No more party hard ticket events for us - way too crowded!

[MickeyNicki]

We have done MVMCP for the last 10 years if not longer and after this last one I am done. The party was sold out (Dec 4), all the character meet and greets had an hour or more wait (there has to be a "spare" to swap out so you do not have to wait 20 minutes until they come back), the parades were slammed, the stage shows were packed, the rides had long wait times, the CS places were so busy it took forever to get some dinner. I remember the times were you didnt have more than 20 minute waits for characters and rides were walk on. We witnessed less than enthusiastic CM's, one even rolled her eyes at someone when they asked a question about character location! This one guy was next to us at the parade and asked his wife if his kids got enough water down cocoa and raw snickerdoodles because they cost him and arm and a leg - that made me laugh! Honestly it didnt feel like a party night, just a standard Friday night at MK

 

[Robo]

So sorry that happened to you!

 

[missbrooke06]

I think the early November ones are still worth it - much different than what you describe - but I think after Thanksgiving, it's probably a draw.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Our party was fantastic last night. Both parades were really crowded, but we had a great time. Sorry it was a downer for you

 

[Happyjen27]

I never experienced a party night early on when the idea was young. But, after my MNSSHP this Sept I'm comfortable saying it's doubtful I would spring for a ticket during a vacation that included regular park tickets. Now, if I happen to be at Universal, this will continue to be a good option to get some Disney without the steep 1 day regular park ticket price.

I'm sorry it was less than magical for you. I was glad to experience it once, but my one experience did not convince me I needed to go back.

 

[kiford]

We were there that same night and felt very differently about it. Now, we don't do meet and greets (it's just DH and I) and we usually don't arrive until 8:15 or so. We had a good spot for viewing the parade and fireworks and went on a number of rides afterwards with little wait. We felt that the park wasn't very crowded at all. Admittedly we didn't bother to try to get into 7DMT because it did have a long line but we did do others. We had a great time, left about 11 pm (we were really tired and had to get up early next day to catch our flight). We felt that we got our value out of it. It all depends on what your expectations and plans are as to whether or not you feel like you got your money's worth.

 

[kelleybean]

It might also matter when you can go. We went on November 12th and it was great ... didn't "feel" crowded, low wait time for rides, easy to get decent parade spots, etc. But I agree with you that there is a world of difference when there is a sold out party. Our MNSSHP was sold out and the crowds really had a negative impact on our evening.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We went in the early years and it was fantastic! Totally worth it for us; favorite year was 2006. We also went in 2013 and 2014, and though last year was busy, and a downer because it rained but it wasn't too bad. We did, however, go on a Tuesday night.

 

[revdon64]

We went on Dec 1. Felt it was pretty crowded, enough so that we probably wouldn't do it again. The cocoa was cold, the cookies were stale or something, just had an off taste. We did get to see Jack Skellington before the party even started. His line was half full and he was meeting at 6pm. Liked the parade although we didn't fight for a spot on Main Street. We sat in front of Liberty Tree Tavern. Missed most of the firework and what we saw was from Fantasyland. Loved the finale though! DD9 and I lasted to midnight and got on a couple of rides late with short waits (Dumbo, 7DMT, SM, Pooh), but if you're buying hard ticket events for short ride waits, you're definitely not getting your money's worth.

 

[dkrauss]

So sorry to hear about your experience.

We were at the Dec 6th party and didn't feel like it was to bad............but that was a Sunday night. We arrived around 5:15pm and headed right to Sandy Claws........waited about 40 minutes......then stayed to the back and into tomorrowland. Saw the show in TL, which wasn't bad from a crowd perspective. Left TL as the 1st parade was ending...........that was PACKED........and crazy. Headed to Fantasyland and caught 7DMT before the crowd got bad......only waited 20 minutes! Wandered around and at Gaston's the fireworks started. We've never seen the fireworks from the back...........it was great...........not crowded either. After the fireworks headed for Frontierland, on our way passed the 7 Dwarves M&G......no line.......15 minutes later we had a photo for our Christmas card we were'nt expecting. At Frontierland, got a front row seat for the 2nd parade. After the parade we wandered over to the Haunted Mansion..........waited 15 minutes. After headed back to castle...........no one there........so we saw the castle show up close. Wandered out of the MK around 12;10pm. I think because it was a Sunday night...........the crowds were lower.

Maybe next year?

Doug

 

[DisneyOma]

Since WDW has the policy of allowing military families unlimited, discounted, day of party ticket purchases I could see how the events could get rather crowded. They used to limit the ticket sales, but this policy (which I am not against, just explaining) could add a whole resort population to the party on a given day.

 

[larryz]

Since WDW has the policy of allowing military families unlimited, discounted, day of party ticket purchases I could see how the events could get rather crowded. They used to limit the ticket sales, but this policy (which I am not against, just explaining) could add a whole resort population to the party on a given day.

This is a great perk, and thanks to WDW for allowing this concession to those people who often can't plan far enough ahead to commit to the hard ticket events because of their duty requirements.

Minor discrepancy in the description, though -- not all tickets are discounted, and the tickets are limited to 6 per military member.

According to MilitaryDisneyTips.com, discounted MVMCP tix are only available on certain dates. Military members buying tickets for sold-out parties on non-discounted days pay full public price.

And in actual practice, I doubt this perk adds more than several hundred people to the party on any given night.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We went on Dec 6th. This was our first time doing MVMCP (have done MNSSHP). We were only at WDW for 3 days(just DH and I) so the party was our only MK time. I agree that it was rather crowded. The only real plans we had for the party was to see the fireworks and the parade. We arrived at the park around 4:30 and had FP+ that ended at 4:45 with another starting at 4:50. After that we just strolled about and got on whatever rides we felt like. We were disappointed to find CHH closed for dinner so we went to CR around 6pm and got in and out within 30 minutes. CR was busy but no long lines or trouble getting a table. We were near Sleepy Hollow a few minutes before Celebrate the Magic and got a seat there. Then moved over near the Liberty Bell to watch Wishes. We then rode BTMR and got a fantastic spot for the 10:30 parade only about 15 minutes before it started. I would have much preferred to have been on Main St. to see the fireworks and parade but it was jam packed there. We didn't do any character M&G's because every line we saw had at least 100 people in it....we weren't super interested in that anyway.

Overall, I'm glad we went and had the experience but I really doubt that I will go again. It didn't feel like a special night at all....just another night at MK. I've never been to WDW over Christmas and I think I expected a lot more in general.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've done MVMCP every year since '03....except last year, but other years did it twice. I was there on Dec 8...sold out party. It wasn't much fun, to be honest. It was shoulder to shoulder crowding. The parades were crazy. Used to be you could skip the first one and take in the second one without dealing with massive crowds. Not on Dec 8!!! We ran into crowds for everything!!! Got to the parade route about 15-20 mins prior to the start of the second parade....had to stand along the emergency exit lane (in Frontierland), about 4 rows of people back!! Lines for characters were awful!!! We got one character photo...Santa Goofy. For whatever reason, he never seems to be hugely popular!!!
I think that was my last party for awhile. I got a discounted price, have AP and DVC, but it's still expensive. Too expensive for what I get in return.

 

[DVCcurious]

Everyone's definition of "crowded" or "packed" is different. So we can agree to disagree. But I have not ever, and will not ever, attend one of these ticketed events because I expect it to be "too crowded" for me.

In my opinion, and my expectation, if you are paying extra for a special event then you should be able to do everything "unique to that event" with low stress. That means you should be able to meet ALL the special characters offered, find a spot for the parade 3 minutes before the parade starts, get over to the castle for the fireworks 5 minutes before they start. You only get one shot to meet the extra characters because you're only going to one MVMCP or MNSSHP each year, right?

(beware of blanket statements) EVERYONE who attends these parties wants to see the parade and the fireworks. That's one of the major selling points. You "deserve" a prime spot for fireworks and the parade with no wait. Everyone paying extra deserves that....because you're paying extra! EVERYONE wants to meet the special characters. I'm sure someone will say they're not into characters, but if you were at the MNNSHP and saw that Nightmare Before Christmas guy or the 7 dwarfs with a 5 minute wait wouldn't you meet them? Of course you would, because they are unique.

So my point is that Disney "should" limit the ticket sales to whatever level necessary to make the evening truly awesome with max 10 minute waits and ample room for fireworks and parades. I don't know what that ticket level is, but my guess is it's probably like 5k-10k whereas sold out nights have, what 20k people?

So when people say their evening wasn't "magical" it's probably because they have a similar expectation to mine. Just because you are....more realistic... and enjoyed the 40 minute waits doesn't mean they're wrong for being disappointed with 40 minute waits.

Just because waits at the parties are less than waits during normal operating hours doesn't mean it's "good" because for the $50 per head I personally expect no waits. But that's just me. And that's why I have not, and will not, ever attend these events. Because I know my expectations are unrealistic.

 

[larryz]

... because for the $50 per head I personally expect no waits...

That would be nice. Unfortunately, the price is much higher than that -- $74 for adults ($79 on the 17th).

And only the parties on the 15th and 17th have any tickets left.

 

[DisneyOma]

This is a great perk, and thanks to WDW for allowing this concession to those people who often can't plan far enough ahead to commit to the hard ticket events because of their duty requirements.

Minor discrepancy in the description, though -- not all tickets are discounted, and the tickets are limited to 6 per military member.

According to MilitaryDisneyTips.com, discounted MVMCP tix are only available on certain dates. Military members buying tickets for sold-out parties on non-discounted days pay full public price.

And in actual practice, I doubt this perk adds more than several hundred people to the party on any given night.

I meant unlimited as in, even if the party is sold out, any number of military families can buy tickets. And yes, there are some dates that the tickets are not discounted. But even if those dates are sold out, military families can attend, paying full price.

SOG can accommodate more than 2,500 guests - of course not all of them go to every party every night, but a sold out party with an additional several hundred more people does make a difference.

No matter what, I'm not bashing WDW policy on this - I also think it is a wonderful perk that our military families have earned, and hope it continues. Just trying to explain why a party could seem more crowded than in the past.

 

[larryz]

I meant unlimited as in, even if the party is sold out, any number of military families can buy tickets. And yes, there are some dates that the tickets are not discounted. But even if those dates are sold out, military families can attend, paying full price.

SOG can accommodate more than 2,500 guests - of course not all of them go to every party every night, but a sold out party with an additional several hundred more people does make a difference.

No matter what, I'm not bashing WDW policy on this - I also think it is a wonderful perk that our military families have earned, and hope it continues. Just trying to explain why a party could seem more crowded than in the past.

ITA. Just wanted people to get a reasonable scope of the issue... "unlimited" can stoke imaginations to theorize unreasonable expectations. Case in point: your "unlimited" data plan on your smart phone.

 

[Doug M]

We went on Dec 1. Felt it was pretty crowded, enough so that we probably wouldn't do it again. The cocoa was cold, the cookies were stale or something, just had an off taste. We did get to see Jack Skellington before the party even started. His line was half full and he was meeting at 6pm. Liked the parade although we didn't fight for a spot on Main Street. We sat in front of Liberty Tree Tavern. Missed most of the firework and what we saw was from Fantasyland. Loved the finale though! DD9 and I lasted to midnight and got on a couple of rides late with short waits (Dumbo, 7DMT, SM, Pooh), but if you're buying hard ticket events for short ride waits, you're definitely not getting your money's worth.

We also went on this day and had opposite experience. Cocoa was perfect temp, not too hot, and not cold. Fireworks was hard to find a spot but we found one, most rides had very little wait, including my wife and i being the only riders on BTMRR one time, and overall less people around than the regular park hours the following day, or any day we were at HS. We had no interest in characters but did notice lines probably an hour long, and yes, the cookies were horrible. We got a great spot in front of Casey's for the parade and it was wonderful, we were 1 row back from the curb, and people in front sat the whole time. That said, wouldn't have paid the 75 bucks if we also had park tickets that day, it was our arrival day so we had no park ticket otherwise and arrived at 430 pm.

 

[anniemae]

I wonder if a party night makes a less crowded afternoon. I was checking the MK wait times yesterday in the afternoon and was shocked that most things were 30 mins or less. Except SDMT. Even Peter pan was 30.