Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2018--a review

[SeventyOne]

Despite usually making MNSSHP every year, haven't been to MVMCP in at least 5 years--wasn't a fan the one time I went. But new g/f a Christmas fan, had to pay her back for braving HHN, so had a CM friend get tickets (still $75!) and went last night.

OK, I'm shook. I'm a Halloween partisan but this is the better party.

Cookies v. Candy: unlike past events, the cookies are pre-wrapped now. You can basically stow them like candy--I think we walked out with 20 pounds of cookie. And they're about as good as store-bought cookies get. I give the edge to MVMCP because the logistics are so much better. Rather than barrels, they use existing QSRs. At one point, Village Haus had a dozen CMs handing out cookies--lines were minimal. Much quicker, more pleasant experience. The pretzels at Tortuga Tavern were a nice change of pace as well.

Parade: hadn't seen the new units from Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and Toy Story. All three are great. Nice long parade, too. In October, MNSSHP parade starting to feel stale, its inclusion of Vanelope illustrates how not to insert an IP. Advantage Christmas Party.

Stage Show: never got into the Hocus Pocus show, other than Oogie Boogie (who does the same song over the fireworks). May be cheesy, but holiday Castle show fun, better alternative.

Mini-Show: I love the Horseman, but over so quick. The set-up to Elsa's freezing of the Castle is ... not good (visit DHS after, you'll see why Michael Roddy should write every theme park show ever), but the effects at the end are stunning, ultimately a more satisfying experience.

Fireworks: OK, the one area Halloween wins hands down. Still a great show, but Hallowishes my favorite fireworks show all year.

Atmosphere: Again, edge to Christmas party. More decorations, more holiday music everywhere, snow on Main Street. Also, ironically, more adults dressed up for Christmas than for Halloween. Truly felt special, not like a normal evening in the park with candy lines.

All in all, I was impressed. With no FastPass, lines ranged from low to non-existent. (You could almost walk on to Peter Pan after 11 pm parade.) And they sell that Christmas mood well, closest thing I've found to bottled nostalgia happiness. It's not cheap--nothing is at Disney anymore--but if I was out-of-town, would happily trade a day here for this, still a nice splurge if you're local.

 

[Mad Dog]

We were there last week. It was a fun time, with the added plus of just about every ride being a short wait (except for 7 Dwarfs, which wasn't bad at 30 minutes). It would actually be preferable to just book the party instead of paying for a short day MK version, 9 to 6. You can probably get more rides in doing the Party and arriving early at 4:00, than spending a regular day at MK. The Castle Stage Show was a pleasant surprise. It was way better than my expectations, and far exceeded the regular day stage show. Holiday Wishes were good. The parade was good also, but it was our opinion that Universal's Macy Parade is better, and Universal's floats seem in better shape overall. Yes, the cookie and drink stations were fast and smooth operations. We loved the overall ambiance of Main Street, music and snow. A very entertaining and Magical day.......Wish Disney would get rid of Fastpass. Park seemed crowded but everything worked better without FP.

 

[SkiBum]

We were there last week. It was a fun time, with the added plus of just about every ride being a short wait (except for 7 Dwarfs, which wasn't bad at 30 minutes). It would actually be preferable to just book the party instead of paying for a short day MK version, 9 to 6. You can probably get more rides in doing the Party and arriving early at 4:00, than spending a regular day at MK. The Castle Stage Show was a pleasant surprise. It was way better than my expectations, and far exceeded the regular day stage show. Holiday Wishes were good. The parade was good also, but it was our opinion that Universal's Macy Parade is better, and Universal's floats seem in better shape overall. Yes, the cookie and drink stations were fast and smooth operations. We loved the overall ambiance of Main Street, music and snow. A very entertaining and Magical day.......Wish Disney would get rid of Fastpass. Park seemed crowded but everything worked better without FP.

I completely agree. We actually were able to go to the parks on the morning of our return day (flight was at 7:00 PM) because the Party allowed us in at 4:00 (didn't use a daily admission on the day of the Party). I really enjoyed Holiday Wishes. The fireworks in a 180 degree surround were awesome and the castle being lit up brought a chill to my spine. It was worth price of admission. Only complaint was that the cookies and hot chocolate left a lot to be desired.

The lines were short when we were there (about like what you mentioned) and my wife and I both agreed that Fastpass needs to go. Waiting for a 45 minute line when it is constantly moving beats three 15 minutes per day. All the time. I know the arguments about how you would still ride the same amounts and how it helps with crowd controls. No, capacity would not increase. However, the feeling of movement would be great. Not meaning to turn this into a FP+ discussion but I spent a lot of time standing in the same spot while waiting the 1 hour and 20 minutes for Slinky Dog. That's just not enjoyable.

 

[Allison]

I went to MVMCP for the first time in years in November as well and I loved it.

The parade, cookies, a Clarabelle Cow rendition of my favorite Christmas song, 10/10 would recommend, would go again, etc.

 

[UNIrd]

Was there this past week but let my friends pay the $105 to get in to Friday's party without me. I've done them two or three times in the past and, as a passholder, I just don't see enough value in these "parties" to pay these prices.

Plus, I was still feeling burned from just having dropped $130 on Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland which was a complete waste of money.

 

[SeventyOne]

Was there this past week but let my friends pay the $105 to get in to Friday's party without me. I've done them two or three times in the past and, as a passholder, I just don't see enough value in these "parties" to pay these prices.

Plus, I was still feeling burned from just having dropped $130 on Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland which was a complete waste of money.

Why I made sure to point out I paid a (still too damn high) CM rate. I'll be honest, $45 feels like good value--$75 was pushing it. But I still think $105 is better spent than $120 with no FastPasses.

 

[UNIrd]

Why I made sure to point out I paid a (still too damn high) CM rate. I'll be honest, $45 feels like good value--$75 was pushing it. But I still think $105 is better spent than $120 with no FastPasses.

If I wasn't a passholder and this was my only way into MK, sure. But for me, rides aren't necessarily a priority so the party exclusives have to have enough value to warrant the ticket price. And those tired old fireworks are not it.

 

[truejonas]

Between my parents and myself, we walked out of there with 50 cookies - not including the ones we ate during the party!

We didn't care so much for the meet and greets - we hit the shows and every ride we were interested in. For our money's worth, I think it was good. I can't say I'd go back regularly, but if I'm down there, I'd rather do an after hours event rather than go during the day.

 

[Mad Dog]

Between my parents and myself, we walked out of there with 50 cookies - not including the ones we ate during the party!

We didn't care so much for the meet and greets - we hit the shows and every ride we were interested in. For our money's worth, I think it was good. I can't say I'd go back regularly, but if I'm down there, I'd rather do an after hours event rather than go during the day.

Yes. You can definitely get more rides in without fastpass in the park. It beats getting a day time ticket. Plus you get the Christmas Parade and Shows.

 

[truejonas]

Yes. You can definitely get more rides in without fastpass in the park. It beats getting a day time ticket. Plus you get the Christmas Parade and Shows.

Even though I've been to MK four or five times since it opened, the party was the first time I was able to justify waiting for 7DMT. It seemed like all the wait times were inaccurate though - they said it would be 30 minutes but it was really only 20. A good problem to have, that's for sure!!

 

[Mad Dog]

Even though I've been to MK four or five times since it opened, the party was the first time I was able to justify waiting for 7DMT. It seemed like all the wait times were inaccurate though - they said it would be 30 minutes but it was really only 20. A good problem to have, that's for sure!!

Yes. 7 Dwarfs was the only ride that was more than 5 or 10 minutes. And, as you said, that wasn't bad either. I can rarely get it for FP, so that was a nice positive, especially in the dark. .....That just shows you what a pain that FP is in the general scheme of things.