Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - Is it worth it?

[kg00616]

Sure seems like a lot of extra money! There are 6 of us so it adds up! Plus, I have a 3 year old so I don't know how late she'd be able to hang. Thoughts?

[faline]

I've always enjoyed it but, typically, there have just been two of us. However, the prices seem to go up every year and I am on the verge of questioning whether or not future attendance is worth the cost.

We did go last year when we vacationed with my brother and his family so we had a 4 year old with us. We waited for the parade near the Country Bears venue so my sister-in-law was able to take him into the attraction to cut down on his wait time. After the parade, we went to watch the fireworks. By that time, he was pretty sleepy. I know he saw part of the fireworks but am not sure he was really awake for them. My brother and his family had planned to stay a bit longer to let crowds thin somewhat but decided to scoot out immediately after the fireworks in order to get the little one to bed. We were also in Disney World together when he was 2. That year, my brother opted not to do the party for fear that a potential meltdown would cause them to leave and waste their tickets.

[Gator]

If there's just two adults, it's great. But if you've got kids, then it's just too expensive. Especially if the little one can't hang til Midnight. Some people wouldn't miss it, but if money is a factor like it is for me, skip it. It's a lot of money for a parade and fireworks that you can catch on the non-party nights.

[azcavalier]

If there's just two adults, it's great. But if you've got kids, then it's just too expensive. Especially if the little one can't hang til Midnight. Some people wouldn't miss it, but if money is a factor like it is for me, skip it. It's a lot of money for a parade and fireworks that you can catch on the non-party nights.

That was our take. We did it once, with three kids and four adults. It was hundreds of dollars for a slightly different parade, fake snow, and free cookies & hot chocolate. We don't plan on doing it again.

Now, the Dessert/Fireworks thing....THAT we're going to do when we go, just the two of us.

[lightyearfan]

Now, the Dessert/Fireworks thing....THAT we're going to do when we go, just the two of us.

wow hard to believe so many people think that's its not worth it, now im not going to say thats it not expensive cause it can be if you have a big family, but imho and me and dw absoultely love this event, the parade itself is awesome, it's the closest thing to the xmas parade that they air on tv, that your going to get , the different shows that they do the , the different fireworks show , the atmosphere is worth it to us. this event always gets compared to the halloween party which we've done as well why does that expensive event get a pass? is it because you can walk around and get free candy? the boo to you parade is nice but it doesnt compare to the xmas parade again i don't want to anger people this is all my opionion.

becareful of the dessert wishes, we've done this as well a few years back when it was reasonably priced , but to spend over 34 bucks each just to nibble on bite sized deserts and get a table for wishes isnt woth it that extra cash, i mean the desserts are nice and they do offer some strange and different desserts than usual but sorry not dishing out that money for a few finger sized deserts.

victor

[TINKERBELL_82]

Personally, I have done it with two adults and I just couldn't justify the cost. It's not all that different from being in the park any regular night during the holidays (to me anyway).

[plscott]

Obviously this is just personal opinion, but my family thinks the Christmas party was the highlight of our trip last year. There are 5 of us and last year my three boys were five (yes, triplets), so not a perfect comparison with a 3 year old, but we had such a great time we are going again this year. Our family loves parades and fireworks and the Christmas parade and fireworks are superb. Also, my boys thought the dance parties were great. We spent a long time dancing with Woody and Jesse and they also have Goofy and the Chipmunks. For many people it is important to meet the characters in their Christmas costumes (like Snow White and the 7 dwarfs), but our boys didn’t care much about that and so we skipped most of them and just met them during regular park hours. Did we ride many rides? Nope. We rode rides during the regular hours. Did we stay until midnight? Not even close. We left after the fireworks. But…I’ll never forget standing on main street with the snow falling down and having Cinderella blow each of my boys a kiss and then watching their eyes light up as they saw Santa. So for our family it is a must do.

[11290]

Love the Christmas party parade. So upbeat and fun. With the exception of the Castle and Goofy floats, the parade is totally different than any other parades. Fireworks are themed well to the music.

I like some parts of the Halloween parade, have grown a bit tired of the Headless Horseman and don't think the Hallo Wishes themes as well to the music as the Holiday Wishes does. I do like seeing all the guests that come in costume though.

I'm lucky in that I get to go down and work the Halloween and MVMCP parties (I work parade audience control) for about 10 to 12 of each of them each year and get to see the parade twice each night. I just prefer the Christmas parties because I think WDW is just a great place to be for the Christmas season.

Some people are just not Christmas season people, but my family and I love that time of year. Never tire of it.

Just my $.02 - Your mileage may vary

[Roland]

I used to go every year and it was worth it at one point because they had limited the amount of tickets to a reasonable level.

From the last two times I've been, I would say it's not worth it at all. The price is exorbitant and the crowd level is high.

Also, there seems to be not as much Christmas stuff around.

Considering it's the birth of Jesus Christ, then put some religious stuff up to see.

If they want to call it a Holiday Party, that's a different story.

But, back to your question, no, it is not worth it.

[Lindsey310]

My Husband and I went to the Christmas party for the first time in December 2011. While I liked the event, the parade and fireworks didn't seem any more spectacular as the normal holiday parade or fireworks. We had a great time and I think everyone should do it once but probably won't do it again. And it was pricey for two people, never mind adding kids to that. And since the event is late, there were many kids snoozing away at the parade.

[TheVBs]

Obviously this is just personal opinion, but my family thinks the Christmas party was the highlight of our trip last year. There are 5 of us and last year my three boys were five (yes, triplets), so not a perfect comparison with a 3 year old, but we had such a great time we are going again this year. Our family loves parades and fireworks and the Christmas parade and fireworks are superb. Also, my boys thought the dance parties were great. We spent a long time dancing with Woody and Jesse and they also have Goofy and the Chipmunks. For many people it is important to meet the characters in their Christmas costumes (like Snow White and the 7 dwarfs), but our boys didn’t care much about that and so we skipped most of them and just met them during regular park hours. Did we ride many rides? Nope. We rode rides during the regular hours. Did we stay until midnight? Not even close. We left after the fireworks. But…I’ll never forget standing on main street with the snow falling down and having Cinderella blow each of my boys a kiss and then watching their eyes light up as they saw Santa. So for our family it is a must do.

I wondered if there were dance parties and special characters out. Thanks for this info! We've only done the Halloween party, just for the first time on our trip last year. We loved it! The girls had a blast. It wasn't just the parade, show, fireworks - it wasn't just one thing alone. It was the whole atmosphere.

[DisneyGiant]

Our family thoroughly enjoyed this party!

We stayed until almost the very end - went on the attractions many times, ate many cookies & had lots of "free" hot chocolate!

We loved the parade, the snow & the castle.

I think if you're only going to be at WDW once during this time period - I'd recommend going.

[DNS]

I agree with others on this board. With kids, it is just too hard to justify the cost. We have gone to two, but will be skipping it this year. I would not pay that much with more than one child.

[Quadstriker]

It's worth doing once. But the cost of 6 tickets for it is no joke.

[lawgirl]

We did it 2 years ago, and absolutely loved it. It was one of the most magical experience I've ever had at WDW. Now granted, there were just 2 of us, but I think even with a larger group it would have been great.

I guess it all depends on how much its worth to your particular family...it is somewhat pricey. For us, its totally worth it, and that's our "park day" that day. We don't go to another park since we are spending $60 a pop on tickets for the party.

But we love it, and will definitely be doing it next time we are there in December.

[lawgirl]

I wondered if there were dance parties and special characters out. Thanks for this info! We've only done the Halloween party, just for the first time on our trip last year. We loved it! The girls had a blast. It wasn't just the parade, show, fireworks - it wasn't just one thing alone. It was the whole atmosphere.

That is exactly how I feel. I can't put exactly into words the "one thing" that makes it so great. Its just the whole general atmosphere! Perfect way to sum it up!

[azcavalier]

That is exactly how I feel. I can't put exactly into words the "one thing" that makes it so great. Its just the whole general atmosphere! Perfect way to sum it up!

Not arguing that it wasn't fun or nice. I like the fake snow, and I like the Christmas parade. We're glad we did it once, but we put it into that category....we've done it once, but it's super expensive, so we're good. Kind of like the tours at the park. I want to blow the $$$ to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour, but once we've done it once, I doubt we'll ever do it again.

So, go for it! Enjoy it.

[BigRedDad]

All of the Extra $$$ parties depend on what you expect to get out of it. There are no caps on tickets. Well, maybe at 25,000 people. They are extremely crowded. If you want decent seating for the parades, you need to be there no less than an hour before. You will get squished at the parades, especially if you are up front. The freeloaders who do not want to wait push their way up and try to force you out.

As for special characters, they are all out. Most lines are no less than 30 minutes and some are well over an hour (7 Dwarfs). After trying the MNSSHP twice and MVMCP once, I do not plan on forking that much money out again for a party. I just don't see the value. If it was capped at about half of the crowd and they removed the people that sneak into it, then I may reconsider.