"Official" Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015 Thread - Rockin' Around the Cinderella Castle!

[cmorris303]

Just back from our first MVMCP on 12/13. We walked into the MK around 4:30 and headed right the Goofy Rollercoaster. From there we got in line for Jack at 4:50. He came out right at 5:00 and we met him at 5:47. The line took a little while because he was taking his time talking to everyone. My kids loved him. Next we headed for our 7DMT fastpass, but it was temporarily closed. We decided to get in line for the Dwarfs, which was already kind of long. Luckily our spot was along a rock that we could sit on. It started to rain while we were in line. I took the kids into Sir Mickey's while DH waited in line. It didn't rain for long and by then 7DMT was running again so DD and I rode and then we stood in line while DH and DS rode. It was really cool riding it at night. By then it was 7 and the Dwarfs came out. We were done with them at 7:45 and made our way over to Frontierland. We stopped for cookies and hot chocolate which were fine and got a great spot for the parade by the turkey leg cart at 8:05. The parade was amazing and the the kids had a lot of interactions with the characters. It started raining for the last few minutes of the parade. As soon as it was over we got more cookies and hot chocolate and walked onto Jingle Cruise and POTC. By then the rain had stopped. We made our way to Casey's and watched the projection show and Wishes from there. By then the kids were exhausted so we headed out. All in all, we had a great time and would do it again!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

About halfway between Liberty Square area and Splash Mountain on the side of the river. I arrived about 20 minutes ahead of time from LS and walked until I found a good spot with a good view left and right...close to the walkway to the wooden sidewalk. Totally unobstructed view looking left to right. Parade characters were AWESOME...received a "double hug" from a couple of them; Cinderella's dancers winked and nodded their heads; Tinkerbell "spread Pixie Dust"; menacing "point" from Capt. Hook; one of the little bugs came over to me and nodded his head...LOTS of interaction. We use this area often and have always had good character interaction and views with one exception. The afternoon Festival of Fantasy was crazy crowded there but I was still able to get good pictures. GOOD LUCK!

Hi again @goopysolelady !!! Found a GREAT spot thanks to you! Fairy Godmother actually sang out "Happy Anniversary" to us and made kissy faces! One of the court jesters stopped and told us he loved our Christmas Mickey shirts and said happy anniversary as well! NEVER had that happen in a parade before! And... We were able to jump to Tland as soon as it was over and ride everything with no wait!
On another note, I should have known you were a kindred spirit! LOVE your doggie photo!
soooo much, we now have a genuine preferred parade spot!
Sparkle on,
Nonna

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

We just got back! So happy we went to the party! I agree with a pp, hot chocolate was surprisingly good! The cookies not so much...
We are in the airport awaiting our flight home. Planning on going back again next holiday season!
Thanks to all who posted all the excellent helpful info... I have nothing to add as there are no more parties until next year!
Would absolutely do it again! (And will)
NonnaT

 

[pangyal]

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have an Elsa card they would like to trade for an Olaf one ?

 

[EUmickey]

Question: Has anyone ever been asked for ID and/or been refused entry because the 'lead booker' wasn't there in person? Had some tickets and gave them away to someone else who then was refused entry at the park because the person named on the tickets wasn't there (they all had my name on them). I find this kinda crazy as doesn't this happen literally 50+ times a day? What if some grandparents bought tickets and gave it to their grandkids?

 

[CarnesFamily]

Now that parties are over and holidays have settled down... What are the best take-ways from those that attended the parties... What is the best advice for those planning for next year??? Anything item you were glad you had with you? Thanks for any help for future parties!!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Now that parties are over and holidays have settled down... What are the best take-ways from those that attended the parties... What is the best advice for those planning for next year??? Anything item you were glad you had with you? Thanks for any help for future parties!!

DH and I loved the party so much that we have already booked a vacation for next December!
We found a perfect parade spot (thanks to a fellow Diser!)...
We truly enjoyed the fireworks from the newly designed hub.
Next year it is my goal to meet the 7 Dwarfs. We did no M&G this past party, so plan to build that into next year's party.
I have absolutely nothing I would have done differently!
So I think we should start a new thread, "OFFICIAL" MVMCP 2016!!!

 

[pangyal]

Mine would be to sit down in front of the Dwarves for the photo instead of standing behind them. It's a little thing, but the photos would have turned out so much better if we'd all sat in front!

 

[pangyal]

DH and I loved the party so much that we have already booked a vacation for next December!
We found a perfect parade spot (thanks to a fellow Diser!)...
We truly enjoyed the fireworks from the newly designed hub.
Next year it is my goal to meet the 7 Dwarfs. We did no M&G this past party, so plan to build that into next year's party.
I have absolutely nothing I would have done differently!
So I think we should start a new thread, "OFFICIAL" MVMCP 2016!!!

I'm waiting for HRH @CampbellzSoup for that honour, I hope he starts another one soon HINT HINT

In all seriousness, I really like the positive energy OP brings to this thread and appreciate all of his hard work in maintaining it all year so we can plan and dream! Thanks so much for another year of your hard work!

 

[sharona]

Not really party related exactly but...The only thing I would do differently is go in November instead of December. I felt like the December vacation (10th - 15th, party on 13th) put too much stress on the back home holidays! We got home on the 15th and had something going on just about every night through the 28th due to being out of town during such a prime pre Christmas get together week... Had to squeeze all of the holiday dinners and cookie swaps and volunteering into that 1 week leading up to the big day. Consequently, while we really really enjoyed WDW and the Christmas party, we didn't have enough down time to relax and enjoy our own Christmas traditions.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I'm waiting for HRH @CampbellzSoup for that honour, I hope he starts another one soon HINT HINT

In all seriousness, I really like the positive energy OP brings to this thread and appreciate all of his hard work in maintaining it all year so we can plan and dream! Thanks so much for another year of your hard work!

Thank you so much for the shout out. I will definilty make it - I've got so many Disney trips coming up this kit h I completely forgot!

Thanks for reminding me

 

[goopysolelady]

Now that parties are over and holidays have settled down... What are the best take-ways from those that attended the parties... What is the best advice for those planning for next year??? Anything item you were glad you had with you? Thanks for any help for future parties!!

Better planning! We were a bit overwhelmed even after reading every post on this thread. Poor planning on our part (as a family) made me miss a lot of things I personally wanted to do.

 

[CarnesFamily]

Better planning! We were a bit overwhelmed even after reading every post on this thread. Poor planning on our part (as a family) made me miss a lot of things I personally wanted to do.

That is my fear... I have read every post knowing that we will be going next year but it is hard to know when to do what...especially since we have a little one so we need to fit most everything between 7:00-9:00(might be able to push to 10). We like characters but not willing to stand in line forever so I think we will mostly hit party attractions and the big rides. Any suggestions on timing?

 

[Dr Gunnie]

I wouldn't worry too much about the planning. We went to our first party this past year and I am one of those people that plans everything out on a spreadsheet. We had our plans, but I didn't plan for how empty many of the rides were! We left our dinner at BOG at 7:30 and walked to Fantasyland and all of the rides were pretty much walk on. We hit the teacups, dumbo, barnstormer... never had to wait more than 3 minutes. It was also our first time at the parks at night. We then got our spot for the parade in Adventureland and then started hitting those rides after.

That was the first night of our 5 day trip and it was our favorite part of the trip. I would highly suggest on going, and just plan to spend x amount of time in x area, and play it by ear the rest of the way. I'm never spontaneous, but it was nice just kind of going with the flow a little... and the lack of crowds allows it.

 

[goopysolelady]

That is my fear... I have read every post knowing that we will be going next year but it is hard to know when to do what...especially since we have a little one so we need to fit most everything between 7:00-9:00(might be able to push to 10). We like characters but not willing to stand in line forever so I think we will mostly hit party attractions and the big rides. Any suggestions on timing?

I'd pick out 1 character greeting and be in line by 6:30ish. We choose Scrooge McDuck/Donald who also appeared with Minnie & Daisy. We greeted them around 7:15. We sampled the hot chocolate and cookies while waiting in line. Our biggest mistake was eating dinner after the character greeting. I should have know better and warned DD and DGD's to eat BEFORE the party...but, 9 & 13 year old's only know they're "starving". Had I planned better, we'd have had an early lunch (our reservations at Tusker House were at 2:45) and grabbed a sandwich from Roaring Forks before we left for the MK at 6...which was another mistake. Get to the park earlier; the exit of non-party ticket holders was a nightmare. Took much longer to get down Main Street and reach Fantasyland than it should have. I'd catch some of the special events after the character greeting; grab a spot for the fireworks and pick another "minor" character greeting. As with the regular light parade, the first parade is extremely crowded. I'd skip it entirely, catching the 2nd parade in Frontierland. Third major mistake for us was watching on Main Street at the last minute. Very crowded, difficult to see and next to impossible to get good pictures. We watched across from Casey's and, due to the crowd, no "line of vision" for upcoming floats. They were "in front of us" and then gone. Very disappointing to me as I love taking pictures. Again, I should have argued with DD's and insisted on viewing in Frontierland. They wanted to catch the "snow" on Main Street but, it was still falling when we exited the park at the end of the party. I personally wouldn't spend time on any of the rides unless I had fast passes; the rides are always there. Fourth mistake was FORGETTING my notebook with all my notes...such as where all the character greetings were/times of special events, etc. Enjoy the perks of the party ticket and save the "normal" activities for a regular park day. Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't trade the experience for anything but it could have been so much better had we had a family meeting before the event. The time waiting for our flight to leave would have been perfect. Good luck! Who knows...we may be joining you again in 2016!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I'd pick out 1 character greeting and be in line by 6:30ish. We choose Scrooge McDuck/Donald who also appeared with Minnie & Daisy. We greeted them around 7:15. We sampled the hot chocolate and cookies while waiting in line. Our biggest mistake was eating dinner after the character greeting. I should have know better and warned DD and DGD's to eat BEFORE the party...but, 9 & 13 year old's only know they're "starving". Had I planned better, we'd have had an early lunch (our reservations at Tusker House were at 2:45) and grabbed a sandwich from Roaring Forks before we left for the MK at 6...which was another mistake. Get to the park earlier; the exit of non-party ticket holders was a nightmare. Took much longer to get down Main Street and reach Fantasyland than it should have. I'd catch some of the special events after the character greeting; grab a spot for the fireworks and pick another "minor" character greeting. As with the regular light parade, the first parade is extremely crowded. I'd skip it entirely, catching the 2nd parade in Frontierland. Third major mistake for us was watching on Main Street at the last minute. Very crowded, difficult to see and next to impossible to get good pictures. We watched across from Casey's and, due to the crowd, no "line of vision" for upcoming floats. They were "in front of us" and then gone. Very disappointing to me as I love taking pictures. Again, I should have argued with DD's and insisted on viewing in Frontierland. They wanted to catch the "snow" on Main Street but, it was still falling when we exited the park at the end of the party. I personally wouldn't spend time on any of the rides unless I had fast passes; the rides are always there. Fourth mistake was FORGETTING my notebook with all my notes...such as where all the character greetings were/times of special events, etc. Enjoy the perks of the party ticket and save the "normal" activities for a regular park day. Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't trade the experience for anything but it could have been so much better had we had a family meeting before the event. The time waiting for our flight to leave would have been perfect. Good luck! Who knows...we may be joining you again in 2016!

Just an FYI, (maybe you already know?), but you can get into MK at 4pm, and in fact they let us in at 3:45... Huge difference in timing!
Also, if you have a smart phone there are a couple apps you can download to help with your info. MDE (my Disney experience), Kenny the Pirate (all info on the M&Gs), and touring plans (tells you wait times, etc). I found these to be huge helps!
But, there's always next year!

 

[goopysolelady]

Just an FYI, (maybe you already know?), but you can get into MK at 4pm, and in fact they let us in at 3:45... Huge difference in timing!
Also, if you have a smart phone there are a couple apps you can download to help with your info. MDE (my Disney experience), Kenny the Pirate (all info on the M&Gs), and touring plans (tells you wait times, etc). I found these to be huge helps!
But, there's always next year!

Yep...knew it all. Had notes in my pocket-size notebook on all of Kenny the Pirate's M&G locations and left it at the resort. I don't have a smart phone but DD's both do and used MDE the entire trip; just poor planning on our part by not deciding what we wanted to do before the party. Our intention was to be in the park at 4; 2:45 lunch reservations at Tusker House could not be changed (yes, we tried the entire day via MDE and numerous personal visits to reservations desk) and they were running behind in seating us that day...was closer to 3:30 before we got in. Missed a bus by 2 minutes leaving AK for our quick trip back to WL to change clothes. It was just "circumstances" that threw our timing off. We learned to "deal with it" after our 2014 trip with DGD's soccer team for the International Youth Soccer Tournament. Rain delays in 3 of the 4 scheduled games threw reservations and fastpasses "off" for our group of 37 but we quickly learned it was no big deal. We dealt with the changes and decided there's no better place we'd rather be than Disney World. Same attitude for MVMCP; we missed a lot but wouldn't trade the experience we DID have for anything. Hopefully others will learn from our mistakes and make their experience totally MAGICAL!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

I do remember her dress Sorry your son had to miss the party, but couldn't think of a better girls' night out!!

We did do Minnie's Dine (on 12/4) and loved it!!! Disney sure does Christmas right....I'm going to have a hard time not making this an annual trip!!

What is Minnie's Dine? Thank you!

 

[crafty91]

Question: Has anyone ever been asked for ID and/or been refused entry because the 'lead booker' wasn't there in person? Had some tickets and gave them away to someone else who then was refused entry at the park because the person named on the tickets wasn't there (they all had my name on them). I find this kinda crazy as doesn't this happen literally 50+ times a day? What if some grandparents bought tickets and gave it to their grandkids?

No. They only just scanned our printed passes and let us right through! I could see a problem if you were getting your tickets at "will call". There is no way for them to check the ID of everyone that comes through to make sure the purchaser is with the group.

 

[dmc6469]

Mine would be to sit down in front of the Dwarves for the photo instead of standing behind them. It's a little thing, but the photos would have turned out so much better if we'd all sat in front!

I SOOOOO agree with you! The dwarfs wouldn't move over! I said "hi, getting in between here" thinking they would move but nope, they looked back at me then turned back. I'm a tall person also, 5'8", so I thought it would work in the photo. Nope. Waited in line since 4:30 and you can barely see me. Not happy at all! Planning on doing a 'do-over' at the Halloween party this year and I am sitting on the ground in front of them! No ifs ands or buts!!