MVMCP versus full extra day at a park?

[andijean]

I have heard all the rave reviews about MVMCP and how much people love it. But I was running the figures and trying to figure out what makes it worth the extra expense. Here is what I came up with. Tell me what I am missing. If we get regular 3 day passes for 2A/2C the cost is $656 if I do a 4 day it is $708. The difference is $52 for the extra day. If I got the 3 day and did one day MVMCP for the 4 of us it comes to $656 + 146.78 = $802. That is $106 difference between a full day pass and just going to MVMCP. Is it really worth? Why wouldn't I just for the whole day? We are going the first week in december with a 3 and 5 yr old. Give me some input here to see the light.

 

[BluOrchid2]

wow, well that IS a tough call. If I hadn't ever been to MVMCP, I'm sure that I probably wouldn't put forth that much of an expenditure to go to it as opposed to having another full day. But - now that I have been, I know that you won't otherwise see the Christmas Parade, or experience sipping hot cocoa while snow falls on Main Street, USA. There's a very special holiday feeling in the air at the MVMCParties, and it's inexplicable. Nothing like it.

HOWEVER....if I had a 3 and a 5 year old, I might wait to do MVMCP another time when they are older. Yes, they would probably love seeing Santa in the Parade, but it does make for a late night, and...welll I don't know. It's a tough call. I hate to see you, an adult, miss it....but the kids could wait a couple years to get the most enjoyment out of it, I think.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[WendyMichaelJohn]

I've wondered the same thing. If you read the reviews on allearsnet, it seems to be more of a nightmare than the magical experience many people have had for some time. I'd skip it and have the extra park day. Then a few weeks later at Christmas your kiddos will be thrilled to see the Christmas parade on tv after just having been there. I'm really concerned about missing out on a few things, but then I'm also concerned about having the kids up that late and then making the next day useless (they really need their beauty sleep or they are complete cranks.)


Did you factor in the shorter hours that the parks will be open during early December? I'm not sure what time the gen. public gets kicked out on those nights that the party occurs.

 

[kizmac]

I think the park will close at 6:00 that night........I did MVMCP in 03 and love it......but it is a late night and other than the Christmas parade, the free family picture and the snow on Mainstreet there is nothing else you really wouldn't get to see in the park on a regular day as far as the Christmas decorations. My younger kids all fell asleep in the strollers and missed a lot towards the end of the night. Being your kids are 3 & 5....and $ wise works out less not doing it, you may be better waiting a couple more years till they could enjoy it more. BUT if you don't think you'll be back that time of year again, then I would do it! Sorry...I didn't make it any easier to decide, did I!

 

[andijean]

Anyone else have any other insight into this for me?

 

[cobbler]

We did our first MVMCP in 03 and we will go every year if we are down there at that time. We had a fabulous time.

The rides are practically walk on.
You get the free family photo
Special showing of Wishes with 360 degree ending
Snow on main street
Characters in Holiday attire
Cookies and hot cocoa
Special parades

Its just wonderful. This will be our 3rd year at MVMCP and I am looking forward to it again.

 

[Madi100]

Anyone else have any other insight into this for me?

We are going to have seven days to enjoy the parks. If it was only going to be three, I'd definitely skip the party and have the extra day. The day of the Christmas party we plan on skipping the parks for most of the day and going later in the day.

 

[DisneyKidds]

YOu shouldn't be as muched focused on the cost and how much time you will have in the park, but rather on what you'd be able to see by doing MVMCP that you wouldn't see otherwise. Yes, you will spend $106 more for MVMCP, but it is well worth it IMHO.

First off, if you opt for the extra day the park will close early, so you will get a short day. Furthermore, with a MVMCP ticket you can get into the park as early as 3:00, so with it you can still get a pretty full day.

Now the big reasons to do MVMCP.....all things you CAN'T see during regular park hours during the first week of December.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade
Snow on Main Street
Special MVMCP version of Wishes
Free Cookies and Hot Cocoa
All the Christmas Shows
The Incredible Atmosphere you just won't get during a regular day.

Go for it. We do it twice each year.

 

[kbkids]

We did it with an almost 3 yr old and a 6 yr old. I almost didn't go for it but decided to since we still got the baby in free - he wasn't quite 3 yet.

Honestly, we won't be doing it again until the kids are older. The only thing you miss is snow on Main Street - you can go to Celebration and get the same thing, and you miss the Christmas parade - which, I must admit, was awesome!! But if you're going closer to Christmas, you would still see it - not sure when they replace the Share A Dream Come True parade with the Christmas parade. The family picture, not that big of a deal to me either. And the button, well, it's just packed away in a drawer right now.

So, we'll try it again when the kids are older, but I would personally rather have a full day at the park.

 

[Puffy2]

I've been to the party and I felt it was a waste of money and more importantly a waste of a full day of our vacation (because we didn't go to a park that day other than the party). Just another opinion.

 

[mickeysaver]

Based on our two MVMCP experiences in 2003, I will give you the opinion that depending on when you are potentially able to go to MVMCP makes all the difference.

Our first night at WDW on 12/14/03 was a Sunday. We checked in as opening day guests at POP and then at 4pm went to MK with just our MVMCP tickets and started the fun. We rode everything that we wanted to ride and most rides were more or less walk ons or 5 minute waits. Being that we are both adults with no kids, it's easy for us to go until midnight and that is exactly what we did. We had a blast and a half. We got the photo, hot chocolate, and cookies. We skipped most of the shows, the parade, but we caught part of Wishes while we rode BTMRR and it was magical.

Our second night at MVMCP was 12/19/03 and it was the last night of MVMCP and just happened to be a Friday night. It also was a sold out event. NEVER AGAIN!!! The place was too packed for my comfort level. We love low crowd value season touring, so seeing Main Street packed from the train station to the castle all the way across the street and sidewalks was a little disheartening. I told Gabby that I was so glad that that night was not our first experience at MVMCP or else I would have been so disappointed. We had a good time, but it was not as special as that Sunday night was. We saw the parade, we watched Wishes, got the photo, hot chocolate and cookies. We had a good time with the characters in their holiday attire too. But, it was just too crowded.

IMO, MVMCP is a great way to maximize your pixie dust on check in day. If you arrive on property early and have the evening to kill, it's a great jump start with some quality entertainment opportunities. I think that as long as you are able to do this on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday night, you will be fine. The 12/16 MVMCP and the few that follow will be more crowded because it's the normal time that the crowds are building towards Holiday levels. So, like I said, it all depends on when you are going and what you want out of it to say if it's going to be worth it to you.

FYI, we are going to MVMCP again this year. We will be going on our first day there which is Sunday 12/11/05. Good luck making the decision. Maggie