never done it, so don't know what to do as far as booking and ADR. I am aware of the CC hilding the reservation. Is it something like the Fantasmic dinner package? That I have done a few times. Any advice on when to see Osborne lights? I was thinking about that too as a must do.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yes I am definatly doing the LC as the CP dining...I have heard it is impossible to get an ADR otherwise(I will try as we are on the dining plan). Any advice as to going to CP first then dinner or vice versa...I am trying to get a feel for it, but have never done it, so don't know what to do as far as booking and ADR. I am aware of the CC hilding the reservation. Is it something like the Fantasmic dinner package? That I have done a few times. Any advice on when to see Osborne lights? I was thinking about that too as a must do.

Last year the Candlelight Processional package was covered under the dining plan!

I prefer eating and then going to the 6:45p show but it really depends on whether you have kids or if you like to eat early or late.

Many like to see the show and then eat. My kids couldn't handle eating that late.

Some do not like the first show for fear it won't be dark yet.

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

It will be dark for the 6:45 show right? What are the times for the CP?

 

[beattyfamily]

It will be dark for the 6:45 show right? What are the times for the CP?

Yes, it's definitely dark for the 6:45p show.

The times are 5:00p, 6:45p and 8:15p

 

[gssmks]

I have been to WDW twice and both were during off season (Oct. and Mar). Priority seating was a must even then for some of the restaurants. The two that I remember were the Sci-fi Dine Theatre (which I happen to love) and Crystal Palace. We had PS, but at both I saw people try to just walk in. At Sci-fi, they were told approximately 1 1/2 hour wait, and for CP they were told that all seatings were taken for the entire day. This was our Oct 2004 trip. CP was on a Saturday, which is always busier, but Sci-fi was a Thursday. Thanks to these board and my habit of over planning, I knew in advance to have PS. We ate in all of the restaurants we wanted, but I marked the calendar and called on the first day allowed to get them. I even got PS for breakfast in the castle with Cinderella on my first try. That's my claim to fame.

Bottom line, decide where you want to eat and get PS. My problem is in deciding where to eat. What is everyone's favorite restaurant for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners?

 

[Madi100]

Yes I am definatly doing the LC as the CP dining...I have heard it is impossible to get an ADR otherwise(I will try as we are on the dining plan). Any advice as to going to CP first then dinner or vice versa...I am trying to get a feel for it, but have never done it, so don't know what to do as far as booking and ADR. I am aware of the CC hilding the reservation. Is it something like the Fantasmic dinner package? That I have done a few times. Any advice on when to see Osborne lights? I was thinking about that too as a must do.

We planned on seeing the lights, but we didn't plan any certain night. The night we chose we arrived in the area where they start them, and there were TONS of people. But, it was awesome to see them turn them all on and to hear the "radio announcers". Once they turned the lights on, we snuck into a little coffee shop and had some hot cocoa. Then we went back outside and walked the streets. Waiting that 20 minutes really helped to clear the congestion up a little bit.

 

[Mickey's Sister]

Yes I am definatly doing the LC as the CP dining...I have heard it is impossible to get an ADR otherwise(I will try as we are on the dining plan). Any advice as to going to CP first then dinner or vice versa...I am trying to get a feel for it, but have never done it, so don't know what to do as far as booking and ADR. I am aware of the CC hilding the reservation. Is it something like the Fantasmic dinner package? That I have done a few times. Any advice on when to see Osborne lights? I was thinking about that too as a must do.

When you call for your CP ressies they will ask the date & showtime you want to see (5:00, 6:45, or 8:15), plus the number in your party. After you choose your showtime, they will ask you what 'tier' dining package you want. There are 3 tiers - tier 1 being the least expensive & tier 3 the most expensive (LC is tier 3). They will then tell you what times are available based upon the showtime you selected. We saw the 6:45 show. I was advised to skip the 5:00 because it is not fully dark & you don't get the full effect of the candlelight. We didn't choose the 8:15 because we wanted to leave ample time before Illuminations to find a spot, use restrooms etc. Based on this, we had an ADR of 4:30. A little early for dinner, though till we were seated etc. it was 5:00. We had a late breakfast/brunch that day so it worked out for us. We didn't want to have dinner after the show for fear we would miss Illuminations - one of my all-time favorite Disney spectacles. Illuminations has an extra part added for Christmas accompanied by 'Let There Be Peace On Earth'. We really didn't want to miss that. Others can tell you how it worked with the DP. Under normal circumstances you pay for your package immediately. But I've heard different things posted from people on DP, so I don't know. When we did the Fantasmic package, they didn't actually charge us until the night of the event - though this was in 2003, so it may have changed.

We saw Osborne Lights on a Tuesday night. We did a split day between AK & MGM, arriving at MGM just in time for the parade. It drizzled off & on all day so park attendance was sparse both places. We wandered over when that area was open - very informal. I had heard about crowds going through in a big bunch, but that wasn't our experience. We really enjoyed the holiday parade too. We got a spot directly opposite the park entrance. If you face the entrance - as we did from this spot - the parade exits to the right. It was the best parade view we've ever had. Santa was just feet away. We just happened to be at that spot when the parade was coming - I never would have thought to 'park' myself there.

Jessica

 

[kath1210]

What is everyone's favorite restaurant for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners?

Last year, we did the Candlelight Processional package at Le Cellier on Christmas Eve - show first, then dinner. For Christmas dinner, we had ADRs at Trails End because the food choices looked so good.

However, we were so full from our brunch at Chef Mickey's that we cancelled dinner. I have a great memory of my DD and I sitting on a bench near the American Adventure, sharing a turkey leg and popcorn, and listening to John Stamos do the CP narration. It was awesome!

 

[gssmks]

Hey guys, the Disboards Home page has a place to click for 2006 MVMCP dates. Is appears that they are this years dates. If so, there will be a party the 19th, 21st and 22nd.