Looking for MVMCP touring tips 2012

[NewfieFan]

This is our first MVMCP (we've done MNSSHP before) and I'd love some tips from those that have been before (especially if you've been this year).

We're not interested in any ride or attractions (if we find time to do a couple quick rides, bonus, otherwise we don't care), our focus will be the party specific activities and the character M&Gs.

Wondering which Castle stage show I should see. One site recommended the first.

I'm going to hold out for the second parade but would like to view it from MS.

Would love to see the Dwarfs but not if it means an hour wait. They're not that important to us.

We'll have two kids 9 and 6 and I hope they make it to 12am (or close to it).

 

[TheMouseFan]

I can't offer any tips, but I'm interested in everyone's answers. I am debating whether to go with my 4 year old. I'm not sure he would be able to make it long enough to be worth the price of the tickets. What day are you going? We could go either 12/11 or 12/13. Have a great trip!!

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

I was thinking about creating a thread for this very same subject. I'm glad I'm not the only one looking for help. Come on my fellow Disney freaks, geeks, and weirdos. I know that one of you has a great touring plan or two based on MVMCP.

 

[sydneymorganmom]

We're going 12/11! I have been keeping up with the blog from easywdw.com. He has great tips!!! He hasn't posted from this year, but there are 2 from last year.

 

[NewfieFan]

We're going 12/11! I have been keeping up with the blog from easywdw.com. He has great tips!!! He hasn't posted from this year, but there are 2 from last year.

I've read those blog posts as well and they are quite helpful. I emailed Josh and it sounds like he won't be going to MVMCP this year so we won't get an updated touring plan!

I can't offer any tips, but I'm interested in everyone's answers. I am debating whether to go with my 4 year old. I'm not sure he would be able to make it long enough to be worth the price of the tickets. What day are you going? We could go either 12/11 or 12/13. Have a great trip!!

We're going 12/11! I have been keeping up with the blog from easywdw.com. He has great tips!!! He hasn't posted from this year, but there are 2 from last year.

I'm going on the 11th too!

 

[kimberlymautz]

I'll be there on the 6th!
So far all I know is that there is lots of hot chocolate and cookies.

 

[xdan0920]

I went to MVMCP last year, right around this time.

My main piece of advice would be to save yourself the money and skip it entirely. But it seems as though you are committed to this, so here is my advice on how to best maximize your enjoyment.

1. It is going to be VERY crowded. Prepare yourself for that. If you allow yourself to be caught off guard by it, you will find yourself disappointed for the entire night.

2. Do not attempt to get on line for the Dwarfs early in the party. The masses rush towards that corner of the park, and the line is instantly over an hour, sometimes over 2 hours, and stays that way for a while. Try back later in the night, the lines seem to dissipate.
2a. The lines for all the characters are quite long, we waited between 30-45 minutes for both Tinkerbell and the Stepsisters, and over an hour for the Dwarfs.

3. The fireworks are outstanding, but require getting in place VERY early. The hub becomes a giant sardine can 30 minutes before they start, so ideally, you want to find your spot before that.

4. Both stage shows are fairly crowded due to the reduction of other offerings. I didn't notice a major difference crowd wise between the 2 shows. Just get there early.

5. The "free" hot chocolate and cookies are not worth waiting in exorbitant lines for. If you pass a location with a short line, they are worth grabbing, but not otherwise.

6. The show in TL is horrible for adults, but children may enjoy it. It is not crowded at all, so you can walk right up before it starts and give it a try.

Any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

[TheMouseFan]

I went to MVMCP last year, right around this time.

My main piece of advice would be to save yourself the money and skip it entirely. But it seems as though you are committed to this, so here is my advice on how to best maximize your enjoyment.

1. It is going to be VERY crowded. Prepare yourself for that. If you allow yourself to be caught off guard by it, you will find yourself disappointed for the entire night.

2. Do not attempt to get on line for the Dwarfs early in the party. The masses rush towards that corner of the park, and the line is instantly over an hour, sometimes over 2 hours, and stays that way for a while. Try back later in the night, the lines seem to dissipate.
2a. The lines for all the characters are quite long, we waited between 30-45 minutes for both Tinkerbell and the Stepsisters, and over an hour for the Dwarfs.

3. The fireworks are outstanding, but require getting in place VERY early. The hub becomes a giant sardine can 30 minutes before they start, so ideally, you want to find your spot before that.

4. Both stage shows are fairly crowded due to the reduction of other offerings. I didn't notice a major difference crowd wise between the 2 shows. Just get there early.

5. The "free" hot chocolate and cookies are not worth waiting in exorbitant lines for. If you pass a location with a short line, they are worth grabbing, but not otherwise.

6. The show in TL is horrible for adults, but children may enjoy it. It is not crowded at all, so you can walk right up before it starts and give it a try.

Any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Your response has been very helpful for me. I hadn't yet decided and was already leaning towards not going, now I'm pretty sure we won't. Thanks!
Are any of the characters dressed specifically for Christmas (especially Mickey and Minnie), or are there just some different characters than there normally are at the parks?

 

[xdan0920]

Your response has been very helpful for me. I hadn't yet decided and was already leaning towards not going, now I'm pretty sure we won't. Thanks!
Are any of the characters dressed specifically for Christmas (especially Mickey and Minnie), or are there just some different characters than there normally are at the parks?

Many of the characters are dressed in Winter clothes. And most have Wintery/Christmasy back drops. They make for nice pictures, but you need to weigh the $$$ and time to get those pics.

 

[NewfieFan]

I went to MVMCP last year, right around this time.

My main piece of advice would be to save yourself the money and skip it entirely. But it seems as though you are committed to this, so here is my advice on how to best maximize your enjoyment.

1. It is going to be VERY crowded. Prepare yourself for that. If you allow yourself to be caught off guard by it, you will find yourself disappointed for the entire night.

2. Do not attempt to get on line for the Dwarfs early in the party. The masses rush towards that corner of the park, and the line is instantly over an hour, sometimes over 2 hours, and stays that way for a while. Try back later in the night, the lines seem to dissipate.
2a. The lines for all the characters are quite long, we waited between 30-45 minutes for both Tinkerbell and the Stepsisters, and over an hour for the Dwarfs.

3. The fireworks are outstanding, but require getting in place VERY early. The hub becomes a giant sardine can 30 minutes before they start, so ideally, you want to find your spot before that.

4. Both stage shows are fairly crowded due to the reduction of other offerings. I didn't notice a major difference crowd wise between the 2 shows. Just get there early.

5. The "free" hot chocolate and cookies are not worth waiting in exorbitant lines for. If you pass a location with a short line, they are worth grabbing, but not otherwise.

6. The show in TL is horrible for adults, but children may enjoy it. It is not crowded at all, so you can walk right up before it starts and give it a try.

Any specific questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks for your insight. I have made up my mind that I want to attend. This is our first Christmas in WDW and I really want to experience it all. I'm looking forward to the parade and the fireworks mainly. My children really like characters which is why the M&Gs are important to us. I am prepared for it to be crowded - the last MNSSHP that I went to in Sept. was packed.

Would you recommend seeing the first Castle stage show or watching a later one?

 

[xdan0920]

Thanks for your insight. I have made up my mind that I want to attend. This is our first Christmas in WDW and I really want to experience it all. I'm looking forward to the parade and the fireworks mainly. My children really like characters which is why the M&Gs are important to us. I am prepared for it to be crowded - the last MNSSHP that I went to in Sept. was packed.

Would you recommend seeing the first Castle stage show or watching a later one?

I'm not sure it matters too much which Castle Show you see, I didn't notice any major difference in crowd size from one to the next. However, I do feel like the lines for characters were heavier early in the night. So maybe see the earlier show, and let the initial rush for characters dissipate.

 

[luv]

If you read reviews of last year's MVMCP, you should be able to apply it to this year's party.

There really are no tips. If you want a pic with the dwarfs, prepare to wait in a long line. The cookies suck. The parade and fireworks are worth watching. The castle show is fairly decent.

 

[Mukta]

I am attending MVMCP on 12/9, 2 adults. Should we watch the parade twice? The only things we want to do are the fireworks, parade, castle stage show and maybe a Mickey meet and greet. Is that doable?
Should we try to meet Santa or are the lines insane?

 

[wiigirl]

Many of the characters are dressed in Winter clothes. And most have Wintery/Christmasy back drops. They make for nice pictures, but you need to weigh the $$$ and time to get those pics.

Definetly....I always underestimate how much time/effort/$$$ it takes for pictures.

 

[thomas998]

This is our first MVMCP (we've done MNSSHP before) and I'd love some tips from those that have been before (especially if you've been this year).

We're not interested in any ride or attractions (if we find time to do a couple quick rides, bonus, otherwise we don't care), our focus will be the party specific activities and the character M&Gs.

Wondering which Castle stage show I should see. One site recommended the first.

I'm going to hold out for the second parade but would like to view it from MS.

Would love to see the Dwarfs but not if it means an hour wait. They're not that important to us.

We'll have two kids 9 and 6 and I hope they make it to 12am (or close to it).

Haven't been this year yet, so I'm not sure which meet and greets they will have this year... The one that was always the longest in the past was Belle and the Beast... if you have girls it might be worth looking for, if you have boys I doubt they would care.

Also the tomorrowland side always seemed more active early on and less as it got closer to closing time, you only get cookies and cocoa and it was the same no matter where in the park we go it so just grab it when you need it from where ever because no place has better cookies (in the past they were nothing to brag about, on par with what you might find in a Wal-mart).

The second show and parade are usually less crowded but depending on the night you may still need to get there early to get a good spot.

Sorry to say this, but we usually get our best bang for the buck at the MVMCP doing rides and attractions... MNSSHP was more fun outside of the rides/attractions... but honestly if I wasn't going to get to ride on rides with less line time I wouldn't go to the Christmas party.

 

[kersh13]

We went on the 17th last year and had a great time. We actually watched the second parade and walked right up to the seven dwarfs near closing time and had pictures made. We will absolutely be doing it again this year.

 

[sydneymorganmom]

Seems that for every person that complains about it, another thinks the opposite. I say go and see what you think. Some people just like to find things to complain about. I have read many posts that their party night wasn't crowded at all. Others say it was packed. It's the luck of the draw it seems. I'm not going for the cookies and cocoa, as I'm eating from the time I get to WDW until I leave so I don't think about that. After all, you're on vacation! There are so many that can't afford it so if you can, enjoy it!