Brendon Webb, December 17: The VMCP was very disappointing. Our kids were finally old enough to stay up for this event so we decided to go. This night was one of the nights that sold out but we figured with limited ticket sales it should be great. WRONG! The crowds were at least two to three times larger than during the week. It was a 45 minute wait for Peter Pan (10 minutes during the day), 1 hour for Buzz Lightyear (10 minutes during the day). Splash Mountain 40 minute wait (on a cold night when we walked on during the day). We decided to give up on rides and watch the parade. Wrong again. One hour before the parade all the curbs were taken (found spots during the week 30 minutes before parade). Picture lines were short, cocoa and cookie lines were short. Everything else was packed. We will never do it again.

Jennifer & Eric Rann, December 16, 2004: We just got back from our first "Holiday" trip to Disney, and it won't be our last! Everything we've read on your site about how awesome the holiday season is in Disney was all true! We attended MCP on the 16th, and it was a little crowded, but not bad. We loved the Christmas parade! Snow on Main Street, simply amazing! Cookies and Cocoa, holiday pictures, all wonderful! The holiday season will definitely be a must from now on. I would just go the first two weeks of December, the 16th to the 20th was starting to get very crowded. As usual, thanks for the website, your info is always helpful!

Nancy, December 2004: Having just returned from Mickey's Very Merry Christmas
Party, I would like to add a comment to the website. Let me first say that we went on a Friday night, which was sold out. After reading previous reviews we anticipated an easy time with the ride lines and crowd. This was not the case. The Magic Kingdom was packed! There were so many people it was hard to weave our way through the streets, in the stores and the ride lines were very long. We waited 25 minutes just to ride Space Mountain. The new ride, Stitch's Escape, had a 40 minute wait. The attendance was supposed to be capped in order for it not to be crowded but it was actually a typical day/night at the Magic Kingdom. And the biggest majority of
people had wristbands so they were not left over from the day time admission. The decorations were fantastic as was the parade & fireworks. The place cleared out after the 2nd parade, but by that time, the park was closing in 10 minutes (midnight) and you couldn't ride the rides after that time. Needless to say, that was our first and last trip to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Sorry to put a damper on the subject but wanted to relay our experience.

Tracy Goggin, December 12, 2004: I was at Disney World this past weekend. I attended the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party December 12th. Some things have changed from the past. They only had 2 photo locations. This made for a longer time in one single line before it then broke up. (Less time for shows, parades and rides) Also, NO BUTTONS!!! - zero, zip, nada! We were VERY disappointed, especially my niece and nephew. We have collected every single button from every MVMCP we have ever been to. However, the hot chocolate seemed to be very good this year. I asked about this and was told they did change it to make it better tasting. Well, I spent more money on the ticket this year, got less time to enjoy the park, no button and better hot chocolate.

Shelly Martin, December 12, 2004: We were there for the December 12 Very Merry Christmas Party and were VERY disappointed. It was packed. We could barely navigate the crowds with the stroller. The waits for the rides were 20 - 30 min. I thought Disney limited the number of tickets. It was more crowded that night than during the day. VERY DISAPPOINTING!

Christina, December 9, 2004: I just returned from Disney World and wanted to share some tips about the Christmas party (MVMCP). I went to the December 9th party. The first thing I wanted to share they opened the gates to the party goers at 4pm, but the park had to officially close at 6pm, so they sent everyone with a bracelet into Tomorrowland which stayed open. Then at 7pm they started the party. If anyone is a pin collector get to the Emporium as soon as the party officially starts. On this day they did have long sleeve t- shirts, and sweat shirts, they had no regular t-shirts for the MVMCP. It was a very nice event, especially when the snow started to fall.

Claire Sooy, December 7, 2004: We just returned from Disney World and attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on Tuesday December 7th, 2004. It was wonderful. It was very crowded going in as they have to put wristbands on everyone which slows things down, but once we got in and started seeing the shows and riding the rides it was great. The fireworks were incredible, 5-10 minute waits if that on all the rides, enjoyed hot chocolate and cookies and watched the second parade at 10:45 PM before calling it a night. My 3 year old fell asleep but my 7 and 10 year old made it until 11:30 pm. My only complaint was we didn't get the complimentary family photo - lines were just too long and we didn't want to waste time standing in that line. We tried two different photo places and up until the second parade time lines were still long. We had a great time and would definitely do it again even without the picture.

Nina Decker, December 7, 2004: We went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas on 12/7/2004 and I was very disappointed. I had been told by people that had gone two years ago that it was a great event to attend because the crowds were much smaller. Well, it was the complete opposite for us. We had arrived to the park during the day, had dinner at Crystal Palace, which was very good and enjoyable, and then stayed for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas. We found that the crowd during the day was much smaller. After dinner we did not have to leave the park and were able to get our wristbands by the castle. We probably could have gotten into the even without paying because no one ever asked to see our wristband, we would never not pay. Tomorrowland was the only area open until 7:00 and that was almost impossible to get through. At 7:00 we stopped in one of the stores to buy a t-shirt made special for the event and you would have thought they were giving things away. People were grabbing 5-6 t-shirts at a time and within 15 minutes they were all gone. I feel they should have had a maximum of 2 per person, might have to check out E-Bay and see if I can get one. I have to stress that this was the only part of our trip that was a disappointment.

Jason, December 5, 2004: What a disappointment. We were initially thrilled to be allowed in at 4:15 p.m., and saw the party really starting about 6 p.m. We stayed until the very end, 1 a.m., saw no strolling carolers, no choral groups. Saw only 3 sets of characters all night long! Fantasyland hop was a lady with a boombox. No souvenir button, no holiday fireworks, just regular Wishes, parade was 45 minutes late as were the fireworks. No Diamond Horseshoe Revue, only a place to get cookies and cocoa. Toontown Fair was closed off! That was alwas decorated nicely and had loads of characters. We went in years past and had the best time, maybe it was an off night (I'm hoping!). We were told they had 16 groups scheduled to appear, seems odd we ran into none! Photos were taken in just 2 locations, but each had 8 photographers, that worked well. Cookies were good, but not even decorated or cut out like a Christmas cookie. Bottom line, higher price of admission, less entertainment, no souvenir button, no Toontown, less festive cookies, fewer marshmallows in the cocoa. A cm told me they had a strict number of marshmallows and ran out every night! I will say the parade was very good, and had a huge cast, and number of characters in it. Just got kind of dull in between the parades. Snow on main st was nice, but started at midnight! Little ones were already asleep!

Larry Barretto, December 3, 2004: For those of us who look forward to a holiday season visit to WDW, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is usually one of those special events. I'd like to share some of my observations regarding that event, which I attended on December 3.

We all know that Disney remains "secretive" about how many tickets they sell not only for special events, but for daily park admission as well. Based on the visits of previous years, it appears that Disney keeps the number of tickets sold for each of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties consistent from year to year as well as the number of days the event is held. That said, increased numbers or days for the event certainly aren't the reason for some changes (cutbacks) they've made over the last couple years.

For those of you who attended, how "thrilled" were you to receive that colorful 4x6 postcard in lieu of the annual event pin given out in past years when you had your photo taken. Who wants to add another pin to their collection of past Mickey Christmas Parties anyway? I never would have known that Disney released another holiday DVD had I not received that card!

And then there was the hot chocolate and cookies. Part of the fun in roaming the park (particularly on a cold night) was stopping in the various locations around the park to have a hot chocolate. Now, you'll have to stock up at one of the two remaining locations where you can indulge. (Bringing a thermos might be a good idea.)

I remembered when the hot chocolate was freshly poured and a small handful of mini-marshmallows tossed on top. Apparently the cost of mini-marshmallows has gone the way of gasoline prices. If you lift the lid (and before they melt from sitting in there for a while), you might catch a glimpse of the 4 or so marshmallows that had been sitting on the top.

Apparently someone misplaced the holiday cookie cutters and colored sprinkles that cookies were made from during previous years. Perhaps the local Sam's Club or Costco had a special going on plain round sugar cookies.

I fear that the next thing to disappear (or change) will be the snow on Main Street. If it does, I'm sure Disney's explanation will be that it was a safety issue- not wanting anyone to slip on the slippery, snow covered street.

On the plus side (and I'm not sure if this applies to each night of the event), even though the event officially begins at 7:00, you can enter the park with your event ticket beginning at 4:00. This is a great plus for families with small children who may not be able to make it through the 7:00 to midnight time frame. Upon entering the
park you get a wrist band. At 6:00, those attending the event are moved to Tomorrowland while cast members clear the park. This is a great time to get the photo done at Time Keeper. At 7:00 the park opens for the party.

Also, the fireworks display is spectacular. For the finale, the fireworks surround the park.

Don't get me wrong. I still and always will love Disney. It's just a shame (and hearing comments made by others attending add support) when Disney keeps trimming bits and pieces from events that have become a tradition.

Joanne Paar, December 3, 2004: My teenage son and I attended the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on December 3, 2004 and were quite disappointed at the tremendous crowds. We had a 5:45 seating at the Crystal Palace, which was jammed as well. We received our wristbands earlier in the afternoon, and did not have to leave the park at all. From reading previous reports, we had expected to see different merchandise (it was the same as the rest of the week). We very quickly gave up on the idea of the "mountain" or Fantasyland rides - the waits were even longer than in the middle of the day, and no Fastpasses were available. We focused on the shows, which were a lot of fun, went to the second parade at 10:45, and were still 3 rows back! We were unable to get our "free" photo. There were only 2 photo locations, and at 11:45, the lines were still over an hour long. Snow on Main Street and Wishes fireworks were great. My son loved getting cookies and hot chocolate as many times as he could stomach, but those lines were pretty daunting as well. As far as the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - we liked it, were glad we did it, but will probably not do it again.

Jen DelloBuono, December 2, 2004: Just returned from our 1st visit to Walt Disney World. We visited Magic Kingdom & attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We went to the MCVMCP on 12/2/04 & it was OVERCROWDED! We were overwhelmed. We didn't know where to begin - the map they gave out was useless - it didn't have the ride locations numbered so it was frustrating. As much as I researched the entire place-you only know what's going on during the party when you arrive & they give you a schedule of activities/shows. It's not an easy park to navigate. With 3 little children in tow, it was difficult to get around. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the parade & fireworks - both were over the top. The cookies & cocoa was a nice touch. The kids got on a few rides.

Tara, November 30, 2004: Just returned from a great Disney trip. We attended MVMCP on Nov 30. This was our first time at the party and it was AWESOME! We could enter the park at 4pm with our tickets. We headed straight for Fantasyland and hit all of the attractions with almost no wait (including Peter Pan). It got a little congested when the park closed and they directed everyone into Tomorrowland but quickly thinned out when everything reopened. We took other readers' advice and got our family photo done first with about a 10 minute wait. We also skipped the first parade and hit all of the big attractions. We rode all of the mountains with no wait, as well as numerous other big attractions. Everyone enjoyed the cookies and cocoa. The park looked gorgeous and we watched the second parade with a very small crowd. The parade was the best we've seen. It alone was worth attending the party. The only downfall was the wait to see the characters. Our 5 year old was very excited to see the Princesses with their Princes but the lines were very long and they would leave without any warning. So I would advise seeing them another day! Other than that it was a great time and I would highly recommend it. It was well worth the money and will be on our must do list for future trips!

Jennifer Berrong, November 30, 2004: We had a great time at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Our Party was on November 30, 2004. We did every ride we wanted to go on twice (all that were opened,) got our pictures taken, we watched the show, the parade, and the fireworks! We did it all stress free! We went to Animal Kingdom that morning, got to our room at 2, our 3 year old twin boys took a nap until 5, we were in Magic Kingdom by 5:45. They stayed awake and happy the whole time! We walked out of the Kingdom right at midnight.

Amy Montoya, November 28, 2004: We attended MVMCP for the first time ever on November 28, 2004 (opening night) and we wondered why we never did it before! The
magic was everywhere, even the weather was great with just enough of a chill to help ring in the holiday spirit! We read your site and took advantage of the good advice and had a fabulous time! We had a 5:10 PS at Liberty Tree Tavern so that we were already in the park. After dinner we headed to Adventureland to get our free family photo taken. I strongly recommend that you do this first as we only waited in line for 15 minutes and by the time we came out, the line was up to 30 minutes or more. We had the opportunity to ride all of our favorite rides with no waits at all. We simply walked right up and got on! We had planned to watch the later parade as the tips on this site said but when we came out of the Haunted Mansion and got cookies and hot cocoa, the early parade was about to start. Since we spotted plenty of front row seats, we went ahead and watched the parade and enjoyed our free treats! The holiday shows were great and our favorite was Celebrate the Season. We actually watched the very last showing of this at midnight and had front row seats to that as well as we walked up during the last parade and were able to see the parade again and get a great spot for the show. The Wishes fireworks were so beautiful and there really is no bad spot to see them as they encircle you completely. The decorations are beautiful and it even "snowed" which really brought in the season cheer. If characters are what you want... they are everywhere! We found ourselves just walking along and literally running right into Peter Pan at one point. When we came out from the photo location, we walked right into Aladdin and Jasmine and were able to get photos with them. At one point I just happened to look over to my left and see Timon and Rafiki just standing there with no one around! My husband took advantage of that as Rafiki is his favorite character. There were many other characters available all night long and not always in the spot the map showed so keep your eyes open! We will absolutely do this again as it was a perfect way for us as Floridians to get into the holiday spirit!

Reader Comments from 2003