MVMCP Dec 16

[jordancej]

I agree, the crowds were horrific!!! and to boot it ended up being sold out.... even on a MNNSHP on Halloween night, i dont remember it being this bad...maybe it was??

 

[Anita_Radcliffe]

We were also there on the 16th, and just stayed away from the castle hub and Main Street, which were indeed mobbed. We just wanted to do many of the rides, which were a breeze to get on (almost no waiting and no lines to speak of). I would say the Osborne lights and snow over at Hollywood Studios was more beautiful to me than Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. Just my two cents.

 

[Princess_K]

I loved the characters but the crowds were ridiculous!!!!! I won't go back to it again.

I agree, the crowds were horrific!!! and to boot it ended up being sold out.... even on a MNNSHP on Halloween night, i dont remember it being this bad...maybe it was??

It's funny how everyone has different opinions! Because I really didn't think the crowds were that bad at all. Only after the parades were over did it get a little crowded, but that's to be expected when so many people get up at the same time. I really thought they were very manageable! We watched Wishes from the hub, close to Casey's, and I had lots of room around me!

 

[Katie's Mom]

I tend to ramble a bit on this one so if you do not want the details you may want to skip this post.

It is true that we all have our own perceptions, which become our realities. DH, DD7, and I were at the 12/16 party and thought it was crowded. To give you some background, this is our third trip back this year. We were there for spring break in March and then DH and I celebrated our anniversary in Sept. I have to say that this party compared to the crowds we experienced in March. I had convinced my DH that it would be worth it to pull DD out of school so that we would avoid the crowds that we faced during spring break. This is a bit off topic from the thread, but when we arrived on 12/16 at Epcot the board was showing at 100 min wait for Soaring. I had been working for months to convince my DD to try Soaring because although she fears many things, loves to fly; therefore this line was WAY TO LONG for her hyperactive spirit to endure. So much for the crowd level being a “4/5”. Yes, to all of you DISers I know the level was slightly upgraded the prior week. The trip was already paid for and there was no way to cancel it at that point anyway….

On to the main topic of discussion…the 12/16 MVCMP. We arrived at the park around 5:30 pm (had planned to get there earlier but DD had such a good time in EPCOT –previous trips to EPCOT had almost resulted in a “dip” in the lake due to DD’s meltdowns-that I wanted to treasure every moment in EPCOT. If you have a “spirited” child (if you do you know the book I am referring to) I HIGHLY recommend getting the passport-lifesaver! We got DD something to eat at Pinocchio’s place and then rode some rides in Fantasyland. The first thing we really wanted to do at the party was Belle’s Enchanted Christmas. DD loves Belle and I have to confess that I was really looking forward to this as well. Thanks to my previous trips and my lurking on the DIS boards I knew we needed to get there early for a seat. It is a lovely venue, but sadly has very limited seating. Being that both DH and I have OCD we were casing the venue by 6:20 for the 7:15 show. I sent my DH for an update around 6:30 and a CM advised us that they would not be opening the gates until 7:00. I also got the impression, as did my DH, that they did not want you to hover. We sat on the bridge until we saw about six individuals line up. At that point I told my family to move into action (this is when I have tell you my disappointment. (Why do we have to maneuver to get access to a show when we paid over $50 per ticket? This is just wrong. Everyone on this board can sing Disney praises to the cows come home, but no paying customer should have to exert high levels of energy to secure the services they have purchased. It is poor customer service-plain and simple.) We lined up behind two other families and prepared for “battle”. At around 6:55 the CM asked everyone to line up in single file (gasp, gasp). After this they called everyone in a family at a time. This process should be reassessed. I think that as families arrive 30 minutes before the show, they should be given a number. When it is time to enter, the families should be called accordingly. As previous posters have stated many individuals did not have any children within their group. Now before you all flame me, please focus on the event I am describing-Belle’s Enchanted Christmas, which pulls CHILDREN from the audience to participate. Adults filled the entire second row of the event I attended. I think they may have felt my eyes burn on them. There was one family that wedged themselves in front of another family that had been given seat which lead to three children not being able to see. Luckily one of the children was pulled to be in the show. This enabled everyone to shift over so that all could see. Bottom Line - The children should have the seats with the adults sitting in the back of the arena-flame away!

Now for my time to gloat. Dear DD has never been selected for any event and given her hyperactive/sensitivity it is not something I have ever anticipating happening, In fact, I was always fearful that if she were picked it would not be a pleasant experience. I can now tell you that I was wrong. As we sat and watched the show, children we picked to be in the play, Kate (DD) leaned to me and said that one of the adorable girls sitting in the front would be the perfect Angelique. Next thing I know, my DD is pulled up to be Angelique. As she went up to the stage I envisioned the meltdown that would be seen by the entire theatre (I am not a negative person but for the past 7 years I have learned to brace myself so that I could be there to catch my daughter when she hits the wall), but when I looked into her eyes I saw a calm joyful peace that I have rarely seen. For us this was truly a magical moment.

After we left Belle’s Fairytale garden we went to see the line for the 8:00 Night Before Christmas show. Forget that. The line was so long I had no idea if we would get seats for the show. Again, they really need some sort of ticketing system to monitor the crowd. We then decided to hit the early parade because DD was starting to tire. After all, we did have a full day at EPCOT and a dip at the pool before heading over to the party. There was still some time so we “saw” the show in front of the castle. Given that I am 5 ft and DD is a tiny thing we could barely see a thing. DH threw DD on his shoulders and she did enjoy the show. After the show we ran to Liberty Square to see if we could see parade. Because we did not allot the required 35-45 minutes needed to secure proper parade placement, we had limited options. Brace yourself because here is my rant. Why does Disney sell this many tickets (yes, it was a sold out event)? I should not have to sit four rows back because I decided to, gasp, partake in the show in front of the castle. In addition, I should not have to make camp on Main Street (from which I could not see the show in front of the Castle) to see the parade. We were blessed in that we happened to stand behind some kind people that allowed our DD to sit with their family so that she could see the parade. Martin from MD-if you are out there…thank you! You saved the day!

Final thoughts on MVMCP…If Disney is indeed going to sell this many tickets to the events then crowd control policies must be put in place. If I know that I cannot get into one event, I can reevaluate and go to something else. However, as a paying customer I must express my concern over the fact that Disney sells so many tickets that I was not able to attend all of the events that I planned to attend. I paid for a service and when I reflect on what events I was able to attend, I would have to say that the party did not meet my expectations. Fortunately, I did read the boards prior to my trip and I was able to prepare for the event. If I had not read the board, I would have been extremely disappointed. A customer should not have to “prepare” for a trip to Disney. The company should provide services that meet the customer’s need without the customer doing the legwork.

Just my two cents...

Happy Holidays!

 

[KSBelle]

We also "enjoyed" MVMCP on the 16th. I was dismayed to see the party was sold out but DH & I traveling alone and WDW Vets thought we could see and do it all. And had things gone smoothly we might have.And here's the glitch.
The only pic I wanted was Belle in her red dress. At 6:45 we went to the stroller area by Small World and it was filled with -well-strollers. I asked a CM where is Belle for pics & was directed to the storytelling area. I said "No" that's just storytelling and she said that's where to go. So---walked a little farther on & asked another CM who said she didn't know Belle "had a red dress"!!! So--- stopped another CM who said "go back up by Small World"-"they will have moved the strollers out by now and set up for Belle" Back to the Stroller area which is filled with---Strollers. Frustration is setting in. The next CM said to go to Toontown and she is with the Princesses. Go there and 2 CM's say "NO-she is at Small World area" Tell them my tale and one gets on the radio and finds out she is at Toontown and we procede to wait in line 30 min. and get in the room and NO Belle. The CM from earlier spots me in line and asks me to come with him. He apoligizes and says Belle is on a 30 min on/30 min off schedule and is off now. But he says if I'll come back to the entrance at 8:00 pm he will get us in the back way so I don't have to stand in line again. We then browsed the gift shop and went back at 8:00 and he took us in the back way and we had a "Private Picture taking session" with Belle & Beast. Well--I got the pic and it took 1 1/2 hours to do so -and there is the reason I didn't get to see it ALL. But I do have a pic of Belle in her Red Dress!
I just wish the CM's would all be advised of who is where!
The fireworks are awesome but I think I like MNSSHP parade better.
Glad we went- and would do it again- even on a sold out night!

 

[granmaz]

I really think you should complain to Disney. I did send one off about the 12/9 party, but some of the points I have just read are so very true and well written, and should be addressed.

 

[ktlm]

I agree that the Dec 16 crowd was miserable!! I suspect the CMs were pushing Tuesdays as maybe they haven't been as crowded in the past? I know when I called to buy tickets months ago and was leaning toward Sunday or Thursday, the CM really pushed Tuesday as being better because of the discount and probably lower crowds. I would never go on a Tuesday night again. We tried to go see the 1st parade after the 7:00 Twas the Night Show (a show we sat and waited for an hour to see and were still 5 or 6 rows back)- impossible. We could not find any place anywhere that my 2 year old would be able to see. Some people scooted to make a spot for us since we had such a little one (under the rope but third row of people back) and as we were crawling under the rope to the spot, parents with 2 teenagers jumped from the street over the two rows of people in front and into the spot we were getting to and wouldn't move- they ignored us and the people that had made room for us). We gave up trying to see the 1st parade and just hoped we could get our DD to stay up for the second one. We wanted to get a picture of our DD with Mickey in his Christmas clothes, but when we got there the CM told us there was a 2 HOUR wait!!! We did have a good time. We took DD to the dance party with the stepsisters and stepmother and she loved it. There was no line for hot chocolate and cookies back in Fantasyland. We made it to the 2nd parade. I would say the event was worth it- except for the crowds.

 

[Katie's Mom]

I really think you should complain to Disney. I did send one off about the 12/9 party, but some of the points I have just read are so very true and well written, and should be addressed.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestion. I think I will draft a letter expressing my concerns.

Happy Holidays!

 

[WUVmyDISNEY]

Well, I have to say that we went on the 16th also and we totally loved it!! I realize that people with young kids who want to see all the special character greetings and shows may be dissapointed with the long waits. Me, DH and DS (17) have no complaints whatsoever. I felt that walking down Main Street with all of the snow and Christmas music was the highlight of our trip for me! I realized at one point that I was just smiling ear to ear and felt so happy! I wasn't feeling well so we did not arrive at the party until 8pm and we were going to watch the first parade near Tony's. It had gotten a bit crowded with people who had saved spots etc for others who showed up right before the parade beginning. We decided to just tour around the park and went on a POTC. There was virtually no line for for hot chocolate or cookies in that area and we visited there twice! My son went on Space Mt and Astro Orbitor and they were walk ons as was POTC. He also saw the 10:15 (I think that was the time) Twas the night before Christmas show (which my husband and I did not get to see). We did see some characters roaming around the park and got some pics. Dh and I went back to the Tony's area (after I went to the Emporium to get my castle lights blanket!!!!!) and got a front row spot for the parade 20 minutes prior to it starting. All in all, although I was worried about arriving late and it being sold out, I had a great time. DH was reluctant to go since we had read a lot of negative reviews about the party on Dis, but he loved it also. If my goal was to see all of the little shows and character greetings, I can see how there are dissapointed people, but for us, we just soaked up the sights and feelings and truly enjoyed it.

 

[tgropp]

Crowds were large but manageable for the 12/16 party. We had a great time but the 8:00 show at the Galaxy theater was cancelled due to a sickness of a castmember, which I found odd. There were a lot of mad people that had waited over an hour in the lineup. Other than fantasyland, all rides were a walkon.

 

[minnie56]

Crowds were large but manageable for the 12/16 party. We had a great time but the 8:00 show at the Galaxy theater was cancelled due to a sickness of a castmember, which I found odd. There were a lot of mad people that had waited over an hour in the lineup. Other than fantasyland, all rides were a walkon.

Oh yess...DD and I went to the 7pm show..but it was standing room only. So we waited an hour for the next one--we were at the ropes-1st in line--when they told us it was likely cancelled so we went and did other things and came back for the last one...whoever was sick made a valiant effort to muddle through or they replaced him-her..

Good show, fun night!

 

[tgropp]

Oh yess...DD and I went to the 7pm show..but it was standing room only. So we waited an hour for the next one--we were at the ropes-1st in line--when they told us it was likely cancelled so we went and did other things and came back for the last one...whoever was sick made a valiant effort to muddle through or they replaced him-her..

Good show, fun night!

We must have been standing very close to each other as we were sitting in front of the waiting line

 

[minnie56]

We must have been standing very close to each other as we were sitting in front of the waiting line

Oh my-small world. I was sitting on the wall too..then when they pulled out the rope, DD told me to come and stand behind the rope. I saw a few didn't so kept nagging at her for making me move! LOL...eventually-I ducked under the rope and sat back there while she remained 'rope side'! Maybe we were sitting side by side!

 

[Disnsyncey]

It's funny how everyone has different opinions! Because I really didn't think the crowds were that bad at all. Only after the parades were over did it get a little crowded, but that's to be expected when so many people get up at the same time. I really thought they were very manageable! We watched Wishes from the hub, close to Casey's, and I had lots of room around me!

I totally agree....I was worried when I saw that it was sold out, but the only times it was crowded for me (and totally made sense) were on the way out of Twas the night, after the parade, and anywhere in front of the castle for Holiday Wishes.....I was with my parents on Main Street (got there 5-10 min before) almost right in front of Casey's too!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We attended the Dec. 16 party and found it to be very crowded. Only did about half of the things we normally do. The second parade was still six people deep. The kids kept wanted to ride Peter Pan, but everytime we went by there, it was about a 45 minute wait. I loved the parade and the fireworks, but it was way too crowed for my taste.