"Official" 2018 Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - Holiday Magic

[sking5844]

This will be our first party. For those that have done the parties before, when do you choose to eat? ( early TS anywhere or your favorite quick serve option in MK)How do you plan your day( beginning in the am)? Do you go to a different park in am? Just trying to maximize time and plan the day. Thanks for your personal input! We probably need a break prior to the party.

We are planning on doing the earliest dinner possible at CP, like 4:30-5. This will knock out the Pooh characters and also let the non-party going crowd get out of the way while we are still enjoying ourselves.

 

[supitscarrie]

This will be our first party. For those that have done the parties before, when do you choose to eat? ( early TS anywhere or your favorite quick serve option in MK)How do you plan your day( beginning in the am)? Do you go to a different park in am? Just trying to maximize time and plan the day. Thanks for your personal input! We probably need a break prior to the party.

This is my first time doing the Christmas party, but I did the Halloween party last year. We were at MK for rope drop that morning and went back to the hotel to change for the party... I wouldn't do it again. We were just so beat by the end of the night. This year my husband and I are using our party night as our sleeping-in, resort-enjoying day. We'll snooze a bit, maybe hit the pool if the weather's right, grab lunch and then roll over to MK at 4pm to get in for the party.

I think what you end up doing will likely depend on what the rest of your trip looks like. For my MNSSHP experience, we only had two park days - we were basically just there for a long weekend - so the idea was to maximize the time spent in the parks, going rope drop to close both days, and that included the party night on one of those days. But for the MVMCP experience, we're there for a longer period of time and I want to make sure we have some scheduled downtime in between our longer park days.

 

[rey_rey]

This will be our first party. For those that have done the parties before, when do you choose to eat? ( early TS anywhere or your favorite quick serve option in MK)How do you plan your day( beginning in the am)? Do you go to a different park in am? Just trying to maximize time and plan the day. Thanks for your personal input! We probably need a break prior to the party.

Our first MVMCP but we did do MNSSHP last time we were there. Our plan is to do a late breakfast/brunch buffet (we are booked at 1900 park fare). will prob hang at the resort for the day and/or do some shopping. Plan to be at mk for 4 when we can get in with our party tickets. Will do a qs dinner between 4-6 sometime before the party starts. Allowing us enough time to get in character lines we expect to be long.

 

[BishopsMoM]

I am getting ready to buy our Christmas party tickets and was just curious about party sizes. Is there much difference in crowd sizes between a Friday party and a Sunday party? My family is arriving on a Friday and thought it would be fun to start our trip off with the party. Plus since we will be arriving sometime that morning, we won't feel like we wasted part of the day like we would if we used a regular day park ticket. However, if the parties are considerably busier on a Friday night than a Sunday night, I may switch our plans. We arrive 12/7, so could go to either the 12/7 or 12/9 party. Thanks for the help!

 

[timsueshd]

So many questions... Still on the fence about going to the party!!!

Go to MVMCP? We (2 adults and 13 yr DS) will be there from 11/25 - 11/29, and there are two parties available... our arrival date, Sunday, 11/25 or Tuesday, 11/27. We are flying in from the MidWest and our plan Which day? Is one busier than the other? Since we are only in Disney for a few days, I was leaning towards Tuesday and just spending the whole day at MK. And fit the other 3 parks in on the other days.

Is it worth it? What to expect? I don't know anyone personally that has ever went. We are not huge Disney fans, my son and I like going and my husband could care less. The reason I want to go to the party, is because I don't know when I'll get back to Disney and for the Holiday spirit the party seems to give. We won't stand in line for characters for hours, even though it would be awesome to see them, I don't want to use the whole party time waiting in line. I have read a different review that this party is not worth the extra money, that Disney does a great job decorating everything for the holidays that it already puts you in the spirit.

Would we be better just staying all day at the park until 6-7 and then do something else? Disney Springs? Hotel Decorations?

 

[Disfan454]

This is my first time doing the Christmas party, but I did the Halloween party last year. We were at MK for rope drop that morning and went back to the hotel to change for the party... I wouldn't do it again. We were just so beat by the end of the night. This year my husband and I are using our party night as our sleeping-in, resort-enjoying day. We'll snooze a bit, maybe hit the pool if the weather's right, grab lunch and then roll over to MK at 4pm to get in for the party.

I think what you end up doing will likely depend on what the rest of your trip looks like. For my MNSSHP experience, we only had two park days - we were basically just there for a long weekend - so the idea was to maximize the time spent in the parks, going rope drop to close both days, and that included the party night on one of those days. But for the MVMCP experience, we're there for a longer period of time and I want to make sure we have some scheduled downtime in between our longer park days.

You guys did exactly what we did last year and it was also our first party. What we did, it went to the party and closed it down, but we went to the Tues night party and took all of Wednesday off for rest day/enjoy the resort day. Then went back to the parks on Thursday and Friday. We plan on doing that again for our first Christmas party which is also this year.

 

[Disfan454]

So many questions... Still on the fence about going to the party!!!

Go to MVMCP? We (2 adults and 13 yr DS) will be there from 11/25 - 11/29, and there are two parties available... our arrival date, Sunday, 11/25 or Tuesday, 11/27. We are flying in from the MidWest and our plan Which day? Is one busier than the other? Since we are only in Disney for a few days, I was leaning towards Tuesday and just spending the whole day at MK. And fit the other 3 parks in on the other days.

Is it worth it? What to expect? I don't know anyone personally that has ever went. We are not huge Disney fans, my son and I like going and my husband could care less. The reason I want to go to the party, is because I don't know when I'll get back to Disney and for the Holiday spirit the party seems to give. We won't stand in line for characters for hours, even though it would be awesome to see them, I don't want to use the whole party time waiting in line. I have read a different review that this party is not worth the extra money, that Disney does a great job decorating everything for the holidays that it already puts you in the spirit.

Would we be better just staying all day at the park until 6-7 and then do something else? Disney Springs? Hotel Decorations?

We haven't been to the Christmas party but we did do the Halloween party last year. My son is also 13 but we also have a 10 year old daughter. What we did last year and both kids want to do again for Christmas, was go to the Tuesday party again like Halloween last year, GO from open to close. Go back to the resort about 3:00, rest a while, then come back by 6:00 and close the park down at Midnight. We are going the same days as you. We take the Wednesday after the party off of the parks completely and just enjoy a relax, sleep in day and do some swimming at the resort pools is the weather allows.

 

[Disfan454]

So I know this has been talked about, but I keep seeing conflicting answers. Does anyone know for sure if you can or cannot book fp's on the day of your party only ticket? Party ticket without a park ticket that day. We have done this before but I read it was a problem for some last year, but not for others. Or are we waiting to see what happens when people start to try to do this with the Halloween party? Very frustrating not knowing!

They do not have FP's during the party. You can make them till about 7:00. So ideally, you can get three in from 4-7 which is really good.

 

[AntJulie]

Party table service dining not able to book yet but should be soon:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...eys-very-merry-christmas-party-table-service/

Same for Holiday Fireworks dessert parties:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/wishes-fireworks-holiday-dessert-party/

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...d-terrace-fireworks-dessert-party-plaza-view/

 

[dachsie]

Our first MVMCP but we did do MNSSHP last time we were there. Our plan is to do a late breakfast/brunch buffet (we are booked at 1900 park fare). will prob hang at the resort for the day and/or do some shopping. Plan to be at mk for 4 when we can get in with our party tickets. Will do a qs dinner between 4-6 sometime before the party starts. Allowing us enough time to get in character lines we expect to be long.

I am going to a Sunday party so my plan is to Uber to church that morning, go back to resort and hang, go to B&C for late lunch and look at the Christmas decorations at the Boardwalk resorts then head over to MK by 3:30

 

[dachsie]

I am getting ready to buy our Christmas party tickets and was just curious about party sizes. Is there much difference in crowd sizes between a Friday party and a Sunday party? My family is arriving on a Friday and thought it would be fun to start our trip off with the party. Plus since we will be arriving sometime that morning, we won't feel like we wasted part of the day like we would if we used a regular day park ticket. However, if the parties are considerably busier on a Friday night than a Sunday night, I may switch our plans. We arrive 12/7, so could go to either the 12/7 or 12/9 party. Thanks for the help!

From what they have been saying, Fridays will be more crowded than Sundays due to the locals

 

[tlmadden73]

Questions on how non-party guests are "kicked" out of the park.

I plan on going to the MK on 11/13 - a party day (there are like 4 that week, so really not many options otherwise). That's okay as I have little kids (2 and 6) so leaving early won't necessarily be a bad thing. Plus, I've heard the crowds aren't as bad because not as many people want to go on a day they have to leave early.

Questions:
1) Do they ever have morning EMH on party days (I doubt it), but just wondering.

2) Do they have their regular tours (like the Steam train tour) on party days? I am hoping to do that in the morning with my dad, but they haven't released the schedule for November yet.

3) How/when do they kick you out? Is everyone somehow ushered out at 6:00 PM? Do you have time to hang out and shop on Main Street after 6 pm and just not be able to go on any attractions (because you don't have a party ticket). Do ride queues shut down for a while or can you get on a ride at 5:55 PM and ride it even though you won't get through the line until after 6? Can you go eat at a restaurant at or/near 6:00 pm and just leave after you done?

4) Would you suggest a pre-6:00 PM dinner in the park (since that is the only time I can get reservations) or just maximize your time there and eat outside the park after 6:00 PM?
Right now I have reservations at 4:40 PM at Crystal Palace (my daughter will love Pooh), but I feel like that "wastes" my last precious hour in the park. I also have a 6:20 reservation at Chef Mickey's (not as preferable because it is later (don't want hungry kids), but conveniently located nearby the park.

Thanks .. just trying to figure out how to plan the end of my day in the park --- don't want to be caught off-guard and want to maximize the shortened day as much as possible.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Questions on how non-party guests are "kicked" out of the park.

I plan on going to the MK on 11/13 - a party day (there are like 4 that week, so really not many options otherwise). That's okay as I have little kids (2 and 6) so leaving early won't necessarily be a bad thing. Plus, I've heard the crowds aren't as bad because not as many people want to go on a day they have to leave early.

Questions:
1) Do they ever have morning EMH on party days (I doubt it), but just wondering.

2) Do they have their regular tours (like the Steam train tour) on party days? I am hoping to do that in the morning with my dad, but they haven't released the schedule for November yet.

3) How/when do they kick you out? Is everyone somehow ushered out at 6:00 PM? Do you have time to hang out and shop on Main Street after 6 pm and just not be able to go on any attractions (because you don't have a party ticket). Do ride queues shut down for a while or can you get on a ride at 5:55 PM and ride it even though you won't get through the line until after 6? Can you go eat at a restaurant at or/near 6:00 pm and just leave after you done?

4) Would you suggest a pre-6:00 PM dinner in the park (since that is the only time I can get reservations) or just maximize your time there and eat outside the park after 6:00 PM?
Right now I have reservations at 4:40 PM at Crystal Palace (my daughter will love Pooh), but I feel like that "wastes" my last precious hour in the park. I also have a 6:20 reservation at Chef Mickey's (not as preferable because it is later (don't want hungry kids), but conveniently located nearby the park.

Thanks .. just trying to figure out how to plan the end of my day in the park --- don't want to be caught off-guard and want to maximize the shortened day as much as possible.

I know on November 9 there is AM EMH and it's a party night.

I have no idea when they kick you out. I'm doing my first party on November 8.

I would do the 6:20 pm at Chef Mickey's.

 

[tlmadden73]

I know on November 9 their is AM EMH and it's a party night.

Ya .. I see Friday is a EMH morning and a party day. Bummer .. just doesn't line up for my schedule. There just is very limited EMH choices nowadays.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

1) Do they ever have morning EMH on party days (I doubt it), but just wondering.

Yes. They're having Morning EMH on my MNSSHP day, so it is a possibility.

2) Do they have their regular tours (like the Steam train tour) on party days? I am hoping to do that in the morning with my dad, but they haven't released the schedule for November yet.

I'm not familiar with that tour, but if it a regularly scheduled daily event, I don't see why they wouldn't unless its scheduled only later in the day (close to or during party hours).

3) How/when do they kick you out? Is everyone somehow ushered out at 6:00 PM? Do you have time to hang out and shop on Main Street after 6 pm and just not be able to go on any attractions (because you don't have a party ticket). Do ride queues shut down for a while or can you get on a ride at 5:55 PM and ride it even though you won't get through the line until after 6? Can you go eat at a restaurant at or/near 6:00 pm and just leave after you done?

For MVMCP last year, they weren't rushing folks out right at 6 PM. Nothing was really stopping anyone from hanging out and watching the castle lighting. I didn't try to ride anything or do any shopping, though and left well before 7 PM. I suspect they get more aggressive as it gets closer to 7 PM. The gap hour seems to be intended to let the honest folks work their way out of the park without being rushed.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

1) Do they ever have morning EMH on party days (I doubt it), but just wondering.

3) How/when do they kick you out? Is everyone somehow ushered out at 6:00 PM? Do you have time to hang out and shop on Main Street after 6 pm and just not be able to go on any attractions (because you don't have a party ticket). Do ride queues shut down for a while or can you get on a ride at 5:55 PM and ride it even though you won't get through the line until after 6? Can you go eat at a restaurant at or/near 6:00 pm and just leave after you done?

4) Would you suggest a pre-6:00 PM dinner in the park (since that is the only time I can get reservations) or just maximize your time there and eat outside the park after 6:00 PM?
Right now I have reservations at 4:40 PM at Crystal Palace (my daughter will love Pooh), but I feel like that "wastes" my last precious hour in the park. I also have a 6:20 reservation at Chef Mickey's (not as preferable because it is later (don't want hungry kids), but conveniently located nearby the park.

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can answer some because I had direct experience last November. We went to MK on a party day and weren't staying for the party.

1) On the day we went (Sunday, November 12, 2017), there wasn't a morning EMH but the park did open at 8:00 am, which we took advantage of, and it was great...we hit several rides before our first FP at 9:30.

3) My understanding is that if you don't have a party ticket, you can't get in line for a ride after 6:00 pm, but if you're already in line at 6:00 pm, you will be able to ride that ride. When you get off the ride, the CMs will be ushering non-party people toward the front of the park. You will be able to shop and linger on Main Street until 7:00 pm. You can go eat at a restaurant before 6:00 pm - CMs won't rush you, but after you leave the restaurant, they'll be gently ushering you toward the front of the park. We had a 5:50 pm BOG reservation and didn't leave the restaurant until after 7:00 pm - CMs were lined up on the path to the front of the park checking for wristbands and if you didn't have one, you were limited only to that path.

4) I'll speak just to my experience on this one, but keep in mind that we were a party of 5 adults who had been in MK all day. The park, and especially Main Street, got incredibly crowded after 4:00 pm, to the point that my party of 5 found it difficult to make our way back down Main Street from the front of the Emporium to get to our BOG reservation. We spent the time between 4 and 5 shopping, but given how crowded it was, I don't think we would have chosen to wait in line for rides at that time anyway. On top of that, we were able to get nearly every ride and show done between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. So for us, having a TS reservation just before 6 was perfect, and if we had the two reservations you have, we would have chosen to keep the Crystal Palace one.

 

[tlmadden73]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can answer some because I had direct experience last November. We went to MK on a party day and weren't staying for the party.

1) On the day we went (Sunday, November 12, 2017), there wasn't a morning EMH but the park did open at 8:00 am, which we took advantage of, and it was great...we hit several rides before our first FP at 9:30.

3) My understanding is that if you don't have a party ticket, you can't get in line for a ride after 6:00 pm, but if you're already in line at 6:00 pm, you will be able to ride that ride. When you get off the ride, the CMs will be ushering non-party people toward the front of the park. You will be able to shop and linger on Main Street until 7:00 pm. You can go eat at a restaurant before 6:00 pm - CMs won't rush you, but after you leave the restaurant, they'll be gently ushering you toward the front of the park. We had a 5:50 pm BOG reservation and didn't leave the restaurant until after 7:00 pm - CMs were lined up on the path to the front of the park checking for wristbands and if you didn't have one, you were limited only to that path.

4) I'll speak just to my experience on this one, but keep in mind that we were a party of 5 adults who had been in MK all day. The park, and especially Main Street, got incredibly crowded after 4:00 pm, to the point that my party of 5 found it difficult to make our way back down Main Street from the front of the Emporium to get to our BOG reservation. We spent the time between 4 and 5 shopping, but given how crowded it was, I don't think we would have chosen to wait in line for rides at that time anyway. On top of that, we were able to get nearly every ride and show done between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. So for us, having a TS reservation just before 6 was perfect, and if we had the two reservations you have, we would have chosen to keep the Crystal Palace one.

Thank you . .this is so helpful. So there is a gap between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm .. okay .. good. I won't feel like I need to rush out.
Knowing the Main Street area is crowded around those times is good to know, we'll probably just take the quickest route out of there at closing time and worry about shopping at some other park.

I may just stick with the early Crystal Palace Reservation then (was hoping to find something closer to 6), and see if we can finish in an hour and get one final ride in Adventureland or something nearby.

 

[giftcard]

Was anyone able to get the holiday dessert party? I was surprised when I logged on last night to see that you could book. For some reason I thought there would be an announcement preceding it.

I really wanted the dessert party but when I tried last night it said that there were no reservations available. But today when I've been looking it gives me the "a problem occurred while looking for availability. Please try again later."

My back-up plan of the garden view party is also unavailable but that's b/c the dates are greyed out. Did this happen last year that they were available to book at different times?

BOG and The Plaza both have availability for the night I'm there. I had hoped maybe none of the reservations were open yet not that the dessert party was actually sold out.

 

[Mosey03]

I'm getting ready to buy my party tickets but I have a question first. Are they refundable at all if for some reason we are unable to go on our trip?

 

[Tk0021]

Planning on the 12/11 party. We have not bought tickets yet. Does that time normally sell out?