MVMCP - tell me your "strategy"

[wvasweetness]

We've been several times, but never with much of a strategy. We do make sure we eat before we go, that way we aren't "wasting" time eating and can have snacks and desserts while there. Otherwise, we just kind of wing it. I've never felt like we missed anything, but also think we could be getting more out of the experience if we put some pre-planning in to it like we do for our daily park visits. So tell me your MVMCP strategy and/or favorites things to do.

 

[jsebsirois]

Our strategy is usually the same, year after year :

• Entering the park at 4PM
• Getting a few pictures done
• Save our spot for a rare character that comes out before the party starts. We have dinner while we wait and we do rides with the kids
• Try to get in line for a second rare character before the party starts.
• Once the party starts, we walk around, enjoy the atmosphere, take in a few extra pictures
• We again save our spot for the parade in Frontierland. While we wait, one of us is riding rides with the kids and gets cookies
• Once the parade is over, we walk through Adventureland to get in line for Santa. Usually no wait at all as he stops meeting during the parade.

 

[Pamela M]

Following - this will be my first party so interested to hear what everyone does during these parties

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Our strategy is usually the same, year after year :

• Entering the park at 4PM
• Getting a few pictures done
• Save our spot for a rare character that comes out before the party starts. We have dinner while we wait and we do rides with the kids
• Try to get in line for a second rare character before the party starts.
• Once the party starts, we walk around, enjoy the atmosphere, take in a few extra pictures
• We again save our spot for the parade in Frontierland. While we wait, one of us is riding rides with the kids and gets cookies
• Once the parade is over, we walk through Adventureland to get in line for Santa. Usually no wait at all as he stops meeting during the parade.

Please say you are not having one adult stand on line or save parade spot while the other takes the kids on rides! I hope I was misreading your post---

 

[jsebsirois]

Please say you are not having one adult stand on line or save parade spot while the other takes the kids on rides! I hope I was misreading your post---

No, you got it right. But I should have said that we travel with young ones, with of them usually sleeping in the stroller so one of us has to skip something anyway. With that being said, we make sure we switch after every ride or every round of cookies, so that the ''waiting'' adult is never by himself for more than 5-10 minutes. And we don't do that for the entire party for we want to enjoy it as a family of course!

 

[TinkSassy]

Your kids are older so they may be able to hang with my plan - similar but I plan for the second parade and the last castle show of the night (so sleep in as late as you can this day!). I go at 4pm and start with pics too and then do 1 rare character and a few FP rides. I go to the back bridge for Tomorrowland to watch the castle lighting and then the shows on that side and then work around the back of the castle for cookies and snacks. Do not attempt to cross the hub from the party start until the end of the first parade and first show! I did this once and basically got stuck there for all the first shows because I couldn't move. I like the view on main street but watch the parade from back in Frontierland as it is less crowded. I like to sit by the walk through to Adventureland to head to the last show of the night - which will be a walk up with no waiting!

 

[wvasweetness]

I love reading all of your details. <3