MVMCP with small kids

[Afabena]

Looking for opinions for those of you who have done MVMCP with smaller-ish kids. My kids will be 6.5 (twins) when we go in November and I believe (if schedule is the same as last year) that we will be there for the first 2 parties offered on Thursday and Friday. I have read all about the party itself and the different offerings, but looking for opinions from folks that have done it with younger kids.

My kids have never been to Disney so the entire experience will be a first for them. If the same as last year, we would go on the Friday night which would be the last night of our trip. On the flip side of that though, it will be the end of a week of touring in the parks. If we did attend that would be the only thing we do for the day besides some pool time at our resort.

If not we could spend our last day at MK until 6pm and then we can have an early evening in the hotel. We are staying at BLT so will be close to MK either way.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I think if it’s their first time there they’ll be more then happy to just spend the day in MK (which will be less crowded because it’s a party day) and you could save the money. It’s a late night for littles. But I’m sure they’d love the party too, but if it were me I’d use the money elsewhere. The parties are more crowded then ever and character lines are super long. You could do MK til dinner, head to the poly to eat and watch FW from the beach. Magical way to end a trip.

 

[westie55]

I think it is worth it IF they are excited about the special character meets and are able to handle waiting in line to see them AND if they can be awake and happy for the parade and fireworks. I would think that 6.5 year olds could make it up for an isolated late night here and there, but idk as my kids are both younger. I took my 17-month-old to MVMCP once and while it was fun, we weren't able to stay out late enough to make it fully worth it the money. Having said that, I do really miss the magic of the night parades and now the parties are the only time you can see a night parade so that's something. I won't go back to MVMCP until my boys are older and can last later into the night.

 

[Darcy03231]

I took my niece when she was 4, almost 5, and it was one of her favorite parts of the trip. We had a down day that day - slept in, spent some time at the pool and she had a nap, but she tends to be a night owl no matter what and had no trouble staying up for the party.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Its worth it for sure but make sure you're okay with leaving early even though your brain is calculating the cost! We have taken a 4 and 2 year old. We just made sure they had a very late nap that afternoon. We did not attempt any rides(we already had plenty of ride time at MK). And we just focused on the things they would love(which probably isn't standing in line for 2 hours to meet Jack ).

My kids love the dance parties, the treats, we looked at the meet and greets from a far, and of course the parade was the highlight for them. We left after the first parade.

 

[MamaBelle4]

My DD10 and DD6 are night owls .Wouldn't have a problem taking them (DD10 has always been).

DD8 and DD3, however, need their sleep. DD3 would nap in the stroller as needed. DD8 we just take lots of breaks throughout the day to make it more her pace.

Jury is still out on DS 1.

The point is, only you know your kids. How do they do with late nights? If you have a relaxing morning, will they be fine?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

They will have a blast! I'd say either way they will have fun but if the party is the last day of your trip, only you know your kids, but it might be tough for them to make it till party end. And it's a lot of money to spend if they won't enjoy it. If it were me when my girls were that age, I'd do the party earlier in my trip. We did the party last November on a Thursday (2nd night of our trip) and my girls were 10 and 11, we all barely made it and we had a fairly relaxing morning/afternoon prior to the party. It can be a lot. Really just depends on your touring style, breaks, down time, etc. If you really want to do it I would look at a party earlier in the week. Also, would depend on your departure time the next day. Have fun!!

 

[Afabena]

Thanks all! My kids can definitely be night owls when it comes to a special event, but I'm not sure how they will handle a late night after doing Disney for a few days. We have taken them to rides on the boardwalk locally at night and they were super excited and didn't show any signs of slowing down, but that is a night here and there in the summer. We are going Nov 3-9 and it looks like last year the parties started on the first Thursday in Nov. If that holds true we will already be in Disney for 4 days - 5 if we went on the Friday party. Another thing is there will be 3 generations going on this trip, so I'm also a little bit concerned how my parents will hold up too. They think they can still tour Disney the way they did when they were younger, but they have not been there since the paper fast passes.

 

[cinderalli]

I attended my first MVMCP last year with my DS6, DD4 and DD2. They had a blast from the minute they put on their wrist bands! I drove my husband crazy for months in advance trying to make the perfect party plan but with littles you just know that things will not always go quite the way you had planned LOL! My DS loved all the special treats and the characters that he couldn’t see anywhere else. But the one thing I was dying to see was the parade and my kids wanted no parts of it But the 2 older kids had enough after the fireworks and wanted to go back to the room and so did my parents so my DH and I stayed with my younger DD and we found an excellent spot in front of Pecos Bills where I devoured some Feliz Navidad Nachos while we had a front row view of the second parade . So long story short (too late) IMHO you should go, yes it’s expensive but totally worth it, tons of fun and the kids may not make it all night but they will still have a great time and you will too!