MVMCP - worth it?

[tjknitz]

Tradition in my family is to spend our last night of vacation at Magic Kingdom. I'm looking at the calendar from last year and I realize that that may be on a night where MVMCP takes place (so there is no Wishes). Is it worth it to buy extra tickets to go to this event or not really?

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Tradition in my family is to spend our last night of vacation at Magic Kingdom. I'm looking at the calendar from last year and I realize that that may be on a night where MVMCP takes place (so there is no Wishes). Is it worth it to buy extra tickets to go to this event or not really?

We went a year ago and really enjoyed it. We focused on the party events, not so much the rides.

 

[FLSarah]

It definitely was for us. But we are a small family (just my son and I), so it really wasn't too terribly expensive to attend. The ride times were pretty short, and my son loved the dance parties and the show in Tomorrowland.

 

[larryz]

The question of "worth it" is something only you can answer.

It's no longer "worth it" to me, but then I was at some of the early MVMCPs where I feel there was a lot more value for a lot less money, and smaller crowds.

Today, however, even with fewer perks and more crowds, you'll find some who still feel the party is worth it to them.

My suggestion is to try it -- only then will you be able to tell if it's "worth it."

 

[Disney44please]

It wasn't for us. If you want a parade spot on Main street be prepared to wait well over 2 hours. We waited almost 3. Our whole party was spent waiting for the parade. Not work the ridiculous amount of money we paid for it.

 

[herb102211]

We've been several times before and in IMO it's definitely worth it. The parade is fantastic and we love seeing the characters dressed in their Christmas decor! Certainly puts you in the Christmas spirit!

 

[fabulousfive]

We LOVE it and wouldn't consider not doing it. We enjoy the characters, rides, treats, parade, holiday wishes, and just the general awesome atmosphere. As for the parade, this past time we did the second parade and got the best spot just half an hour before it started. We also splurged and did the wishes dessert party the same night. The whole event is so festive I think it'd be a great way to end your trip. Keep in mind though that it is super crowded. If you have this knowledge, I think you can enjoy yourself more because you have proper expectations. By no means is it a quieter park on party nights. Go and enjoy!!!!

 

[DisneyChristmas]

True that MVMCP isn't as elaborate these days. But if you've never been before, it's worth it. We always stay until the end of the evening. The second parade isn't horribly crowded. The fireworks and pre-fireworks castle light show are excellent. By the end at midnight, all rides (except Peter Pan ) always seem to be walk-ons.

 

[W.E.D.]

DW and I absolutely loved it! The special fireworks are fantastic, rides were all walk-on (in our experience anyway), and the parade was very enjoyable. Well worth it IMO.

 

[bcinohio]

DH and I just did this on our first Christmas trip the beginning of Dec and loved it. It was very festive with people wearing different hats and shirts. We loved the fireworks, parade, and the decorations. We saw the second parade and didn't have to wait at all for a spot right on Main Street. We saw the projection light show, fireworks and parade from the same spot on Main Street. We would do it again.

 

[BlackPearl695]

Does anyone know when tickets will be available for this year's party? Or what the dates will be? My son and I have done it before and LOVED the dance parties and parade, but my husband has never been so we are looking to go again this year. We are booked November 6-12th. Hoping it will be running then!

 

[hogwartsdropout]

I like it, it's very magical. I think everyone should try it at least once to see what they think.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would always recommend it at least for one time. We went in at 4pm which the party tickets allow. We got decent viewing of the parade in Frontierland along the store fronts. But my wife and I are both tall so we could see over people. The shows are fun. Fireworks are great. I don't think we rode anything after about 7pm. We just soaked in the atmosphere.

We hopped from Epcot. But we parked at the TTC as close as one can park in the morning then rode the monorail to Epcot for rope drop. Then leaving MK was a breeze.

 

[ArmyVet80]

We went to our first MVMCP in Nov. 2013 and had fun but it isn't nearly as fun as MNSSHP. The lines weren't too bad and the shows aren't too bad but it just didn't have that special feel like MNSSHP did for us.

If you haven't done it though I would recommend to try it once depending on what your budget is. The good thing is that the park will be slightly less crowded until around 4-5 pm when everyone starts to show up for the MVMCP so you could get your rides in early and then watch the shows if you stay or leave and do something else.

 

[sjbond]

We went last December. I can honestly say that I was disappointed in the crowd level. I think they now over-sell these parties. We went to a Pirate and Princess Party a few years ago (when they still had them) and the crowds were way smaller for that. The Christmas party was lower crowds than during the day, but certainly more than what we expected. We went mostly for the rides, but they certainly weren't walk-ons. I doubt we would go again...maybe the Halloween party next time.

 

[ajwolfe]

We thought it was worth it the night we went. We didn't encounter a 2-3 hour wait for the parade, more like a 30-45 min wait. It was so neat meeting the characters in their holiday gear, etc. I'm not sure we would do it again, but then I'm not sure we would go to WDW during that season again. I would say if you haven't done it, you should check it out!!

 

[kmc]

The question of "worth it" is something only you can answer.

It's no longer "worth it" to me, but then I was at some of the early MVMCPs where I feel there was a lot more value for a lot less money, and smaller crowds.

I agree, we loved both this and the halloween parties. Loved everything about them until they started packing them in like sardines. The last time I went was 2006 and it was way more crowded then the previous years. Really took the joy out of the entire event and didnt feel very special like the other years. I can only imagine how many more people go now. I mean if I had never been, I might try it at least once.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I did the Xmas party twice (different extended family members), both were at least five years ago. I would say it is probably worth doing once, but that was a few years ago.

I had another opportunity to go more recently, but we instead saw that we could go to emh in Epcot for free. We did Epcot instead.

I am not super tied to the idea of starting or ending with any particular park. I find I enjoy our vacation much more if I plan our touring so that we are dodging crowds.

One more caveat: the second time I did the party, I went with extended family. Big mistake!
Half of my extended family decided they were tired at 10pm. We paid all that extra money, and half the group left just a few hours into the party! What a waste! (they also wanted to sit around snacking most of the party hours).

So I'd only do it if you - and everyone in your group - is fully committed to the idea.

 

[MichelleVW]

We went last December. I can honestly say that I was disappointed in the crowd level. I think they now over-sell these parties. We went to a Pirate and Princess Party a few years ago (when they still had them) and the crowds were way smaller for that. The Christmas party was lower crowds than during the day, but certainly more than what we expected. We went mostly for the rides, but they certainly weren't walk-ons. I doubt we would go again...maybe the Halloween party next time.

Weird....because we were there on Dec 19th and I didn't think it was crowded at all. I've been to a Pirate and Princess Party and also a MNSSHP and it was about the same crowd level. Maybe a little more crowded than the Halloween party but it was a super early Halloween party in September. We walked on almost everything and never waited for anything. We actually left early (right after the fireworks) because we were all half sick and just wanted to go home and sleep rather than ride the rides over and over.

 

[ethanwa]

We went to our first MVMCP in Nov. 2013 and had fun but it isn't nearly as fun as MNSSHP. The lines weren't too bad and the shows aren't too bad but it just didn't have that special feel like MNSSHP did for us.

I totally agree with this. The Halloween Party is much better in my opinion. But you should do both at least once.