Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party reviews

[anneofgreengables]

We're going to WDW in December. I've read recent reviews about MVMCP being crowded with long lines for shows and cocoa. Doesn't seem worth it, so we're planning to skip it. Would love to hear from those who've gone just this past December.

Thanks.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We went in Dec 04 and 05, the 2nd Sunday of the month and it was FANTASTIC!!! There wasnt any crowds, no lines for cocoa, pictures, rides, anything! Totally worth the price of admission, we are going again this year.

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

We went in Dec 2004 and felt that it really wasn't worth the money. The special parade they had during the party at night ends up being the day parade during the Christmas break (or even a little before the break). I really thought it was overated. Being at Disney during Christmas is good enough IMHO.

 

[bleeps]

We went this past December 2005. We love the special parties (we've also done MNSSHP). The parties are simply a special experience in the parks -- the decorations, the music, the parades, the shows. We're going to MVMCP again this coming December 2006 because last year's event was so much fun.

Part of the "problem" with this board, if you will, is that sometimes people's expectations get SO built up, and also that people will complain about any and every little thing. Believe me -- I am not being critical -- it's just the reality of the forum (and I've certainly been guilty on both counts!). If you love Christmas and will be at WDW during the party time and can afford to spend the money on the tickets without feeling pinched, I personally would say you should go, have an open and happy mind, and prepare to have a great time. We didn't even bother with the cocoa or the cookies -- we had a wonderful meal at LTT just before the party started, we rode our favorite rides to our hearts' content, we had terrific interactions with special characters out just for the party, we watched the parade and special fireworks, and we hated to leave.

 

[lorli]

We are looking forward to going in December 2006. My hope is to have an even more magical experience than normal, and given all I've read, that should be a given. Holiday shows, holiday parades, character interactions pure magic. Maybe if we could get there later in the month we'd catch them during the day, but this is not an option. I can't wait.

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

GO! You'll love it - if you are worried about crowds, try and go during the week and not on a Friday - Friday nights are the most crowded.

We went just this past Dec 2, a Friday, and it wasn't bad at all - we loved the decorations, the songs, the cocoa, the parade was the best and so was the special version of Wishes.

We did the dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, so we got into the park early - and got in line to get our photos as soon as we could.

We hope to go again!

Michael

 

[te2077]

this year will be my 3rd mvmcp. i had a blast and thaught it was fun. we all put on our micky/character christmas hats and enjoy the festivities. There are good shows to watch while there too. we have seen the castle performance and the night before christmas (i believe thats what its called) show. we try to go on a week night to avoid crowds. i have not been to one thats been so overcrowded you couldnt do anything. we are going to eat at cali grill before we go and get there early to do some rides etc. im looking forward to it. i think its definately worth the money.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've been in '03, '04, and then last Dec. It is a great time. I love the shows, and try to fit in as many attractions as I can. It's just a very festive atmosphere. This past Dec was actually the first time I had the cocoa and cookies and I didn't find the lines to be long at all..had cocoa in several different places. And it was really chilly...good thing we had the cocoa!!
Is it worth the money?? I can't say. It's up to each person to decide that. Now, I'll be doing MNSSHP this year and then, most likely doing MVMCP in Dec with the grown-ups....it will be nice to have something to compare the Christmas party with...I've never done the Halloween party before.

My one piece of advice to those doing MVMCP...decide right off the bat what you are going to concentrate on...either the holiday shows or the rides. It's hard to do both effectively. I love the shows and try to fit rides in between them. Others like to do just the rides.

 

[TxDisneyFan]

Our family of 4 (DH 44, me 43, DS 10, DD 7) went on the last night - December 20, 2005.

I am ambivelent on our experience.

We got to MK around 6pm and stayed until midnight.

We enjoyed the rides with minimal waiting, the hot chocolate and cookies, Wishes fireworks. Everyone we were around seemed to be in really good spirits just enjoying the atmosphere. Snow on Main Street, cool...


Our kids got cold waiting for the parade to start (they were in their heavy coats too), waiting for free family picture - bad. Too dark when trying to take pictures of parade (we went to the last one) but didn't know it until I downloaded my pics and they were not that great. Sold out night - seemed really crowded. Could not get into the theater to see Twas the night before Christmas show.

I'm glad for the experience...but would really have to ask the family if they'd want to do it again.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Part of the "problem" with this board, if you will, is that sometimes people's expectations get SO built up,

I have to agree with this.....my expectations for MVMCP were really built up from reading about it here on the DIS. I wound up being disappointed because the night we went was incredibly crowded...and I mean, PACKED!
I honestly don't know how I would have felt if I had never heard a thing about it before going though, I was expecting that we would be the only ones there, but I was at least expecting breathing room!

 

[helenk]

I've gone to MVMCP 4 times and I love to go, I think that the parade is great and I love the shows.
The lines have been long for the cocoa and cookies, but they really went fast because they are pouring the cocoa into numerous cups at a time so I really did not wait long at all.

 

[mommyoeo]

We were also there on Dec 2 and we loved it as well. We got in at 4:00 when most guests were leaving, since the park closed at 6:00 that day. DH and I went to the rides we HAD to ride first so we could rest when the park got crowded. We had just gotten over being sick and really couldn't walk much. We giggled LOTS between 4-5:00 and knew we sounded absurd, but kept saying "These 5 minutes lines are KILLING us!" We knew the lines were great and we should feel lucky but we were too tired to stand in them. The irony cracked us up.

We will go back this year and take the children with us. It was magical for us!!

We liked the whole "party" feel to it. The characters danced with children, and cookies and hot chocolate were plentiful. I think you'll enjoy it!

After 5:00 though, it was one of the most crowded times I've ever seen. Since we went to see the parades and castle shows, we were more than happy to sit back and watch the crowds push their way around.

I'm pretty sure that the 2nd was a Friday, and I think someone mentioned that they are usually crowded on Fridays. If that's as bad as it gets, GO! It was still wonderful!

I did notice, though, that it took MUCH longer for our priority seating at Tony's. I think we had to wait an extra hour, which was fine with us but would have been bad if our 3 children were with us. Next time, I'm not sure how we'll eat but it won't be at Tony's!! GAG! If you can't get into the good places, I suggest you stick to cookies all night. Anything would have been better than Tony's!

One more thing! I bought our tickets a few weeks before the party by calling disney. I thought the price sounded high and when I questioned it, the CM assured me it was right. When I picked them up though, I had been charged full price instead of the advance price. I was mad at first but DH said we'd wasted so much money already that $20 shouldn't ruin our trip!!

 

[princessarielle]

This will be our first trip in December and I can't wait to go to the party. It's driving me crazy that you can't buy tickets yet. I think they are available in May. Anyways, What I've found by reading comments and reviews on the boards is that you can have 2 different people be there the same day and one will praise it while the other hated it. One persons idea of crowded is a lot different than anothers. I'm excited about going to this and if I like it great and if not then I'll know for the future. We usually go in January so this may be the one and only time I get to do it so I'm going to go in with an open mind and hopefully enjoy myself. Plus, it gives me a good excuse to add to my silly Disney hat collection. I want the santa hat with Eeyore ears.
I would suggest trying it once and make your own opinion.

Maybe I'll see you there!
Lori

 

[anneofgreengables]

I read a review somewhere that they couldn't get into any of the shows because of the crowds and skipped the cocoa because of the long lines. And there was something about missing the parade, too. So it sounded like what was the point of going? Those of you who went--were you able to get into the shows and watch the parade and get the cocoa with no problems? I can probably skip the rides if we go as you can go on them any day.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

We were there on Dec. 8th and loved it! We didn't have any problems seeing the shows. There were NO lines for rides or cocoa and cookies. We were able to get a good spot for the early parade and the fireworks. Because we were there early in the month, the parade was important to us. They were still doing Share a Dream for the 3:00 parade and the fireworks were Wishes. I actually liked this because we were able to see both. The only time we waited in a line was to see Belle and Beast in their Christmas outfits and Rabbit. I think Rabbit's line was long because he isn't out as often. I loved getting the pictures with their Christmas/winter outfits. Bullseye was adorable with his striped scarf on! If you enjoy the holidays and can afford to go, I think it's a wonderful party. Main Street may be crowded as well as some areas in Fantasyland, but it shouldn't be much of a problem. I agree with the poster who suggested deciding if you want to do shows or rides. It is difficult to do everything. We finally decided that the only characters we would stop for were the ones we don't see that often. I hope you enjoy if you decide to go!

Rachel

 

[Kimberly815]

We were there December 2nd 2004 (I think) and it was fantastic.

We had no waits for anything and were offered to just stay on the rides to take a second turn. Plus, the parade is fantastic.

 

[Puffy2]

I would resist the urge to go and skip it - save your money and precious time. We went in 2004 - it was cold, crowded and we did all of
1. Riding Buzz twice
2. Saw one stage show
3. Stood in line for cookies and cocoa
4. Ate cookies and cocoa
5. Watched part of a parade over other people's heads
6. Went back to the hotel because the younger kid was "freezing and tired".

Waste of money.

 

[DeeCeeSW]

We would like to try to get into the first MVMCP since we will be in WDW right after Thanksgiving. My assumption is that the Christmas parade will not be up and running in MK at that time, so going to the Party will be worth it to us as we will be seeing things (parade, fireworks, snow, etc.) that we would not have the opportunity to see during our stay. Am I correct in this assumption or do things switch over immediately after Thanksgiving weekend?

 

[beattyfamily]

We would like to try to get into the first MVMCP since we will be in WDW right after Thanksgiving. My assumption is that the Christmas parade will not be up and running in MK at that time, so going to the Party will be worth it to us as we will be seeing things (parade, fireworks, snow, etc.) that we would not have the opportunity to see during our stay. Am I correct in this assumption or do things switch over immediately after Thanksgiving weekend?

They do not show the Christmas stuff (fireworks, parade and shows) during the day until the week of Christmas. So if you go in early December and want to see these festive things, then you'll have to go to one of the parties.

 

[kimmar067]

We're going to WDW in December. I've read recent reviews about MVMCP being crowded with long lines for shows and cocoa. Doesn't seem worth it, so we're planning to skip it. Would love to hear from those who've gone just this past December.

Thanks.

My brother visited this past December (week before XMas and during Xmas week) Although he and his DW and DD LOVED the processional and reading at Epcot, they were disappointed about the MVMCP! Yes, they agreed it was wa-a-a-a-y too crowded. They also LOVED MNSSHP, so they are probably comparing the two...