Will MVMCP be as crowded as MNSHP?

[Mrs~Incredible]

We attended MVMCP in Nov 2017 (on a Tuesday, supposed to be the least crowded party of the year) and we were actually blown away by how crowded it was. Lines for treats at least a hundred deep, and sea of humanity in the hub. We thought we were “one and done”, but actually thinking about going again this year, esp now that we would have more realistic expectations of what the night will be like. Somehow last time we missed the snow on main street and I’d love to see that, plus enjoy the atmosphere until midnight close.

HOWEVER, I just read several recent reviews of this years MNSHP, and people are rating it very poorly due to worst crowds ever....

Gotta say, that’s spooking me off a bit

Do y’all anticipate a similar increase in crowds for MVMCP this year? Like a lot more than 2 years ago?

Appreciate your thoughts and opinions!

Thanks!

 

[kmb584]

We attended MVMCP in Nov 2017 (on a Tuesday, supposed to be the least crowded party of the year) and we were actually blown away by how crowded it was. Lines for treats at least a hundred deep, and sea of humanity in the hub. We thought we were “one and done”, but actually thinking about going again this year, esp now that we would have more realistic expectations of what the night will be like. Somehow last time we missed the snow on main street and I’d love to see that, plus enjoy the atmosphere until midnight close.

HOWEVER, I just read several recent reviews of this years MNSHP, and people are rating it very poorly due to worst crowds ever....

Gotta say, that’s spooking me off a bit

Do y’all anticipate a similar increase in crowds for MVMCP this year? Like a lot more than 2 years ago?

Appreciate your thoughts and opinions!

Thanks!

It's difficult to say with certainty, but based on experience I think the crowds will be similar. We went to three MVMCP last December and each one was incredibly crowded. The parties aren't what they used to be!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I have the same question and I feel like no one can predict with certainty what the crowds at MVMCP this year will look like. We are currently planning on going Nov. 15, but I haven't bought the tickets yet because I am a bit nervous based on the MNSSHP reports this year. I need to make a decision soon and I certainly don't want to base it on first party reports as a lot of bloggers and media members will be there and I'm not sure it will be indicative of the crowds at the rest of the parties. I think, if I buy the tickets, I just have to go in knowing it could be crowded and be ok with it.

 

[CarolMN]

I think it will be just as crowded, if not more crowded than past years. There is a new Holiday projection / fireworks show debuting this year.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Fundamentally, MNSSHP and MVMCP are crowded affairs because they are popular... people like them. And Disney sells lots of tickets.

But my opinion is you have to take a "body of work" approach when forming an opinion about crowds - and ultimately they are events one needs to experience for themselves to truly have an opinion. Event reviews ebb and flow over time. Conditions ebb and flow. My definition of crowded doesn't always match someone else's. My party to-do's don't match someone else's party to-do's. Date-based ticket prices have a way of moving demand around.

I've been to two MNSSHPs this year - Friday 8/23 and Friday 10/11 (which was sold out) - both were great experiences. The party last Friday could not have been better crowd wise - if I had to describe what I think a sold out party should be like, it was that night. Go back the last few weeks on the MNSSHP thread and you'll find some similar reviews, many from sold out parties (there have been a rash of sell outs over the last few weeks). Go back to Sept and you'll find a chorus of "it's too crowded, never again" reviews. Always hard to understand why.

I went to two parties last year - Friday 9/21 and Friday 10/5. I left the Friday 9/21 flaming mad - it was packed everywhere and the night just didn't seem to go well at all. I left totally bummed as MNSSHP has always been a favorite. Two weeks later - another Friday - and crowds were great! The only difference between nights was a $30 ticket cost difference.

Anyways - it's always so hard to peg these things.

I have less experience with MVMCP than MNSSHP but when we've done MVMCP, I've always had a feeling that the Hub / center of the park stays quite packed for much of the night no matter what. So many thing going on - castle lighting, stage shows, fireworks (new this year with projections), parades, snow on Main Street - there are tons of reasons to stay right around the middle of the park which make it 'feel' like 4 hours of waiting for HEA!

Having a good plan, reasonable expectations, and a sense of adventure with these things never hurts either.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

Fundamentally, MNSSHP and MVMCP are crowded affairs because they are popular... people like them. And Disney sells lots of tickets.

But my opinion is you have to take a "body of work" approach when forming an opinion about crowds - and ultimately they are events one needs to experience for themselves to truly have an opinion. Event reviews ebb and flow over time. Conditions ebb and flow. My definition of crowded doesn't always match someone else's. My party to-do's don't match someone else's party to-do's. Date-based ticket prices have a way of moving demand around.

I've been to two MNSSHPs this year - Friday 8/23 and Friday 10/11 (which was sold out) - both were great experiences. The party last Friday could not have been better crowd wise - if I had to describe what I think a sold out party should be like, it was that night. Go back the last few weeks on the MNSSHP thread and you'll find some similar reviews, many from sold out parties (there have been a rash of sell outs over the last few weeks). Go back to Sept and you'll find a chorus of "it's too crowded, never again" reviews. Always hard to understand why.

I went to two parties last year - Friday 9/21 and Friday 10/5. I left the Friday 9/21 flaming mad - it was packed everywhere and the night just didn't seem to go well at all. I left totally bummed as MNSSHP has always been a favorite. Two weeks later - another Friday - and crowds were great! The only difference between nights was a $30 ticket cost difference.

Anyways - it's always so hard to peg these things.

I have less experience with MVMCP than MNSSHP but when we've done MVMCP, I've always had a feeling that the Hub / center of the park stays quite packed for much of the night no matter what. So many thing going on - castle lighting, stage shows, fireworks (new this year with projections), parades, snow on Main Street - there are tons of reasons to stay right around the middle of the park which make it 'feel' like 4 hours of waiting for HEA!

Having a good plan, reasonable expectations, and a sense of adventure with these things never hurts either.

As always, thank you for your great advice

 

[JennyDrake]

I would plan on it being just as crowded and then be pleasantly surprised if it isn't.

 

[Imamom2]

November 8th will be our first party - it's the only one offered during our trip and as expected it is sold out. I purchased our tix the day they were released and I'm so excited to go! I'm looking forward to everything... I'm not worried about the crowds but as our moderator said - my crowded may not be your crowded. We did have adrs for Plaza but I cancelled them. We didn't want to commit to anything and I know there will be lots of choices. As of now we are planning to eat around 5 at Pecos Bill. We are there to have fun and see everything we can. We are planning to watch the second parade and stay til midnight. We are going to walk over to Contemporary and get a Lyft back to BC. I hope everyone has a great time no matter what party you attend.

 

[Mike Mantis]

Going to the 11/11 party (first time at any special event) and my game plan is to try to get a few hours of rides in between 4-6 and then avoid the Hub area for the first parade time. Going with a 7 year old and her energy (and patience) falls off a cliff around 10:30 PM at the latest so am targeting one of the latter parades.

My hope is that we can take in some of the special events, get some snacks, and ride a few rides earlier in the party when others are waiting for the first parade.

Thanks to a lot of the comments here I am in no way expecting lines to be short or walk-ons.

 

[evlaina]

We went to our first MVMCP on the last Thursday of November 2018 - it was a a madhouse, and my husband and I agreed we wouldn't go again, it was a "one and done" like you said. We went to our first MNSSHP this past October 1 (Tuesday) and I didn't think it was nearly as crowded. However, I read trip reports online with people complaining of crowds, so it's all relative. If you're expecting it to be less busy than 2017, I don't think there's any chance.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

We went to our first MVMCP on the last Thursday of November 2018 - it was a a madhouse, and my husband and I agreed we wouldn't go again, it was a "one and done" like you said. We went to our first MNSSHP this past October 1 (Tuesday) and I didn't think it was nearly as crowded. However, I read trip reports online with people complaining of crowds, so it's all relative. If you're expecting it to be less busy than 2017, I don't think there's any chance.

Yep, I’m thinking it will be as - or more- crowded than 2017. But as suggested above, crowded is in the eye of the beholder

I’m gonna expect big crowds, and if we do end up going, that expectation will give us the right perspective to have a great time

 

[WinnieAndMinnie17]

I also think people are stating that MNSSHP is incredibly packed due to the fact that disney released that pass that you can buy for the entire season which also includes sold out dates, which is so dumb in my opinion. I am going to the 11/8 party so hopefully disney realizes that the all season pass wasn't a good idea. If anything they should release it for non sold out dates only. Still going to enjoy my time there and not worry about crowds!

 

[cakebaker]

The last time we went, a couple of years ago, it was just as crowded. We've sworn off all parties until they decide to reduce the number of tickets they sell.

 

[karen4546]

short answer.....YES

If you have never been - go. But, expect it to be crowded. It will be. No doubt in my mind.

 

[vfalkner]

We are going on November 8th - which is sold out - and have never been to a party before. We are going to be at MK all day and there are even EMH starting at 8:00AM so it is going to be a LONG day. We were thinking of trying to do the first parade to have the option of leaving early but it sounds like that might be totally crazy. Will the second parade be much easier or do people think both will be crazy? Now I am thinking maybe we do some characters during the first parade and then find a spot for the fireworks and just stay for the second parade. Has anyone been to the first party of the season in the past and have an opinion? Can we do the dwarves during the first parade or do you have to line up first thing for them?

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

We are going on November 8th - which is sold out - and have never been to a party before. We are going to be at MK all day and there are even EMH starting at 8:00AM so it is going to be a LONG day. We were thinking of trying to do the first parade to have the option of leaving early but it sounds like that might be totally crazy. Will the second parade be much easier or do people think both will be crazy? Now I am thinking maybe we do some characters during the first parade and then find a spot for the fireworks and just stay for the second parade. Has anyone been to the first party of the season in the past and have an opinion? Can we do the dwarves during the first parade or do you have to line up first thing for them?

I’d recommend checking out the official MVMCP thread for the best advice. Traditional wisdom has been that the second parade is less crowded, but that may be different now.

You’ll have a great time, but crowds will probably be big so having a plan of your priorities will help

 

[oshun]

Last year went and it was jam packed. So answer is YES it will be crowded and go with that in mind.