MVMCP - Is it worth it???

[pixleyyy]

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....

Gorgeous picture! Thanks for the input. Just hoping we can fit the stage show, the parade and the fireworks all into that one night.

Now traditionally they will be taping the parade that they show on TV during the first weekend we're there, so maybe we could catch the parade then???

 

[pixleyyy]

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!

Thanks for sharing your gorgeous pics too! I'm seriously thinking we'll do it and just make the most of whatever we find.

 

[crazywig]

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.

We were at this party and I totally agree. It was our first party and such a disappointment, it was WAY oversold.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks!

It's not really hard to fit in the stage shows, fireworks and parade, but that's about all you can do in one night. If you add character meet & greets, it gets harder. I wanted to meet Christmas Mickey & Minnie, Belle & the Beast, the princesses (the parties are about the only time they are with their princes), the Alice characters, Scrooge McDuck, the dance party in Fantasyland and Belle's enchanted storytime. In 2 nights we did almost all of it. We got Minnie, but not Mickey, and never caught up with Scrooge McDuck.....

You'll have to hear from others about the taping of the christmas parade. I've read that it's pretty insane, and my personal preference would be to skip the MK that day. I also hear that they tape parts over and over and it takes a long time. Just not even close to just sitting down and watching it at the party. Not to mention, I think it's a totally different parade.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

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!

It is a very "magical" party!!!
100% festive & the snow is just amazingnot to mention the parade & fireworks

 

[cjnix29]

Ok, so if the party the second week of December is totally crazy, does that mean that the parks will be crazy the rest of the week? We are going the 5th -12th. We normally go in offseason because I don't want to be there with 5 million people. We are going to see the decorations and do the Christmas party, but I am seriously starting to be deterred! I cant' believe they dont' clear the park. We have been to the halloween party three times, and they were always clearing the park.

 

[mom2rtk]

It is a very "magical" party!!!
100% festive & the snow is just amazingnot to mention the parade & fireworks

It was worth the price of admission just to sit there on the curb and see the marching toy soldiers and gingerbread men go by! Oh, and don't forget the marching reindeer. VERY cool!

And yes, I heard the 9th was crazy last year. The 16th was sold out when we were there too. Fortunately for us, that's the night we spent in Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Toontown. When we were there on the 18th, the staff commented on how many fewer people were there that night.

I read a lot on the boards leading up to our trip. There was a LOT of complaining about regular park goers just not leaving and finding a spot on the curb to watch the parade and fireworks without a ticket.

You DO need to show a wristband to get in line to see characters or do a ride. But from what I understand, they didn't check wristbands out on Main Street which is where all the traffic was! Let's just hope they do a better job this year at getting the people out who have no tickets!

 

[mom2rtk]

Ok, so if the party the second week of December is totally crazy, does that mean that the parks will be crazy the rest of the week? We are going the 5th -12th.

No, it just means they were really bad at clearing the parks!

 

[cjnix29]

Ok, so hopefully they will do a better job this year after all the complaints from last year! So excited to be there at Christmas time!

 

[RobinFabulous]

Gorgeous picture! Thanks for the input. Just hoping we can fit the stage show, the parade and the fireworks all into that one night.

Now traditionally they will be taping the parade that they show on TV during the first weekend we're there, so maybe we could catch the parade then???

You can fit all that, but you can't ride rides and stand in line for characters too. We managed to run by both of the dance parties, see Twas, the parade, and the fireworks. The parade is aweome. and worth the money. The night we went was not a discount night, nor did it sell out, and it wasn't a weekend night either. We hoped that would run down the crowds. I do wish we had gotten to see the Characters in their Christmas outfits, but you can't do everything. Dumbo was walk on, so was Cindy's caurosel. We rode teacups twice, saw Alice in her winter outfit outside of the teacups. We had seen Donald at his tree farm, but I would have liked to see the princesses in their winter outfits. Go. Even if you don't do it again, it's worth it once.

The snow made my kids night

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

It was worth the price of admission just to sit there on the curb and see the marching toy soldiers and gingerbread men go by! Oh, and don't forget the marching reindeer. VERY cool!
!

SO TRUE!!!!!!!
Just the sound of the soldiers passing is worth it....oh & let's not forget the scent of cookies when Chip & Dale pass in their chef hats!

 

[mom2rtk]

You can fit all that, but you can't ride rides and stand in line for characters too. We managed to run by both of the dance parties, see Twas, the parade, and the fireworks. The parade is aweome. and worth the money. The night we went was not a discount night, nor did it sell out, and it wasn't a weekend night either. We hoped that would run down the crowds. I do wish we had gotten to see the Characters in their Christmas outfits, but you can't do everything. Dumbo was walk on, so was Cindy's caurosel. We rode teacups twice, saw Alice in her winter outfit outside of the teacups. We had seen Donald at his tree farm, but I would have liked to see the princesses in their winter outfits. Go. Even if you don't do it again, it's worth it once.

The snow made my kids night

Actually, the only princess in winter outfit was Belle in her Christmas dress. But they DO have their princes with them! I wish they would add a little holiday flair though. I added some to my daughter's costume:

 

[5 for WDW]

We have gone to MVMCP twice and I am with the majority of people that say it is not worth it due to the ridiculous crowds!

We were there in 2007 and 2008. Both ended up being sell outs and you can't imagine how crowded they were. Forget walking down Main St or around the hub. Even the second parade was packed. We sat in Frontierland like we normally do for parades and even that area was mobbed.

Yes, the parade is great. The Twas the Night show is my favorite. But, until they do something about the number of tickets or clearing the parks better, we won't be going again.

We have never had a problem with crazy crowds at the MNSSHP's we have gone to. I wish the same applied to the Xmas party.

 

[princessmom29]

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

We went the sunday after Thanksgiving last year, and it was not that crowded, but it was raining and that may have kept some people away. In general though, the crowds were much lower by Sun than they had been Thurs and Fri.

 

[natenapril]

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!

It is a very "magical" party!!!
100% festive & the snow is just amazingnot to mention the parade & fireworks

SO TRUE!!!!!!!
Just the sound of the soldiers passing is worth it....oh & let's not forget the scent of cookies when Chip & Dale pass in their chef hats!

Just wanted to say thank for the positive inputs as well

 

[cwcooper810]

we are going thursday december 3rd, and after reading all these negative comments, im worried!

 

[RMulieri]

Now traditionally they will be taping the parade that they show on TV during the first weekend we're there, so maybe we could catch the parade then???

They don't just let anyone stand to watch the Christmas Parade taping.I remember them allowing only certain people( not sure if they had tickets or were selected or what)the rest of the people are asked to follow thru the roped off areas off of main st

 

[cjnix29]

How do you find out which nights are "discount nights"? If we go, I won't go one of those nights!

 

[lustergirl]

I would say you have to experience it at least once. We went a couple of decembers ago and the best thing was the parade for us!!

 

[Cheloconnell]

My husband and I went this past December as it was our 10th anniversary trip. Thank goodness we did not have the kids. After the parade we were stuck on the bridge. People were pushing and shoving with no where to go. Literally, everyone was pushed up against each other to try to move up one step. I can't even tell you how much time this soaked up. To get out of the park that night we had to cut through the shops....it was terrible. Never even saw the hot chocolate and cookies - it was far too crowded. Definitely not worth the money especially if you are bringing kids. We are trying the Halloween one this year and are hoping for better results...fingers crossed.