MVMCP was not for us...

[Mamapapa]

First off, let me say I'm so glad we went and tried one of these parties as overall we had a great time. Having said that, I don't see my family doing this again as I did not feel it was worth the hefty price tag. I also paid the $39 for MM for party night and got not one photo, only a few ride photos. All the photo pass photographers who were out and about all day at MK magically disappeared after 7pm. The only ones we found were five of them on Main Street and each had 10-12 families in line. The place was PACKED all night. Packed. All the stories we read on Dis about low crowds and walk on rides never happend (we went 11/10 and it was sold out). At 11pm at night, Mine Train was still 45min wait, Peter Pan was 40min and BTMR was 30min. We were able to walk on Space multiple times so that was fun! Crowds were so huge, watching both the early and late parades were almost impossible, even in Frontier Land. Cookies were good, but I was expecting much more decoration then we saw. We all loved the singing pirates, they were GREAT! So over all we had a great time, but I just wanted to write a quick review so others will know it might not be the best choice for you either. We are early morning rope drop people, we got so much more done and more walk on rides in the early hours then we did that night. Any questions, ask away. I'm always appreciative of being able to ask people who have been there, done that on these boards questions!

 

[JennyDrake]

Your experience was very similar to 3/4 MVMCP I have attended, minus the Memory Maker.

Just FYI - _I_ do not post about short lines, etc., and am oft criticized for being "too negative."

 

[jmail048]

Thanks for the review I was feeling bad that I did not book the party for our trip as it's advertised as one of the things not to miss but I just couldn't Justify the cost for everyone involved. I Feel better about it now. Glad you had a great time.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Just an fyi for anyone going, there are two photographers on the bridge towards Tomorrowland, we always get great shots with the castle lit behind us and no other people there. There is also a photographer on the left of the castle right before that little walkway towards Fantasyland starts (I also like that location because the pics are in front of a wall so there are no other people in your pictures).

If it helps the lines for the photos move very quickly even though they look pretty long. We stopped at a few of the photographers along Main Street and also at the last one across from City Hall in that little hub (the pic between the Christmas trees with the soldiers). That line was super long but it did move fast.

 

[Boo Bear]

Just an fyi for anyone going, there are two photographers on the bridge towards Tomorrowland, we always get great shots with the castle lit behind us and no other people there. There is also a photographer on the left of the castle right before that little walkway towards Fantasyland starts (I also like that location because the pics are in front of a wall so there are no other people in your pictures). If it helps the lines for the photos move very quickly even though they look pretty long. We stopped at a few of the photographers along Main Street and also at the last one across from City Hall in that little hub (the pic between the Christmas trees with the soldiers). That line was super long but it did move fast.

I will definitely look out for the photographers you mentioned, thanks!

OP, thank you for your honest feedback. I'm glad your family still had a great time!

 

[skyfranks]

We did two parties this week in 2010 and two parties this week in 2013. We are planning on attending two parties the same week of 2015. We've always had a great time so I'm hoping the trend will continue. I'm not sure if the parties we attended were sold out but none ever felt too crowded and the rides were pretty much walk-on. I've got my fingers crossed for our next trip!

 

[wendy1974]

I was also at the 11/10 party and while I'm glad I did it once it's not something I would want to experience again. The atmosphere was great but the crowds made it difficult to enjoy. In comparison I have been to 6 MNsSHP nights and they were 110% better as far as crowds and lines were concerned.

 

[wendy1974]

I was also at the 11/10 party and while I'm glad I did it once it's not something I would want to experience again. The atmosphere was great but the crowds made it difficult to enjoy. In comparison I have been to 6 MNsSHP nights and they were 110% better as far as crowds and lines were concerned.

 

[rstamm]

Love MNSSHP would go every year to at least 2 parties.
MVMCP has no value for me.
Tried it and would not do it again.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I am sorry you were underwhelmed. We were there last week and spoke to a couple while in line at PP one morning and they, like you, were disappointed due to the crowds. We have been in previous years and have loved it and we went again on the 13th after the marathon and Veteran's Day crowds died down and our party was pretty low crowds I would say. It was very enjoyable. So, crowds def play a role, good and bad.

 

[White Rose]

My Hubby and I usually travel to WDW once every 5 years, but luckily, he is going on a work trip to Orlando, and I'm joining him Dec 4-8.

We got Christmas party tickets for that night (Dec 4) and I see according to charts that in the past it has sold out the day before - this will be our *only* time to see Disney during Xmas, (probably EVER!) as we travel in October, and this is our only chance to see MK during this trip. We have a one day Park Hopper for Dec 5 and we are going to do 3 parks (AK, EP and HS) the next day.

We have gone to the Halloween parties in early Oct previously - back in 2003, it was walk-on rides and low crowds, and every time since then it has gotten more and more packed, with the last trip in 2013 being really busy/crowded. The parties were not sold out for any of these trips - will it be about the same level of people, or do they let in more/less people for the MVMCP?

Can you compare the crowds for the two different parties?

We are focused on Mine Train, and seeing the decorations/fireworks/parade...everything else is gravy.

Will it be insane, and will we have a huge wait for the mine train??
We were unable to get FP+ for Mine Train for 4-7 PM window... is there a chance it could open up the day of, or is that unlikely to happen?

Will it be insane, and will we have a huge wait for the mine train?? Will the park be extremely crowded, even for the second parade?

My Hubby has a huge issue with lines and crowds, and we try to avoid them at all cost...I want to know so I can prepare him.

Also, I'm 5'1" and I have a *huge issue* with 'children' who are over 5 feet tall pushing their way in front of me and make it impossible for me to see anything...I tend to avoid parades and fireworks because I only see backs of heads!! I'm also wondering how much stress this is going to be for me, too.

Thank you experts, for any help you can provide.

 

[mymermaid]

We have done MVMCP in the past and have found that for what we spent that it was definitely not worth it for us. We weren't able to get much done. I know others have better experiences, but I'm not going to spend that kind of money 5 adult tickets and hope that it's not like others say it is.

 

[WDWFan06]

We went to the party on Nov. 14. It was not a sold out night and the lines were great. Would I do it again? Probably not.

 

[vfalkner]

We thought about going on Nov 10 but couldn't justify the expense. I am glad that we didn't do it based on your report. It is expensive and we wouldn't have made it too late anyway. We had a productive day there in the morning and definitely saw the crowds increase in the afternoon. Even the lines for the party bands seemed really long.

 

[Chrystmasangel]

I debated and debated about doing the party. Everything I read kept saying it was a must do, but other than the parade, nothing else seemed of interest to us. The rides we can do on any ordinary day at MK and not have to pay extra to stay later to do it, and my little's have really outgrown the meet and greets unless it is pretty much a walk up to them or a character meal. Reading your experience has helped me put myself at ease in not feeling guilty that I didn't do the party for the holidays. Christmas decorations were our real priority. I elected to do the Holiday sleigh ride at Fort Wilderness instead. It will be a nice substitution I think.

 

[SueDonym3]

It depends on what you want to focus on… I have done both-Halloween and Christmas. Both are very different. But I love the parades. I also love the special characters that are out. If you were not interested in the special characters, it may not be worth the price tag. Like others, I have found that that the lesser crowds are not as advertised. If you want to go for the extras – try it! If not – shorter lines for me!

 

[txnana]

I have only attended one party, the MNSSHP in 2012, we went in on a relatively sunny afternoon and by 530 pm the skies opened up and the rain poured the rest of the evening, no characters made any meet and greets, no parade, no fireworks, but they continued to hand out candy so "it was a party" and there were no refunds - we were trapped by pouring rain near the POC which my travel companion rode about 20 times as that was all we could do. I swore never again for a party, but someone gifted our whole group tickets to the Christmas party so I am just hoping for no rain!! It will be the Thursday before the final Friday party so obviously will be crowded!

 

[DakotaRose]

We wnt to the party tonight. Parade, fireworks and celebrate castle lights were excellent. However, no way would I go again. Ten minutes to walk from partners statue to Sleepy Hollow at 6:30. Just getting around in the lands was unpleasant due to constantly dodging people, strollers, scooters. And I'm tired of showing up 30 minutes early for a mediocre view at best, and getting to either stand or sit on the sidewalk while I wait, for that ticket price, too! Wish Disney would put in risers here and there so more people could see things well.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We have done 2 MVMCPs - one at least 5 years ago and 1 in 2013. The first one was at Christmas and we had a blast. Yes it was crowded but not as crowded as the park during the day. We did everything we wanted to do, rode Splash and Thunder Mts over and over, just really enjoyed it. Last time we went i 2013 was the first week in December and the place was like a ghost town.New Fantasyland wasn't fully open though we walked on Belles ride, we walked into the tent which was deserted and fairly eerie. That said, we had a really great time both times we went and we are doing it again in just over 2 weeks!

 

[ziravan]

I was talking to a cast member and was told party nights are sold to half of total capacity, which is a little more than 86,000.

So, a sellout means you were partying with more than 43,000 other guests.

Plus. Since they paid extra, they're sure to stay most of the whole time. Very little bleed-off.

We debated MVMCP last night. Opted instead for Saturday's EMH till 1 AM. It didn't cost more and the bleed-off of exiting guests was constant. With every ride we rode, the waits progressively decreased.

ETA: we were most interested in decreased ride wait times. Of course, our strategy wouldn't work if we were vested in the special parade and fireworks. That said, we saw the MVMCP fireworks on a boat on Bay Lake going back to our room at VWL from Ohana. That was magical in its own right. And free. Plus, we saw the light show on the lake at the same time. My 6DD says it wasn't fair to make her try to look at so many things at one time. I gently suggested to her that she needs to develop a better sense of "fairness".