"Official" Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2017 - Believe in the Magic

[prmatz]

It's... busy. And to the group who tried to sit down in front of us after we waited two hours for the parade... sorry for the dirty look... but no.

 

[mdraz]

we Went to the party tonight and had the time of our lives!!! Thank you for all the tips and info from everyone. We went to sit and have a snack to wait for the first parade at 6:30, it was hard to find a curb, but we found a spot for 2 of the kids to sit up front towards the end of Main Street. I tried 6 times for the mistletoe picture on the Tomorrowland bridge, but there was never a photographer there. The parade, the fireworks and the shows were all amazing!!

 

[mdraz]

It's... busy. And to the group who tried to sit down in front of us after we waited two hours for the parade... sorry for the dirty look... but no.

Yes!!! We waited 2 hours for a spot in the front......5 mins before the parade people appear from no where and ask if there kids can be in front of us to see....I was annoyed because I wanted to be right by my kids and not random kids between us.....but after the parade started I did feel bad for those kids and let them up. I just can’t believe the nerve of some people.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I'm not sure why I didn't think to ask this sooner. Does anyone know, does the train still run around MK during the party? I'm hoping to find a spot around the train station for the first parade and was thinking we'd take the train instead of trying to cut through Main Street then hopefully make a quick escape on the train over to Frontierland once it's over.

The train wasn't on the MVMCP map, so I assumed it wasn't running (although I didn't verify it during the party). I also wanted to take it to get from one side of the park to the other

 

[madzy]

We were at the party last night and had the best time. We were there mostly for the rides but did stop at three different treat lines. The snow cones were at hit with my older kids. My little ones loved Club Tinsel. We were actually going to leave but as we got to the end of Main Street after fireworks we decided to stay for the parade. We had a spot near the Christmas tree across from the Confectionary. Though we couldn't see the castle from there it was a great spot right at the curb with a perfect view of the parade. My two youngest didn't last and fell asleep in their strollers before the parade made it down but my older kids loved it. So glad we decided to stay.

 

[ssgjason]

Was there last night
It was AMAZING.
There was no way we were going to watch the parade from Main St area so we went on rides which although times were listed as 5-15 minutes in most you could just walk on. We then happened upon a fairly open area in frontier land about 20 minutes before first parade.
And I will say I would understand the frustration some have with waiting in “their” spots for so long, but I saw families who also SPRAWLED out. Not just spread out, but 4-5 people who would take up the space of 10. Blankets and bags spread out. And then when others would come and crunch in, I was happy for the people who swept in and got a good spot.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

It's... busy. And to the group who tried to sit down in front of us after we waited two hours for the parade... sorry for the dirty look... but no.

we Went to the party tonight and had the time of our lives!!! Thank you for all the tips and info from everyone. We went to sit and have a snack to wait for the first parade at 6:30, it was hard to find a curb, but we found a spot for 2 of the kids to sit up front towards the end of Main Street. I tried 6 times for the mistletoe picture on the Tomorrowland bridge, but there was never a photographer there. The parade, the fireworks and the shows were all amazing!!

Yes!!! We waited 2 hours for a spot in the front......5 mins before the parade people appear from no where and ask if there kids can be in front of us to see....I was annoyed because I wanted to be right by my kids and not random kids between us.....but after the parade started I did feel bad for those kids and let them up. I just can’t believe the nerve of some people.

Wow! You had to find a spot for the parade 2 HOURS before? Ugh. Is this just for the hub area? If we went down near the train station or went to Frontierland, could we show up later? We don't care if we are near the castle. Yikes, DS10 will never make it through the second parade.

mdraz, I just want to thank you for allowing those children in front of you. I know it was annoying and nervy of the parents., but you probably made those kids' night. I think a lot of people show up at these parties not knowing the level of planning and amount of waiting that is involved in getting even a decent spot for the parades and fireworks. Something similar happened to us at MVMCP a few years ago, but we were the family that showed up late. I didn't think my DS would have any interest in the parade so I hadn't planned for it. Well, lo and behold, we are in Tomorrowland around the time Elsa is about to light the castle and DS wants to see what's going on. Of course, at that point, the hub is a crowded mess and there is no where to go. I managed to find a spot behind a garbage can (no one else wanted to stand there and it was kind of gross, but desperate times call for desperate measures and it was actually a pretty good spot as no one could get in front of us!) We ended up standing next to this large, multi-generational family with about 8 children sitting on the curb. You could tell, they had staked out that spot and had waited a LONG time. I didn't ask nor did I expect them to make room for us and I was just happy we found a place to stand. It couldn't have been more than a minute of standing next to this garbage can when one of the gentleman in the family turned to me with a huge smile on his face and gestured for my DS to join the children on the curb. To this day, it is one of my fondest Disney memories. It was pure generosity on his part and my DS was so happy and absolutely loved the parade. So, thank you!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Was there last night
It was AMAZING.
There was no way we were going to watch the parade from Main St area so we went on rides which although times were listed as 5-15 minutes in most you could just walk on. We then happened upon a fairly open area in frontier land about 20 minutes before first parade.
And I will say I would understand the frustration some have with waiting in “their” spots for so long, but I saw families who also SPRAWLED out. Not just spread out, but 4-5 people who would take up the space of 10. Blankets and bags spread out. And then when others would come and crunch in, I was happy for the people who swept in and got a good spot.

Oh my gosh, thank you for posting your experience. It sounds like if you don't want to wait 2 hours for the parade, Frontierland is the place to go. Do you remember where in Frontierland you went?

Thank you to everyone who is posting their party experiences! It's so helpful!

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Got back to the UK the day after Thanksgiving after a 10 day trip.
We attended two parties the week before Thanksgiving (14th & 17th), had a great time on both nights, although it did feel busier than party nights we had attended on previous visits.

Limited our meet & greets to Jack Skelington on the first evening , Scrooge & Donald as well as Pooh, Tigger & the boys on the second evening.
We knew Jack came out early so were in line by 4:45, he was out by 6:00 & we were done by 7:15.
We did Pooh, Tigger & the boys later on the second evening.

Donald & Scrooge took forever, we gave up on the first night as they were having problems with the photo pass scanner, the second evening was ridiculous, we joined a fairly short line but still took 90 minutes to get through.
People were being allowed unlimited time with them, in some cases over 10 minutes, the characters were also dragging things out with some guests which just added to the time.
One “Set” of ducks managed to see 5 groups of people in total from when they came out to when they went “on break”.

A plaid clad guide with VIP family were also dropped into the front of the line at one point which in my opinion was outrageous, I made my views known to a supervisor who then asked if she could offer us front of line passes for a ride or meet & greet to make up for the situation.
We told her that if we took her up on her offer then we were no better than the family of line cutters & politely declined.

My advice if you want to meet Scrooge & Donald is get there before they come out & hope you are near the front or check out the line & see how quickly it is moving before you commit.

Although the hub area was busy we easily found good spots on both evenings for the fireworks & were happy to stand a couple of rows back from the curb on Main Street for the late parades.
We also managed to ride Mine Train, Big Thunder & The Mansion with all being walk on's over the two evenings.

We really enjoy the party evenings & always try to fit two in when we are visiting, we get as big a kick from wondering around & soaking up the atmosphere as we do from the parade, shows & fireworks.


There were four different pins each with a different character which is not obvious unless you ask to see them in the Emporium, there is also a party specific tree ornament which you will not see unless you ask.

Overall we enjoyed both nights & will attempt to do two again when we come back in 2019, they are always a special part of our trips.

 

[samantha3590]

We were there last night at sold out party. We specifically chose Tuesday because of the thought there would be less people. Got a spot for the second parade about 30 mins before right on Main Street. The parade and the fireworks were the best parts for sure. Our mistake was we did EMH from 10-midnight the night before at MK. EMH had SIGNIFICANTLY less people than the party. We rode everything besides 7 dwarves at EMH. We were exhausted staying out until 1 am both nights basically. We also aren’t character people and know that’s a big draw for a lot of people to go to the parties. CM told us the wait to meet 7 dwarves was 2 hours long!!!! Don’t think it was worth the $200 for us just to see different fireworks and a parade unfortunately. We would save our money next time and just do the included EMH for rides. Just my two cents!

 

[Travelstovegas]

A plaid clad guide with VIP family were also dropped into the front of the line at one point which in my opinion was outrageous, I made my views known to a supervisor who then asked if she could offer us front of line passes for a ride or meet & greet to make up for the situation.
We told her that if we took her up on her offer then we were no better than the family of line cutters & politely declined.

Just want to say I really respect that your words & actions matched here. This situation would have frustrated me too. For whatever reason, I don't care so much when people pay more and get in front of me on rides, but for character interactions that you've already waited in a long line for, when you have a very limited window to enjoy the party anyway - well, I appreciate that you spoke up about it and I hope that Disney took your feedback seriously.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Just want to say I really respect that your words & actions matched here. This situation would have frustrated me too. For whatever reason, I don't care so much when people pay more and get in front of me on rides, but for character interactions that you've already waited in a long line for, when you have a very limited window to enjoy the party anyway - well, I appreciate that you spoke up about it and I hope that Disney took your feedback seriously.

Myself & the people around us in the line were stunned when it happened, pretty much everybody shrugged their shoulders & "let it go", however being British we have made standing in line or "queuing" as we call it a national pass time & cutting in front is just not on.

I don't have a problem with people paying for the VIP guides either but cutting in front of a line as publicly as they did was completely out of order, I don't know why a meet & greet could not have been engineered for them backstage, they would still have got what they wanted & the people who had stood in line would have been unaware.
What's done is done & as you said hopefully our feedback will be acted on but I have my doubts that it got any further up the line than the supervisor.
We thought about stopping in at Guest Services on the way out but didn't want to go through the whole thing again at the end of the night.
We still had a great time & as I sit in my office looking out at a cold, wet & dull day I know where I would rather be right now.

 

[MaC410]

It might as well be 5pm...nothing is getting done today at work.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Myself & the people around us in the line were stunned when it happened, pretty much everybody shrugged their shoulders & "let it go", however being British we have made standing in line or "queuing" as we call it a national pass time & cutting in front is just not on.

I don't have a problem with people paying for the VIP guides either but cutting in front of a line as publicly as they did was completely out of order, I don't know why a meet & greet could not have been engineered for them backstage, they would still have got what they wanted & the people who had stood in line would have been unaware.
What's done is done & as you said hopefully our feedback will be acted on but I have my doubts that it got any further up the line than the supervisor.
We thought about stopping in at Guest Services on the way out but didn't want to go through the whole thing again at the end of the night.
We still had a great time & as I sit in my office looking out at a cold, wet & dull day I know where I would rather be right now.

I"m actually surprised this happened. We did a VIP tour a few years back and were told specifically the guide could only get us into FP+ lines (they also had access to seating areas for shows, parades, fireworks), but, other than that, for any attraction that did not offer FP+ (like a character meet and greet as you describe or Jedi training for instance) we would have to wait in the general line.

 

[monique5]

16D Until Our Disney Christmas Vacation!

@FinnsMom7 - Hope you are feeling better! 1 more week for you!

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

I"m actually surprised this happened. We did a VIP tour a few years back and were told specifically the guide could only get us into FP+ lines (they also had access to seating areas for shows, parades, fireworks), but, other than that, for any attraction that did not offer FP+ (like a character meet and greet as you describe or Jedi training for instance) we would have to wait in the general line.

To be fair to the character handler, she did try to stand her ground with regards to the line & people in it, but the VIP Guide was adamant that her guests had to be let in, the other thing to remember is that there are no FP+ issued during a party & most of the special characters do not even meet in normal M & G locations so there aren't specific FP+ queue lines in place, there really was no easy or subtle way for them to be cut in without the majority of the line seeing it happening.
We have been asked by cast members in the past when waiting in line to meet a character on a non party day if we minded if a "Make A Wish" family went in front of us, we were of course happy to help as I am sure most people would.

For all we know they may well have been celebrities or family of one of the Disney executives, the supervisor appeared very quickly when I started to talk to the character handler & was very keen to make the situation disappear.
The family & VIP Guide also disappeared very quickly once they were finished with the meet & greet.

 

[FinnsMom7]

16D Until Our Disney Christmas Vacation!

@FinnsMom7 - Hope you are feeling better! 1 more week for you!

Aww thank you, I am, finally back in the office today - got the xmas music going to keep me smiling!!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I'm still trying to decide whether to buy tickets for the 19th or the 21st. Do you think they will both sell out and do you think one day will be better than the other? Thanks in advance.

They are very close to Christmas so they might very well sell out. I might go with Tuesday and assume it'll be sold out but hope for the best.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

The VIP tour thing... was that connected to Disney or a private guide?

I'd have been seriously irked, too.

Everyone there has paid a premium price for this hard ticket event already.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

To be fair to the character handler, she did try to stand her ground with regards to the line & people in it, but the VIP Guide was adamant that her guests had to be let in, the other thing to remember is that there are no FP+ issued during a party & most of the special characters do not even meet in normal M & G locations so there aren't specific FP+ queue lines in place, there really was no easy or subtle way for them to be cut in without the majority of the line seeing it happening.
We have been asked by cast members in the past when waiting in line to meet a character on a non party day if we minded if a "Make A Wish" family went in front of us, we were of course happy to help as I am sure most people would.

For all we know they may well have been celebrities or family of one of the Disney executives, the supervisor appeared very quickly when I started to talk to the character handler & was very keen to make the situation disappear.
The family & VIP Guide also disappeared very quickly once they were finished with the meet & greet.

Yes, that's why it's surprising. I would imagine the VIP tour department would have told a "regular" family booking the tour that MVMCP meet and greets wouldn't be included because there are no FP+ during the event, which is probably why the character handler stood her ground. It may well have been a celebrity or Disney exec to get that kind of treatment.

The VIP tour thing... was that connected to Disney or a private guide?

I'd have been seriously irked, too.

Everyone there has paid a premium price for this hard ticket event already.

It would have been a WDW credentialed VIP tour guide. No non-Disney connected guide has any type of access like that.