Very merry Christmas party

[Johnnie Graham3384]

Hello just checking your thoughts on very merry. Is it worth the $525 for a family of four. Kids are 5-8?
thanks

 

[scrappinginontario]

It really is a personal decision.

For us it worked when we were visiting the Orlando area but not on a Disney trip and therefore not going to the parks. Those years we went and loved it!!!

When we're at Disney for a trip already, I cannot justify the additional cost for that party. Is it fun? For sure!!! But, is it worth the additional cost for characters, a parade, shows, dance party? Maybe. It really depends on how many people they allow at the party and what you hope to accomplish.

If I had a 'sky's-the-limit' budget then we would go for sure! Since that isn't our reality we go to the MK on party days (due to lower crowds) and then scoot out just before the party starts.

Something else to consider is, how do your kids do in the evenings? If they're done for the night by 10pm then that's another factor to consider. If they can stay up late then that works to your advantage.

Will we go again? We sure will! But, it's not a 'must' for us during our Disney trips due to the additional cost that we just don't always have to spare.

 

[Ross Kratter]

It's a lot of fun, but there are only a handful of things that are really exclusive to the party - certain meet & greets, the lighting on Space Mountain (which is amazing), the parade, the cookies, and the stage shows. That said, the ride wait times tend to be pretty minimal, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the park during the party. I do think it's worth the price if you are on a longer trip or are an annual passholder like I am.

 

[pens4821]

I was thinking of going and just enjoying the stage shows/parade/fireworks. Take advantage of the 4 o'clock entry and ride what we can the first few hours then just move onto the other things (wouldn't do meet and greets).

 

[Gordon Gekko]

We love both MNSSHP and MVMCP. We approach a little differently in the fact that we go right at 4PM and prioritize the parades/shows and riding everything multiple times. The kids are content with seeing characters on a walk by and not wasting time in the lines. We stay the whole time and pack a heck of a lot in that you simply can’t get done in a normal park day. Honestly after 10PMish we have found most things near walk on.

 

[coaster32]

Wow, is it that much to go now? I went 10 years ago and I think it was like $69 or $79.........trip planned for November and was thinking of going again......but now..........

 

[soniam]

That's a lot of money. We plan on going, 2 adults + 1 teen. But it's more than I spent in 2018 and gave me pause for a bit. If my husband and son had never been, I don't know if we would go. I really liked going by myself, but there were a lot of lines and a lot of people. I feel this is a very subjective one. The shows, fireworks, and parade are good. I typically don't like parades, but this one and the Halloween one are really great. We won't be doing any of the character meet & greets, so that may be clouding it for us a bit.

 

[JennyDrake]

IMHO, it is not worth it especially as young as your kids are. Who knows what *this* year will bring, but historically the parties have been VERY crowded. Packed and miserable. I quit going....

 

[GeneralTso]

I think it's worth going once. We have been a couple of times and that's when I decided once was enough.
It's insanely crowded--like can't move around crowded and makes you nuts crowded. That's not fun.

Now, with pandemic in action with no vaccine, who knows how they will handle this level of crowding. I'm not booking a thing for a long time. I need to see how this plays out. Can you imagine Disney with a face mask on? Heck no. Nope. No way.

I have been highly entertained by people on these boards speculating how it's going to be a mere 3 months from now. The pearly gates are not going to fling open and the masses of Disney nuts pouring in. It's going to be very, very different and no one knows what that's going to look like yet.

 

[RNTeacher]

We went a few years ago and it was PACKED! Lines for every single thing! I do not think we would do it again.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Hello just checking your thoughts on very merry. Is it worth the $525 for a family of four. Kids are 5-8?
thanks

Really only you know if something is worth what it costs. We all of course have different expectations and value perceptions. We love MVMCP for our family of four with Disney “adult” children. We didn’t care much for the special meet and greets or parades/shows but loved the snacks and short ride lines. That alone is worth the party ticket for us. Plus we usually have fairly short visits, between 3-5 days so we can cover a lot of ground in MK during the parties. First party of the year, weekend evenings and around Christmas are pretty busy. We went to a Thursday night party last time the first or second week they started and thought the crowd levels were pretty light. We’d definitely do it again. Planning two trips this year and should August not work out we’ll be going in Nov and will definitely do MVMCP.

 

[GPC0321]

It wasn't for us, but we're all adults, so maybe that makes a difference. I think calling it a "party" is kind of misleading. It's basically just going to MK and there are some extra things going on in the park that you don't normally see: "rare" characters to stand in long lines to meet, and holiday themed stage shows, parade, and fireworks, all of which you'll have to get in place for early because of the crowds. There are cookies and beverages served around, but when we were there the entire park was so crowded that even trying to find the cookies was a pain, and the lines were always long there too.

All of that said, I'm glad we went and did it at least once. I am a Christmas nut, and so the parade, fireworks, and stage shows were all things I did love a lot. We're going this Christmas, and will be there over actual Christmas (last time we weren't) so we'll get to see the parade and fireworks without doing MVMCP.

Now the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam dessert party at Hollywood Studios? Totally worth the money. Good food, meeting "the VIP guest", and outstanding viewing for the show...which is a ton of fun! And then a veritable snow storm on Hollywood Boulevard afterward. Oh, and those cool glasses they give you to wear that make points of light look like snowflakes or candy canes or whatever. And a complimentary Christmas ornament. Yeah. Totally worth it.

 

[AngelDisney]

It wasn't for us, but we're all adults, so maybe that makes a difference. I think calling it a "party" is kind of misleading. It's basically just going to MK and there are some extra things going on in the park that you don't normally see: "rare" characters to stand in long lines to meet, and holiday themed stage shows, parade, and fireworks, all of which you'll have to get in place for early because of the crowds. There are cookies and beverages served around, but when we were there the entire park was so crowded that even trying to find the cookies was a pain, and the lines were always long there too.

All of that said, I'm glad we went and did it at least once. I am a Christmas nut, and so the parade, fireworks, and stage shows were all things I did love a lot. We're going this Christmas, and will be there over actual Christmas (last time we weren't) so we'll get to see the parade and fireworks without doing MVMCP.

Now the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam dessert party at Hollywood Studios? Totally worth the money. Good food, meeting "the VIP guest", and outstanding viewing for the show...which is a ton of fun! And then a veritable snow storm on Hollywood Boulevard afterward. Oh, and those cool glasses they give you to wear that make points of light look like snowflakes or candy canes or whatever. And a complimentary Christmas ornament. Yeah. Totally worth it.

Thanks for sharing your experience on JBJB dessert party! I would check this out!

 

[gharter]

For that much money, I'm not sure your kids will get that much out of it. I'd pass and put that money toward other things. YMMV.
Its fun, but in recent years, reports are it was much more crowded than in the past.
I know we quit doing MNSSHP for those reasons of increased cost and too crowded.