Questions about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

[Nikki G]

We are debating the merits of getting tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party when we go to Disney in December. We have never been to the party before and don't know anything beyond what I've read. We are in Disney for only a few days on our way down farther south into Florida. We do not plan to buy any park passes, which brought me to consider MVMCP instead since we wouldn't have the whole paying for the park twice issue going on. I'm all for it, however, I need some knowledge to help convince my husband it's a good idea. The biggest concern is the crowd (and the cost!). We would be going on December 22, the very last party. My concern is that it would be horribly crowded and we would have a miserable time. We are mainly interested in the parade, fireworks, shows, general christmas ambiance, and riding the rides. We have no interest in standing in line for character meet n greets. Given these are our goals, what do you all think? We are a family of 4 with two kids aged 8 and 5. Would it be worth it to spend the money, or will it be so crowded we are unable to do anything? My hope is that all the people waiting in lines for characters would equal smaller lines on the rides...

 

[1supermomsmd]

We absolutely LOVE the MVMCP!!!!! That time of year will be crowded for sure but they do limit the number of tickets they sell for the parties (some would argue that the so-called limit has been climbing higher such that more tickets are being sold over the last few years, but . . . .). If you have a strategic plan for your party night, you can get an amazing amount accomplished even with little ones -- just make sure they rest, get naps, etcetera during the day so they can stay up late! My DD has been doing the parties since she was 4yo. Plans involving Character M&Gs -- which we love to do -- are always more complicated and take longer because some of these lines can getting pretty long. But, without that desire, you can ride a whole bunch of things, see the shows, fireworks, parade (crowds at 2nd parade time are smaller than the 1st parade), sipping hot chocolate, eating the various cookies at the different locations, and experiencing "snow" on Main Street USA.

 

[cindy17]

You still need to buy park passes to attend Christmas party. The $99 per adult (or thereabouts, depending on the date) cost is on top of the park pass you need to buy

 

[Figmentmommy]

You still need to buy park passes to attend Christmas party. The $99 per adult (or thereabouts, depending on the date) cost is on top of the park pass you need to buy

Not true. You do not need to buy park passes to attend the Christmas party. Purchasing the party tickets gains you admission to the party. No additional park admission is necessary.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

You still need to buy park passes to attend Christmas party. The $99 per adult (or thereabouts, depending on the date) cost is on top of the park pass you need to buy

This is absolutely not true. You do not need regular park admission to attend MVMCP, you only need to purchase a party ticket.

 

[Figmentmommy]

We are debating the merits of getting tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party when we go to Disney in December. We have never been to the party before and don't know anything beyond what I've read. We are in Disney for only a few days on our way down farther south into Florida. We do not plan to buy any park passes, which brought me to consider MVMCP instead since we wouldn't have the whole paying for the park twice issue going on. I'm all for it, however, I need some knowledge to help convince my husband it's a good idea. The biggest concern is the crowd (and the cost!). We would be going on December 22, the very last party. My concern is that it would be horribly crowded and we would have a miserable time. We are mainly interested in the parade, fireworks, shows, general christmas ambiance, and riding the rides. We have no interest in standing in line for character meet n greets. Given these are our goals, what do you all think? We are a family of 4 with two kids aged 8 and 5. Would it be worth it to spend the money, or will it be so crowded we are unable to do anything? My hope is that all the people waiting in lines for characters would equal smaller lines on the rides...

The final party will surely be crowded - but only as crowded as a party can get. Admission for any party night is capped so it will not be as crowded as a busy park day. You will definitely not have a horrible time based upon the crowd level. Main Street and the hub area will be crowded during parade times and fireworks but the rest of the park will be more than manageable. Lines for most rides and attractions will be short and you can watch the parade from Frontierland which offers a calmer, less crowded viewing experience. It is also where the parade kicks off from, so you will have easy access after it passes through to that side of the park. I also recommend catching the last Castle Show and then heading off back down Main Street under the falling snow as you exit the park.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We are debating the merits of getting tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party when we go to Disney in December. We have never been to the party before and don't know anything beyond what I've read. We are in Disney for only a few days on our way down farther south into Florida. We do not plan to buy any park passes, which brought me to consider MVMCP instead since we wouldn't have the whole paying for the park twice issue going on. I'm all for it, however, I need some knowledge to help convince my husband it's a good idea. The biggest concern is the crowd (and the cost!). We would be going on December 22, the very last party. My concern is that it would be horribly crowded and we would have a miserable time. We are mainly interested in the parade, fireworks, shows, general christmas ambiance, and riding the rides. We have no interest in standing in line for character meet n greets. Given these are our goals, what do you all think? We are a family of 4 with two kids aged 8 and 5. Would it be worth it to spend the money, or will it be so crowded we are unable to do anything? My hope is that all the people waiting in lines for characters would equal smaller lines on the rides...

I think the party sounds like a good idea given what you describe. Our true love of the parties is the short/no waits for most rides, followed by the fireworks (which are AWESOME), the parade (which is good), and general ambiance to get us in the Christmas spirit. We find we can cover SO MUCH ground in terms of rides, it's well worth it for us.

Party crowds tend to feel "lumpy" to me. Like @Figmentmommy said, crowds in the hub area around the parade/fireworks can feel pretty intense. But venture off deeper in the park and it can be relatively empty.

I'd say it's a good way to get in a little MK time at a lower cost than a traditional park ticket.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I think it's worth it if you go during a less crowded day (not to close to Christmas day and avoid weekends) and you go with a realistic plan. Your not going to be able to do all the rides and see all the Christmas shows in 1 party but if you plan it right, you should be able to do quite a bit.

 

[cindy17]

Not true. You do not need to buy park passes to attend the Christmas party. Purchasing the party tickets gains you admission to the party. No additional park admission is necessary.

Sorry ... my bad! I come from out of state and always just buy the hoppers for the number of days we are there. Being that the party is in the evening, we would need passes for our park day prior to going into Christmas party. Again, sorry for confusion. But I just thought a park pass was always needed.

 

[focusondisney]

You still need to buy park passes to attend Christmas party. The $99 per adult (or thereabouts, depending on the date) cost is on top of the park pass you need to buy

Only if they want to go to MK all day. In the past, you could enter MK at 4 pm with only a party ticket. Not sure if the 4 pm time will hold true this year, but I expect it will.

 

[Bbguy5]

Only if they want to go to MK all day. In the past, you could enter MK at 4 pm with only a party ticket. Not sure if the 4 pm time will hold true this year, but I expect it will.

Believe it Still holds true, park closes at 6 this year though instead of 7 to people without a ticket to Xmas party. We went on a Sunday last year and it was completely packed. 22nd during peak, and while kids are out of school I'm guessing it will be busy.

 

[Nikki G]

Thanks for all of the input, everyone! This helped to give me a much clearer picture of what to expect. I'm all in as I am both a Disney and Christmas nut. I just have to convince DH that he doesn't need to be so twitchy about the crowds. We both agree that we want the kids to have more experiences rather than material items at Christmas and this seems like the perfect thing.

 

[Dakota731]

If they limit the number of tickets then when is the last time you can purchase them?

 

[mesaboy2]

If they limit the number of tickets then when is the last time you can purchase them?

You can purchase them night-of, assuming it's not sold out.

 

[Elitravelor]

We are attending the December 22 party....first time MVMCP!! We will not do character photos as the kids are adults now. We will do the second parade but what other hints or recommendations do people have? Are counter service places mobbed? We did not want to waste time at the party with a dinner reservation.

We did a Pirate/Princess Party once and it was great! Ride lines were short and the parade viewing was awesome.