Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party????

[JoyG]

If you have tickets to the party, what time can you enter the park? Can you not enter until 7 unless you use a day's admission? I'd like to just have the party ticket but get there early enough to have dinner beforehand. Is that possible?

Thanks

 

[MermaidMommy]

If you have tickets to the party, what time can you enter the park? Can you not enter until 7 unless you use a day's admission? I'd like to just have the party ticket but get there early enough to have dinner beforehand. Is that possible?

Thanks

They will start letting you in the park at 4:00. When we went, it was a great time to get there, because a lot of people who weren't staying for the party were already starting to leave. We took the morning of the party off from touring that day (didn't have to use a ticket and rested up so DD would be able to stay up late), went in around 4, and found the park so deserted that it was eerie. We were actually the only people walking through Frontierland at one point -- it really felt like a ghost town! We roda BTMRR 3 times in a row without waiting and were the only people in the entire queue for Pirates so we rode that by ourselves, too. It was unbelievable!!!

 

[disneypofq05]

Thanks for all the great info. We are going to go but what day of the week would you suggest or does it not matter? I can't wait!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

This is our first trip with the kids. DD's are 9 & 7, I could not imagine not doing everything Disney that I could possibly afford to do. I may never get to take my kids there again. I just live everyday to the fullest and that includes my trip to Disney. I am going to give my kids the World (the Disney one that is) and that includes the MVMCP. We have friends from our church who just happen to be going the same time and we scheduled to do this together so the kids can have a great time.

 

[bjscheel]

I think we are going to do it too! This thread has confirmed it! We are not so concerned about riding rides, I think my girls would be more interested in the parades, shows, and the CHARACTERS! Do you see a lot of different characters/different outfits than usual? The princes would be great.

 

[goofie4goofy]

We went last year (second seek of Dec) and are going again this year same time. We are going to MVMCP on the 12th. When I bought the tickets, I was told (and learned from last year) that going on a weeknight, espically a Tues night before school is out for holiday break is the best time to go.

We are going to do the same thing as last year since it worked out perfectly for us. We have ADR's at the CG for 5:30. It is the first seating available. Not only is the restaurant quiet, but the sunset is beautiful. Being in the CG at that time, watching the sun go down and seeing all the lights go on in the MK while enjoying great wine and fabulous food is beyond description. We take our time, then get on the monorail and ride it around to the MK for the party. We got there around 7:30, no big crowds. We did not rush to get hot chocolate or cookies or pictures. We took it all in. Even if you don;t go on a ride, it is magical. We did not watch the first parade, but did the second one then got a primo spot in front of the castle for the most amazing fireworks show I have ever seen. We had a great time. Is it worth it? Definately.

Everyone has their own preference and traditions. This is what works for us, we don't have children which makes a huge difference in our plans as opposed to a family with small children or large groups. We did not have any crowds last year, but we did avoid the LTT and getting to the park early. I guess by the time we got there the mad rush to get in was over. We stayed pretty late and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

[sgmom]

I feel so new to this... can someone explain to be about the MVMCP? We are going the 2nd week in December and since not much research has been completed, I figured this was something included with the regular park admission. Where do I find out info. on these types of things? Does MK close every evening at a certain time to non-ticket holders? If so, it would definitely be beneficial to attend this event.... Can this be purchased on arrival to Disney or do I need to purchase prior to our trip and decide on a specific night?

Also, what is the weather like in December at Disney - day and night? Boy, I have a lot of work ahead of me

 

[S.Poppins]

We went last year on a week day the first week in Dec. and really enjoyed it. However, it was much more crowded than we expected. Lines for rides were actually longer than any other time during our trip. It had rained kind of off and on all day, so no snow and we looked horrible for our free pic. But parade and fireworks were great. I would do it again.

 

[MermaidMommy]

I feel so new to this... can someone explain to be about the MVMCP? We are going the 2nd week in December and since not much research has been completed, I figured this was something included with the regular park admission. Where do I find out info. on these types of things? Does MK close every evening at a certain time to non-ticket holders? If so, it would definitely be beneficial to attend this event.... Can this be purchased on arrival to Disney or do I need to purchase prior to our trip and decide on a specific night?

Also, what is the weather like in December at Disney - day and night? Boy, I have a lot of work ahead of me

I'll see if I can summarize this for you. MVMCP = Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and it is what is called a "hard ticket" event, meaning that even if you have already used up a day's entry, you still have to pay for the ticket to go to the party. They have a special Christmas parade, a special fireworks presentation, and special shows, it snows on Main Street, there's cookies and hot chocolate included with the ticket, and you get a complimentary family picture. If you're going the second week of December, the parade, fireworks, and some of the shows will not be performed except during the party. In the past, the park closes at 6pm for guests not attending the party, and while MVMCP technically starts at 7, they start letting party guests in at 4pm. You can buy the tickets at WDW or you can buy them for a specific night before you go, but at that time of year the tickets typically don't sell out except for the occasional weekend date.

As far as characters go, we have great pictures of DD in her Sleeping Beauty dress with Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip -- they look like a little royal family! Prince Charming was signing autographs with Cinderella as well. Donald Duck has a tree lot with characters, and Pinocchio has a little dance party where he and other characters dance with the kids.

Be prepared for anything as far as weather goes. We were there for a week the second week of Dec. as well, and we started out in the 80s with me wishing we had packed shorts, to highs in the low 40s by the last day. That night was a coooooold MVMCP!! Usually, you'll need a sweatshirt in the morning and evening and Tshirt in afternoon, but boy was I glad that we had packed heavy coats, hats and gloves just in case.

Besides the wealth of information you can get on these boards, you can get all kinds of information on this event and anything else you need to know about WDW at wdwinfo.com (the DIS boards actual web site), allearsnet.com, or mousesavers.com (geared toward saving at WDW.) Poke around them and have fun planning!

 

[sgmom]

Thanks for the info. especially with the variety of weather temps!

 

[Katy Belle]

We are going Dec. 12!!! I had a hard time deciding to, but decided since we should go for it. We are doing Disney Quest earlier in the day and then hitting the party late afternoon, so we don't waste a Park Hopper day. Good luck in making your decision!
Katy

 

[ppony]

We went back in early/mid Dec 2003 and found it the most delightful time! I'm a serious person for steering WAY clear of crows with anxiety issues and I ahd no problems. Not much for waiting anywhere except the hoards for the parades but they are always like that. We loved it so much we'll be going twice this trip.
Hey! I'm going the 12th too. And the 15th.

 

[princessbride6205]

We'll be attending our very first MVMCP this December and I am SOOOO excited! The holidays are usually my favorite time of year, so I am so looking forward to getting into the holiday spirit with some Disney magic!

 

[JennyDrake]

I went in 2004 and 2005, both times on a Friday night (possibly my problem--but it was the only time I COULD go) Crowds were HEAVY and only got worse as the night went on. I kept asking myself, "Where did all of these people come from????!!!" Waits for attractions were 25-50 minutes. Yes, I'm serious--almost twice the waits of that same day, during the day. Stitch was 50, the Frontierland mountains were 30 minutes each, Buzz was 40 or more.

And you'd better hope you don't get hungry or thristy. VERY few eateries open. I waited 70 (!!!) minutes for 2 cokes at the drink and turkey leg place in Tomorrowland.

The parade is incredible and almost worth the price just to see it, and I'm not a parade person.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

I am waiting to see how the MNSSHP nights go with the 7pm closing before I buy the tickets?? Maybe if it is too crazy they will change back the closing time to 6pm for the Christmas party???

Maybe Disney has a plan??? We will see!

I love the parties!! Both of them!

I am sure everyone will post there experiences starting in September!

 

[mmmcq]

We are going to WDW the weekend before Thanksgiving when the first MVMCP kicks off. I had decided we weren't going, but then when I was on the phone with a CM about a dining reservation she looked at our whole week of dining/character meals, etc. and said "what great reservations you have, you'll have a magical trip"...."but how come you aren't going to MVMCP?" Honestly...I didn't consider it a hard sell. She was incredibly thoughtful and explained what the activities were, etc. in the end I decided to go for it.

The whole trip is currently a secret from my kids and we've never been at WDW during the holidays - so it will be very special to be there for MVMCP.

I've made a 6:15 Tony's ressie because there is a 6pm parade before the park closes at 7pm and I figured the kids could watch the parade and then we'll head inside for dinner while the rest of the park clears out. The party starts at 7pm. We'll have been at MK from 12noon on that day unless we decide to high tail it back to OKW to unpack sometime between 2-4. We'll play it by ear.

Can't wait.

 

[martyshoney]

We went two years ago and we said we would never waste the money on it again, we enjoyed ourselves immensely but the only "extra" was the snow on Main Street. They say they have a limited amount of tickets but I don't think that is the case, the park was way too over crowded. They say you can enter the park at 7:00 but that is not true, you can get in much earlier. By the time we arrived at 7:15 we could not even think to watch the first parade, the crowds were at least 10 rows deep. I would recommend adding another day to your tickets versus doing this, but that is just MHO.

 

[HollyJoy]

We did this two years ago, during the first week of December. I thought it would be really cool. We had reservations at LTT, which was great, but the event itself wasn't really all I had expected. The park was more crowded than any other time while we were there, longer lines, and the only really 'cool' thing was the free photo (which I could have done w/out) and the 'snow' on Main St. We are again going this year during the same time, but are thinking of skipping this event and doing something else.. maybe do a sleigh ride at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Epcot Mom]

I'm not even sure I want to ask this but....does anyone have a picture of the snow on main street? I have heard about this but have seen a few comments lately that make me wonder what it really is. Will seeing a picture spoil the "magic"? I would try a search but the searches never seem to work for me.
Thanks,
Epcot Mom