MVMCP - Is it worth it???

[pixleyyy]

We'll be in WDW for our first ever magical Christmas vacation. I thought about booking MVMCP, but I'm not sure it's worth it for our family. It would come to around $250 for those few hours.

Are the special events from the MVMCP (the Christmas parade, Holiday Wishes, Twas the Night Before Christmas, etc.) only shown during the party? Or do they show the same fireworks and parade in December during regular park hours?

I'm not really worried about the snow, cookies, hot chocolate or rides but I do care about seeing the parade, fireworks and show.

So what do you know that can help me with my decision? Thanks!

 

[Pats Dragon]

MK has the Christmas Parade the week of Christmas anyway but they don't always have snow. The shows are also shown. We used to love the party but the last two times they were packed. You couldn't walk. I think they started letting everyone stay and just requiring arm bands for rides caused a mess. You can imagine thousands of people taking their time leaving because the park closes to them the very minute the party starts.

 

[Charleyann]

MK has the Christmas Parade the week of Christmas anyway but they don't always have snow. The shows are also shown. We used to love the party but the last two times they were packed. You couldn't walk. I think they started letting everyone stay and just requiring arm bands for rides caused a mess. You can imagine thousands of people taking their time leaving because the park closes to them the very minute the party starts.

Last year on December 18, the party was packed beyond belief! You couldn't move and we couldn't find a spot to watch the parade both times. My DS uses a wheelchair and all the big Disney ECV blocked his view...

I will not pay big $$$ for the Party for a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie again! I use to love the party. Use to get buttons and a free photo too. Crowds weren't as big either and the cost has increased, yet Disney has taken away from the party. Don't think the parade has changed in years!

Charleyann

 

[RMulieri]

I will be at the world Dec 12-18 and avoiding the party like the plague.The Last few parties are a ZOO

 

[pepe of ohio]

The hard ticket parties are great, different and something to see but not worth the money in the way Disney is running them now. Not clearing the parks and letting everyone stay and wrist bands or room keys to ride is causing the tumult. I like the old days of "E night", you paid 10 bucks and that was the only way to get in, it was like you had the park to yourself. We'll consider going back when Disney goes back to clearing the parks of unticketed guests and justifying the high ticket cost to just the ticket holders.

 

[Dan Murphy]

.....I like the old days of "E night", you paid 10 bucks and that was the only way to get in, it was like you had the park to yourself....

I miss the old E-nights also, pepe. Great fun.

 

[MtMinnie2]

We are going to the MVMCP on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Do you think it will be really crowded at this time??? I was hoping some of the Thanksgiving crowd would of went home by this time.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

If you like WDW shows, the MVMCP shos are great. Other than that - not worth it. And pictures taken cannot be added to your photopass - you have to buy a separate one just for those few hours.

Nice to do once, but we will not be doing it again - ever...

 

[SFD998]

We were there last year during the second week of December. It was only the two of us for an anniversary get away and it was a good thing. After the fireworks ended you literally could not move we were packed in like sardines. It took forever to get over to Tomorrow land and we were standing on the bridge at the time.

We had gone a number of years earlier and it was nothing like this time. In addition like someone said you got a free picture and you could actually walk. Once the crowd broke up a little it wasn't as bad, but still not great. I must be crazy because we are going in October to MNSSHP with the kids. I hear it is one of the best and I am hoping that my MVMCP experience will come in handy as far as where to be and when.

The parades and fireworks are fun, but don't plan to be able to run around and get on everything.

 

[pixleyyy]

So if I don't go, do I still get to see Christmas parades and fireworks at the MK? What do they show during the day/evening on non-party nights? Is it Christmas themed or just the regular shows?

Oh, and our dates are Dec 3- 10, in case that matters.

 

[RMulieri]

So if I don't go, do I still get to see Christmas parades and fireworks at the MK? What do they show during the day/evening on non-party nights? Is it Christmas themed or just the regular shows?

Oh, and our dates are Dec 3- 10, in case that matters.

Nope. You need a party ticket to see the special holiday parade, Holiday wishes and shows that early in December.Only after the LAST party on or around the 18th of December , does Disney show the holiday stuff daily

 

[poohmickey]

We were there last year also - the first 2 weeks of Dec. - and the party we went to was sold out. We won't make that mistake again! It was soooo crowded that we couldn't even enjoy the special Christmas shows. I'm glad I tried it once, but I won't waste my money a second time.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

If you like WDW shows, the MVMCP shos are great. Other than that - not worth it. And pictures taken cannot be added to your photopass - you have to buy a separate one just for those few hours.

Nice to do once, but we will not be doing it again - ever...

I got a special photopass card that enabled me to get a % off any pictures taken that night. This was Nov. 08. When I got home, I loaded all my photopass cards onto the site, picked the pics I wanted (there were only about 5) keyed in the code and got the discount off all 5 even though 3 of them weren't from the party.

I'll be going back again someday by myself so I can see the special fireworks and parade and any shows I missed. I tried to do a special mother/daughter trip with my DD9 and go to MVMCP and it backfired on me. She was in such a foul mood and didn't want to do anything but ride the rides. So it was a waste of money for me that trip.

But if you enjoy the shows, special fireworks and parade it would be totally worth it.

 

[pixleyyy]

Oh man, it sounds like I'm going to have to shell out the $250 so I can see the parades and fireworks. I was really hoping not to do that, especially given the overcrowding mentioned.

 

[mom2rtk]

If you like WDW shows, the MVMCP shos are great. Other than that - not worth it. And pictures taken cannot be added to your photopass - you have to buy a separate one just for those few hours.

That's not true. We went 12/16 and 12/18 last year and the photos are on my photopass with all my others from the trip.

I enjoye the party a lot. I agree that they need to do a better job clearing the parks. That said though, if you plan properly you can still do what you need to do.

If you want to see "twas the night", get in line a 6 pm for the first show at 7. It stays busy all night. If you want to see the paradel, see the second one and sit in the hub. All the crowds stay up near the castle.

That said though, the you will need to be farther up Main Street to see the fireworks. The pretty garlands over Main Street will block your view if you don't.

It is true that the week before Christmas, you can see the Christmas parade and the stage shows during normal park hours. But this generally starts the day after the last party. If you will be gone then, you will miss a lot of magic!

I say if you've never gone, do it. If you've been before and want to save some bucks, then pass....

 

[natenapril]

These threads always worry me because I shelled out the 300 for our family to go on the 11th. It seems like their are more negative comments than posititve.

 

[mom2rtk]

These threads always worry me because I shelled out the 300 for our family to go on the 11th. It seems like their are more negative comments than posititve.

Are you kidding???? A few less people in the parks is a great thing! We had a great time, I wouldn't have missed it. We went twice (of course it was just my daughter and I so not as big an investment) to MVMCP and will go twice to MNSSHP this fall (once as a family of 4, once just my daughter an I)

Lots of people on these boards slam some of my favorite restaurants. Take it all with a grain of salt!

Go...... and ENJOY!

 

[texhanddoc]

We went last year on Dec 9th which was a discount night and ended up being sold out. This was a Tuesday night. It was horrible and I will never do MVMCP again. If you want to see 'Twas, you need to be (no joke) one hour early to get in line. The main street/hub area was so crowded it was impossible. A full hour and a half before the parade, people were already 3 or 4 deep and crossing through the hub was impossible.

Seeing this you would think.. great, ill ride rides. Nope, a quick stroll found 60+ min. waits on all the headliners including things like Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh.

Disney has obviously chosen making a TON of money over delivering a great product in this case.

 

[Csaks]

We have done it twice only because the night we went in '07 it rained all night and stuff was cancelled or delayed and the smoke from the fireworks was hanging so low because of the weather it kinda ruined that as well. As far as I know you can't get a refund because of weather.

In '08 we didn't pre-pay for tickets, just bought at the hotel desk the day of the event. I wasn't going to get stung twice and it worked out great, the day we wanted to go had nasty weather and we just picked another day.

I didn't mind the extra money because we go for 12 days and buy a 10 day pass, so the day of the party we go to DTD and get the shopping done and use the pool at the resort till that night. They let you in around 4pm so you can enjoy the rides and treat it as an extra day in the parks. That's the only way we could justify the cost.

In '07 it was pretty crowded considering the weather and the night we picked in '08 was considerably less . I think some nights are worse than others just like the parks have their busy days of the week. I believe '07 was a Thurs of the first week of Dec. and '08 was the Tues of the second week of Dec.

Was it worth it? I think so if you do it the way we did. I think if you have never experienced it you should try it once. As someone else has stated I take everyones opinion on everything Disneyworld with a big grain of salt. What sucks for one could be amazing for someone else. I go in with a low expectation of something because of reviews and about half the time I am pleasantly surprised I enjoyed something others detested and the other times I can say I did it but everyone was right and I will not do that again.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We are going to the MVMCP on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Do you think it will be really crowded at this time??? I was hoping some of the Thanksgiving crowd would of went home by this time.

bump... I'm wondering how crowded Sunday after Thanksgiving might be as well.