Here's the general outline of my
MNSSHP plan, which may be of some use (all times are approximate):
4:00 - 6:00
Get to park close to 4:00, clear bag check and turnstile
Do those things that can only be done during this time:
- watched a marching band on Main Street
- took pictures that required daylight
- went on rides that weren't going to be open during the party (Jungle Cruise and Carrosel of Progress)
6:00 - 7:00
Low crowds, so hit major attractions. This is kinda tricky, since events might not happen as you've read and planned for. I read all about being herded to one land of the park while the park is decorated. But nobody was sending people out of Frontierland, and they sure didn't seem to be sending people into it either. So those of us there had super easy walk-on for Splash and Big Thunder Mountains.
7:00 - 8:00
Busiest time of the night. Good time to eat (Pecos Bills) and hit the less popular attractions (Small World, etc.)
8:00 - 9:00
Somewhat low crowds, time to hit more major attractions (Space Mountain, Buzz, etc.)
9:00 - 10:00
Fireworks.
10:00 - 11:00
Shopping + Parade
Seeing the parade from Frontier land worked well, as the parade ends soonest there. I could have spent less time camping out for a good spot - my view would have been almost as good had I shown up at the last second (same goes for fireworks).
11:00 - 12:00
Park really starts to empty out - good time to hit the really popular rides. Pooh and Pan had the longest lines throughout the night, but were walk on after 11:30.
Note: One thing I learned is that (assuming you can be there from 4-12) you could do just about everything and never deal with crowds or wait in a serious line. Oh, there were some crowds and lines at times. But you could just skip whatever had the line and come back later when they were gone.
So I never planned to have my free photo taken. Must have walked by the spots a dozen times as I went around the park, but didn't stop in because of lines. But then I happened to walk by a spot that was empty and went in then.
Candy trick-or-treating was the same. They were pretty busy early in the night, but empty later on. Will it work the same with cookies at the Christmas Party?
In any case, I would make sure any plan is pretty flexible.
We enjoy a "full out" UG touring plan kind of approach to the parks. Not so much because we are rigid, but because we are more comfortable knowing what and WHEN we are doing things. With that in mind, I would love to hear from other "super planners" in regards to your touring plans for MVMCP.
(just us women...no kids!!!), and we are hitting 
