Is MVMCP worth the splurge?

[Amy M]

Dates do sell out, but I think you have time before that happens. For historical data on that and more information on MVMCP, come join us here! https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...arty-oh-so-jolly-holiday-celebration.3729624/

Thanks! I will start following that thread!

 

[kiford]

We have only stayed at GF for one night and that was super convenient to get to MK, but it seems like CR might be the best for leaving the park.

CR is close enough to walk (if you still feel like it by end of night!) but you can also take the boat to GF rather than the monorail. That's what we did when we stayed there. We usually request Conch Key building since it's right by the pier at GF so very convenient. While there's a line up for the boat as well, it's much shorter than the monorail line and I think it's faster. Plus way cooler to end the night.

 

[Amy M]

CR is close enough to walk (if you still feel like it by end of night!) but you can also take the boat to GF rather than the monorail. That's what we did when we stayed there. We usually request Conch Key building since it's right by the pier at GF so very convenient. While there's a line up for the boat as well, it's much shorter than the monorail line and I think it's faster. Plus way cooler to end the night.

Good point! I always forget about the boat at GF!

 

[Shellyred8]

There is finally a MVMCP scheduled on a date that my family may be able to attend. For the last several years we have gone to my MIL’s house for Thanksgiving and have driven down to WDW for one night just to get our Disney fix. We take time to enjoy the resort, Disney Springs, and resort hopping to check out decorations. We have never had the chance to to the Christmas party, but I have always wanted to. Is the party worth the money? My husband is all about getting a good value for the money when it comes to stuff like this. He would spend the money as long as he feels like “it is worth it”. We have never felt like we have wasted money on any of our trips to Disney. Our Disney trips have all been amazing. However, I don’t personally know anyone that has been to a party, so this is new territory for me.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

We did it once. We thought it was worth it to do it that one time, but we most likely won't do it again. It is definitely a festive time and really gets you in the Christmas spirit. You also get to see some things/characters that you don't get to see at any other time.

If I were to do it again, we would not plan a park day for the day of the party. Rather, we would do other things like DS or mini golf and just have a relaxed day and save some of my energy for the party.

 

[GatorGirl]

We did a one and done this past Christmas. We are ride people and Space was down almost the entire night which is our most favorite ride so that really stung. We didn't do any park during the day.
MK was packed but after the initial surge treat lines moved rather well. The parade was amazing, we got a great spot near the Tony's crowd (without waiting for hours) and were able to leave the park as soon as the second parade ended. We are not parade people (nothing beats the MNSSHP parade for us though!) The decorations and the snow was magical. We only saw Jack, and somebody else I forgot who. Character lines were very long all night as were the specialty photos (we only did one). The Christmas party thread is invaluable for planning and resources!

 

[eeyoreali]

We're hoping to go this year in early December. We've been to MNSSHP 3 times before, but we've never been to WDW in December before. For us, party night would be spent on party activities, maybe characters, but not so much rides. If this is happens to be our only trip in December, I think the party is worth it.

 

[Starwind]

Thank you for all of these wonderful replies so far. When we have gone in November in the past, it has strictly been a resort only trip. This would be the first time we will have ever seen MK (actually any of the parks) decorated for Christmas. I did notice that the price of the party is less than a 1-day ticket too, so that is a plus. We would want to do many of the rides as part of the party too. Are all of the rides open during the party?

If we do this, I am thinking that staying on the monorail would be the most convenient. Is there a resort that anyone would recommend? We have only stayed at GF for one night and that was super convenient to get to MK, but it seems like CR might be the best for leaving the park. It probably doesn’t matter though. This may come down to whichever has the best discount (and it the recent past that has been GF based on my research).

Our next trip, MVMCP will be the only park visit we make. Our last tip we did MVMCP and a water park visit [different days]. We enjoy our resort time and our trips now bookend DCL cruises.

Most of the rides are open during the party but a small number are not: we use the party guide that gets released when the parties start to help us ID what is/is not open during the party and then ID if there is anything that isn't that is a priority for us to do. FOr us in the past that has meant making sure we get a ride on the railroad in, but that is a moot point this year since it is closed entirely.

We arrive as close to 4 as possible or a little before so we maximize our time in the party, and stay pretty much until close. When we went last time we arrived at about 3:50 and they had just started letting party-goers in.

We get fastpasses for the period they will allow them, starting with the 3:30-4:30 window.

We eat a late lunch that day so we only need to snack during the party, though we often end up hitting Cosmic Rays for a burger later in the evening.

I am sun sensitive so we really like that most of the time the party is in the dark

We focus on doing the rides, watching the parade, and watching the fireworks. And getting a few of the free snacks and drinks.

The park will be crowded for the initial window while the day guests are still there, but then it starts thinning out. IME the worst area is around main street, so we found the key is to get through and past that as quickly as possible - we linger in the shops there after closing as we meander out of the park If the side bypass is open that is a good way to get around that main street crowd. Now, if you want to see Main Street in the daylight, just be prepared for a lot of people !

As for discounts, with the opening of SWGE I wouldn't count on their being any or many discounts for fall. Be prepared to be paying rack rate.

Wilderness Lodge is also a great place to stay for the party -- nice boat or bus ride over and back.

SW

 

[CynBeth]

We really enjoy it.

 

[eco-muse]

I think it's worth doing at least once, to have the experience and all that.
After that, you can determine if it's worth going back to or not. We did it a few years ago, during Thanksgiving break. The parks were a nightmare during the day, but the party wasn't too bad. (I think, in terms of nighttime crowds, EPCOT was actually worse.)
Personally, I prefer the Halloween party (but I also enjoy that holiday more).

 

[Amy M]

Our next trip, MVMCP will be the only park visit we make. Our last tip we did MVMCP and a water park visit [different days]. We enjoy our resort time and our trips now bookend DCL cruises.

Most of the rides are open during the party but a small number are not: we use the party guide that gets released when the parties start to help us ID what is/is not open during the party and then ID if there is anything that isn't that is a priority for us to do. FOr us in the past that has meant making sure we get a ride on the railroad in, but that is a moot point this year since it is closed entirely.

We arrive as close to 4 as possible or a little before so we maximize our time in the party, and stay pretty much until close. When we went last time we arrived at about 3:50 and they had just started letting party-goers in.

We get fastpasses for the period they will allow them, starting with the 3:30-4:30 window.

We eat a late lunch that day so we only need to snack during the party, though we often end up hitting Cosmic Rays for a burger later in the evening.

I am sun sensitive so we really like that most of the time the party is in the dark

We focus on doing the rides, watching the parade, and watching the fireworks. And getting a few of the free snacks and drinks.

The park will be crowded for the initial window while the day guests are still there, but then it starts thinning out. IME the worst area is around main street, so we found the key is to get through and past that as quickly as possible - we linger in the shops there after closing as we meander out of the park If the side bypass is open that is a good way to get around that main street crowd. Now, if you want to see Main Street in the daylight, just be prepared for a lot of people !

As for discounts, with the opening of SWGE I wouldn't count on their being any or many discounts for fall. Be prepared to be paying rack rate.

Wilderness Lodge is also a great place to stay for the party -- nice boat or bus ride over and back.

SW

WL was also on my radar. We love that resort. We have stayed there twice. We like trying new resorts, that why I was thinking about trying Poly or CR. However, it may be wise to book the WL now since it is a bit cheaper, and then switch to a monorail resort if any discounts are released. Or...the garden wing at CR is similarly priced. Don’t know if that would have the same vibe as staying in the tower though. Decisions, decisions!!!

 

[Amy M]

I think it's worth doing at least once, to have the experience and all that.
After that, you can determine if it's worth going back to or not. We did it a few years ago, during Thanksgiving break. The parks were a nightmare during the day, but the party wasn't too bad. (I think, in terms of nighttime crowds, EPCOT was actually worse.)
Personally, I prefer the Halloween party (but I also enjoy that holiday more).

Good to hear that the crowds weren't too bad around Thanksgiving! Thanks for your input.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

-Do the party in place of a park ticket that day. When I hear of people who pay for a park ticket that day on top of the Christmas party, it seems like a waste of money to me.

This clearly depends on the park ticket you would buy. If you are already buying more than 4 days, you'd at most be adding $13 for that day and once your are at 7 days its down to $5 per ticket. Even if you used that to get in at 2:00 instead of 4 the money could be worth it. Now if you are buying a one day ticket, then I understand your point.

 

[Amy M]

This clearly depends on the park ticket you would buy. If you are already buying more than 4 days, you'd at most be adding $13 for that day and once your are at 7 days its down to $5 per ticket. Even if you used that to get in at 2:00 instead of 4 the money could be worth it. Now if you are buying a one day ticket, then I understand your point.

We wouldn't have any other park days. This would strictly be a resort and party trip to WDW. It will be super short too (only staying one night). I was comparing the cost of a 1-day ticket to the cost of a party ticket in this case.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I think we are planning on doing it again this year. We will be taking my 18 month old DD, so it will be her first trip and she will be free as well. It may be interesting to take it slower and see what she wants to do. I’m sure she would like the parade and the “snow” down Main Street.

 

[chimoe]

We went to the MVMCP last year Nov 25th

The party was very busy. I would equate it to as much people as there was during the day after thanksgiving when we were in MK.

Parade and fireworks are nice. THe snacks/treats - if your willing to wait 1/2hr in line I guess you can grab a few.

Overall, I think we got unlucky with a sold out night. But I’ve heard the parties are now extremely busy. We wanted 45mins for SDMT. Seems excessive for a limited participant party.

 

[OB1]

I would say it's worth it to do at least once. Particularly if you don't regularly go in December. I've done it twice and may consider doing it again but will probably wait a couple of years. The parties we did weren't too bad but I have heard some parties are very busy.

Totally agree. We have done it twice, 13 years apart. Did it last NOV, FRI before Thanksgiving. It was a chilly night, which may have helped. Everyone dressed in their Christmas stuff, lots of flannels and matching families. Probably at least 80% in their Christmas wear. Great for the spirit of Christmas. We rode some rides, and mainly enjoyed all the special stuff. Of course we sampled all the cookies. It was busy, but worth it. We really expected to see people in their Christmas wear the rest of the trip, but did not see much.

 

[disneydreamer781]

 

[disneydreamer781]

Totally agree. We have done it twice, 13 years apart. Did it last NOV, FRI before Thanksgiving. It was a chilly night, which may have helped. Everyone dressed in their Christmas stuff, lots of flannels and matching families. Probably at least 80% in their Christmas wear. Great for the spirit of Christmas. We rode some rides, and mainly enjoyed all the special stuff. Of course we sampled all the cookies. It was busy, but worth it. We really expected to see people in their Christmas wear the rest of the trip, but did not see much.

Yeah the weather is a factor for me. I enjoyed MVMCP much more on the cooler of the 2 nights. The second time we did the party it was very humid. Uncomfortably so. Didn't enjoy it nearly half as much. I'm from the Northeast so when the holiday season rolls around, I like the change in the weather and even with the snow falling, it just didn't cut it for me. Next time I do decide to do it, I'll wait until I get to WDW to purchase tickets.