Mickey's Very Merry
Christmas Party (MVMCP)
2002 Reader Comments

December trips to Disney have become a family tradition for us. We had the good fortune to attend our 4th straight this year on Dec 17th. We dined at the Whispering Canyons Cafe prior to the party and took the ferry to the MK following dinner. (This is the first time I have seen the ferry used at the WL for transportation.)

We arrived at the MK at 7:05pm, had a QUICK SECURITY CHECK and we were in. We wasted no time getting to Frontierland and having the family photo taken, then off to Adventureland. We rode the Jungle Cruise, POC, Splash Mtn x 4, BTMR x 3, Haunted Mansion, and then got in line for Peter Pan which had maybe a 5 minute wait. All of the sudden we hear BOOM! BOOM! It's was the fireworks show. I did not realize the fireworks were at 9:15, way to early. Oh well. We rode Peter Pan and then off to Tomorrowland. We rode Space Mtn x 2 and then Buzz x 3. We then decided to head over and try to find curb space for the 2nd parade.

Amazing we found some right down from Main St so we could see the snow fall. I love this parade!! After the parade we went back over to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz x 7 and then called it a night.

We've done the shows during previous visits and my kids want the rides. We found the crowds to be non-existant and throughly enjoyed ourselves. (Angel T)

We attend MVMCP on Friday, December 6th, 2002. It was a BLAST! It was not very crowded considering it was a sold out event. I was alarmed when I found out the event was sold out after reading reviews on previous events. I am glad to say that we did not have to wait more than 5 minutes per ride, but most rides we just walked on. We got to ride Thunder Mountain all by ourselves on the very last row. VERY COOL!!!

We greatly enjoyed the parade. We were in awe when Chip and Dale's float came by they were making gingerbread men. You could smell gingerbread cookies as the passed by! It was great fun. (Kim & Jorge Mesa)

We just returned from Disney & went to MVMCP on December 3, 2002. I was a little concerned after reading some of the comments from others on your site. We found the party to be wonderful!!!!!!!! The decorations, the fake snow fall & the Christmas Music playing put everyone in our group in the Christmas mood. In fact, before the Christmas party we visited Downtown Disney & we all purchase the Santa Hats with the Character Ears to wear to the PArty. The lines were wonderful, we walked right onto most of the rides. The Parade has to be seen, it cannot be described in words. Even the Hot Chocolate was good!! We had a great time & would def. do it again. (Steve Gordy)

My husband and I went to the MVMCP on Dec. 3 2002. It was wall to wall people. I never saw so many people in my life. If you want to waste 4 hours walking around trying to see the shows and parade by all means go for it. I will never attend the party again. It was way to busy for us. The shows were great what you could see of them. Never got to ride a ride. If you want to go just to ride the rides I guess thats ok. But we wanted to see the shows and ride some rides. The show times are so close together you have to figure out where you want to go to next before the one is over or else you will miss it. The hot cocoa and cookies were great. The free pic they give you is nice. It only took about a week to get it. For those of you who enjoyed the party you are lucky. We left before it was even over because of the crowds. (Teresa Wilson)

We attending Magic Kingdom MVMCP (December 3) and we had a faboulous time. I was very concerned after reading all the negative comments about this party, but Disney seemed to work out all of the problems. Maybe because it was only Dec 3 but the park was not over crowded. There were all kinds of stations to pick up your Hot Chocolate and cookies and we didn't have to wait for our Christmas photo. There weren't any lines at all. We found out from Guest Services at Magic Kingdom that the party guest were allowed into the park at 4:00 PM. We were at the park at 5:00 when all the day guest were leaving and we were able to make serveral rides before the regular day closing. Then at 6:00 only Tomorrow land was open until 7:00. We were able to ride Space mountain twice. Hardly any waiting for The parade as well as the stage shows were all outstanding It was well worth the money. (Marie Devine)

We attened our very first MVMCP on December 1st 2002. It was a wonderful experience. I must admit that we were a bit worried when we saw the crowd waiting to get in at the gates. Once inside it wasn't bad at all though. Having read the reader comments from past years on your site we decided to skip the photo and free cookies and cocoa. Instead we went straight to Mickey's Toon town Fair and rode the barn stormer, twice. We also got right on Buzz Lightyear with about a five minute wait. Our only disappointment came when the much anticipated fireworks had technical difficulties. They tried to start them twice with no success. Just prior to the second running of the parade the announced that the fireworks would be shown at 11:45 but I was too tired to stay. We did watch the parade and it was wonderful. I'm glad we did the MVMCP at least once - next year though I think we will try the Halloween Party. (S. Myers, Delmar, NY)

We went to MVMCP on Sunday, December 1st. Instead of waiting in the long line for the Magic Kingdom Monorail we took the resort monorail. Probably didn't get there any sooner, just less crowded. We passed thru security (showing blanket in backpack), thru the gates and grabbed a few maps. Once on Main Street, we decided to go upstairs and grab a few chairs to watch the Christmas Parade. Went back and munched and crunched the sugar cookies. The Hot Chocolate was real thick and good. Two local High School Bands passed by (Poinciana and one from Orlando). Finally we saw the parade coming towards us. What a wonderful parade, most every character, dancers, floats and a few surprises. After the parade we went towards the castle, to the left, thru Liberty Square. Danielle wanted to see the Belle Show, until we found out that it was only a story reading. The fireworks were about to start, they did the intro, but no firework and no Tinkerbell? So, we went and got our photo taken. While we were in line, we heard one firework????? That was it? Not sure what happened, but for all we know there fireworks did not go off. Well, it was a really cold night, we were shivering, so we left around 9:30pm . BOY it was cold on the tram back to the car!

One suggestion, rather than waiting and watching the parade from Main Street, I think I would go all the way to the beginning (near Splash Mountain) and watch it from there. That way, once it passed, most everybody else was still watching it, or waiting for it to arrive. (Mike Scibetta)

This year we attended the MVMCP for the first time. We had tickets for the first night (Dec. 1st). Our party of four included two adults and two children (almost 4 and almost 6). We started that morning with a visit to Magic Kingdom (at open of course) to ride all of the rides the kids would feel they had to get in that day before the party. Then, we returned to the hotel for naps for everyone.

We got to the party about a half hour before official start time. We were given wrist bands and allowed to go on in. There was a walkway being kept free of departing guests just for those of us with party wrist bands. The walkway took us straight back to Tommorowland where they were already taking photos. We got in line right away and had our photo taken just as official opening was starting. While in line we looked through the brochure and made a plan to see all of the shows and the second parade. We figured we should see these special "party only" things rather than ride rides we could go on any time. We were able to see all of the shows (and have a cookie and cocoa break), and enjoyed them all. The kids liked the special holiday version of Belle's story and also the Snowball Express story in the fairy tale garden, but I wouldn't recomend them to anyone over age 10. All of the shows were nice. Our favourite was the fantastic high school Holiday Brass group who played in Tomorrowland.

The second parade was delayed for about 45 minutes due to some unexplained technical difficulties. The cast seemed at least as confused as the guests and could not tell anyone when or if teh parade was going to happen. No one was even sure which way it was going to go (came from Main Street to Frontierland--the opposite of how it had gone earlier in the evening). It was worth the wait! The fireworks were also delayed for wind, wich worked out well for us as we woud have missed them otherwise. As it was, they ran at 11:45, right after the late parade went through. We then ducked into the Diamond Horseshoe Revue to warm up during the final show before heading back to the hotel.

By the time we left, it was about 12:15 and Main Street was not too crowded--so my daughter and I could enjoy a leisurely walk through the snow. We will certainly do this again if we are in Florida while it is running! My advice wold be to take a nap and plan on staying the entire time (the crowds thin quickly starting around 9:00) and to take warm clothes. The tempature drops quickly at night. We had on our michigan coats, hats and gloves. Many, many people around us did not come prepareed for the falling temperates and looked miserable, or just ended up having to leave since they weren't dressed appropriatly. Hadley Barth

2001 Party Comments

This December I attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for the first time with my husband. It was great from the very start when we had dinner at Liberty Tree Inn. To my surprise, when Minnie visited my table, she used sign language. All the shows and the parade were interpreted by 2 very skilled interpreters Vince and Tara. We saw every show and had a great time. Usually my family enjoys these things and I am just along for the ride. Not at Disney. I have complete access there. My only wish was for sugar free hot chocolate. If that is all I have to wish for I would say I had a great time even if I was sick at the time. (Lisa)

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is fun but seems to me - both trips - to be just a zoo! We got our family picture taken immediately after entering and waited maybe 30 min. Some of the attraction lines were too long while others - like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad we walked right on and did a second time without waiting. The Parade is the highlight but is so crowded we had to stand on a floral bed wall to see. But I feel the snow on Main St. and the Magic Kingdom at night make it worth it as long as you don't have to do all the rides, otherwise it would be more disappointing. Tricia Shinners

2000 Party Comments

For my husband and I, it was our third year in a row. It was still a very magical night with all of the holiday decorations, music, parades and of course the "snow" on Main Street. I do wish they would go back to selling only a smaller number of tickets per night, compared to what they sell now. It can get pretty crowded during this event and for some, it may not be worth the extra money. It's still a wonderful time for all and I'm glad we have made it a tradition for us. Bob & Marjie Gold

I truly enjoyed the Parade with the snow on Main Street. My daughter's eyes never left the parade, she was in awe and loved the snow!!! I loved the entire night. The shows were spectacular, no matter where you went there seemed to be something special going on. My souvenir picture will always be treasured as a special reminder of our trip. It was well worth the money. Disney at its finest. Cindy Nistad

I attended MVMCP on November 30th - the first night and I have a few tips for anyone planning on attending next year.

MVMCP - I LOVE this event and have been going every year since 1998. I went on November 30th. I got to The Magic Kingdom at 7:50 P.M. Even so, there were so many people already inside the park that I could not get a spot along the curb throughout the entire parade route to see the 9:00 P.M. parade. I don't know how many tickets were sold to this particular "party," but it was a lot more than in past years. It is my understanding that the number of tickets is supposed to be limited to 10,000. I don't understand why this event was so packed with people.

Finally, there were lots of MVMCP T-shirts, pins, etc. at all of the gift shops. However, since I was going to be at WDW for a week, I thought I would just buy my T-shirts and pins later in the week at rather than carry them around all night. What a mistake. It never occurred to me that these souvenirs would ONLY be available at MVMCP. I wish Disney had put this information in the pamphlet/brochure that was handed out when you entered The Magic Kingdom. Simply put, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a lot of fun if the park is not crowded. Nancy McHolme

We attended party on 11/30/00. It was very crowded even though it wasn't sold out. We had spent the day at the Magic Kingdom and there were less people there during the day than at MVMCP. It was poor planning on our part to be at Magic Kingdom all day and then go back there for the party. The kids were a little burned out on the MK by that point. I couldn't find anyone at the MK that could tell me what rides would be open for the MVMCP. So, we never made it to Toon town since we thought that would be open.

We had left after the fireworks, taken the boat back to the Lodge, eaten dinner, and taken the boat back to the MK. It was so crowded on the boat that we assumed this would be attended be mainly resort guests. It was mainly folks from the area and was kind of crazy. We spent too much time waiting to get our picture taken (and it was horrible! the quality was very poor - almost like a Polaroid.)

The shows looked like they were good but it was so crowded we just wanted to get away from some of the crowds. My husband and one son left before the Xmas parade since he was falling asleep. The other son and I stayed until the party ended. It was a great parade! Santa was calling to all of the kids and they were so excited. We rode in a Dumbo with the Santa hat on which my son was very excited about. We did see Cinderella with her beautiful coach by the castle. She was letting little girls try on her glass slipper - very magical! All in all, we had a great time. Julie McKeever

Have been to MVMCP in the past and found it much too crowded and not really worth the money. Bill & Doris Heuring

We stayed from 11/28 -12/4. I found the holiday attractions to be great and so did the kids. We had tickets to the MVMCP and it was well worth the extra money spent on tickets for the whole family. We were seated right on the curb opposite the entrance and the kids had a great view. The baby (22 months) woke from a nap just in time as the parade started and he loved it. We actually didn't use our video camera much except for this event. It was such a great thing to see. They especially enjoyed the fake snow. On the video the baby was practically bouncing out of the stroller at the snow falling on him! Gina

My family used to go every year to WDW the week of Thanksgiving. This year we went the week after instead. This allowed us the opportunity to see some of the holiday celebration we had not seen before. We made purchased tickets for the MVMCP and were not disappointed. We had a grand time. There were special shows and, of course, we were able to go on all of our favorite attractions - minus the long lines. We did find that although it was announced that the celebration started at 8 PM, people who were in the park before it closed at 6PM were allowed to stay inside. The best part of the entire party was the fireworks. I had never seen fireworks in a 360 degree format. It was spectacular! I highly recommend being in an open area to view the fireworks. The P. Marshall Family of Freehold, NJ

I visited WDW during December for the 6th time. MVMCP will always be my favorite. Over the years I have learned a few things, too.

We have also noticed that the quality of both the cookies and the cocoa has gone downhill and the snowstorm of previous years has given way to occasional snow flurries instead! It's still the most fun you'll ever have in the MK, and you can see more in 4-5 hours than you can in a full day any other time. Beth Foss

We were at MVMCP on Friday, December 1. This was the first time we had ever been to WDW during the holidays and absolutely loved it. The snow on Main Street really puts everyone in the Christmas mood. We loved the Santa hats on the Dumbo ride and seeing Cinderella's Coach all decorated. We also saw a lot of characters that we hadn't seen before (and wouldn't see again for the remainder of our trip) and they were also in their winter gear. We were able to go on a lot of the rides with either little or no wait at all, especially the rides that normally have notoriously long lines - Pooh, Dumbo, Tomorrowland Speedway, etc. Even though this night was sold out, it still felt like the park was empty to us. We enjoyed the Christmas parade more than the Magic Moments parade. As good as the regular fireworks are, the Christmas fireworks are even better. We are planning to go back in about 3 years. We want to go back the same time and the MVMCP is at the top of our list to do again. Margie McCann

I cannot express our disappointment with our very first MVMCP (December 4th)! We like going to WDW at odd times of the year to avoid the crowds. I am so-o-o-o-oo sorry that we wasted our money on this event. The park was so crowded that the three of us were miserable. We've been to WDW in July and never felt the crowds were this big.

At 7:15 pm we were at the Marina at Fort Wilderness to catch the boat for the much anticipated MVMCP. Well, at about 8:10, the huge Magic Kingdom ferry showed up, loaded the Ft. Wilderness group, and then went on to Wilderness Lodge to pick up. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom about 8:30. Main Street was so packed that it took us 20 minutes to make our way to Frontierland to view the first parade. Although it was beautiful, the crowds were impossible.

Next to Fantasyland to perhaps take pictures. OOPS! What a line. But, there go the princesses! So, off to the circle around the carriage for autographs with the princesses, (our 4 year old's favorite pastime). There were only a few cast members working, lines were forming in every direction, and no help in site! Everyone was complaining about the total disorganization. This certainly didn't seem like the perfection we have come to love from our Disney visits.

The ones mailed to us were of another couple. They looked great, though! After calling Bob Knight about the error, we did get our pictures finally. Cookies and hot chocolate? No way! We bought our cocoa rather than fighting the lines. Because of the crowds, we didn't get to see or do very much. We were so disappointed. We thought it would be similar to E-night or a little more. We should have been clued when we saw the commercials running on the local stations. I'll do Disney Christmas again, but never the MVMCP!!!! We love Disney and hope they continue to strive for that magic. It's the only reason we continue to go so often. Who else but Disney could make you feel so wonderful and special? Deb Authement

My family and I (wife Irene, Johnny (4) and Matthew (seven months) attended MVMCP on December 4 and December 8 and had a good time! Walking down Main Street with it snowing was an awesome sight. The first night we predominately hit the Tomorrowland rides early before 8 PM (doors opened at 7:30). We even timed it so that we were on Thunder Mountain during the fireworks, which made it even more grand. We caught the last parade, and then hit a few more rides before leaving at 1 am.

The second night was better, we hit Tomorrowland early again, then rode Space Mountain, followed by a number of shows including Belle's Christmas story, the Holiday Show at the castle, and the Saloon review - all very nice. On the way out, we found Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger in Holiday hats and scarfs. So we stopped and got pictures with them, and then Santa Goofy came out and we got his picture too. It was a real magical Christmas night. I would definitely go again. John Heeren

We arrived Dec. 7th and went to MVMCP that night. We had dinner at Tony's which helped us stay in the park and were one of the first people walking down Main Street. We got our picture taken with no one else behind us with it snowing and the castle in the background! Ruby D

We attended the MVMCP on December 11 and found it extremely crowded, hard to move around, and difficult to attend the special events planned around the park. We sat for the 9 PM parade but it was drizzling and threatening to rain some more so we wanted to do the early parade. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas was wonderful and much more than I had expected. The fireworks were watched from the Galaxy Theater, while waiting for Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and although we were partly obstructed, they were wonderful. The Horseshoe Diamond Jubilee was very enjoyable and was a surprise to us. We didn't expect much but were pleasantly surprised at how fun and upbeat it was. Kudos to the cast of the show!! My brother even got a photo with two of the "bar girls" .

That's all we saw (no rides or other shows) while we were there because of the crowds. We didn't even get our hot chocolate or cookies. We never did see the "snow" because we left at midnight...before they got the snow operating (rain and humidity was the reason for the delay). We received our photo just last week...and I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with the photo. It's off center!! So, my opinion of MVMCP? What we saw we loved...but we didn't see a lot. I don't think I'd pay extra for it again. Chris Mak

SuzieZ and I went (with two newbies) on Monday Dec 11. The crowds seemed less than last year (when we went on a Friday) but still more than I liked, especially considering it is a "limited" event. As expected, people were immediately lining up for the first parade so we went on rides (Pooh even had FastPass open). We found a good spot near Tomorrowland bridge and had a great view of Tinkerbell's path but Tink had the night off. Instead, down the wire comes Rudolph, red nose and all! We *love* the Christmas fireworks in-the-round. We stopped at Cosmic Rays for cookies and hot chocolate only to find the parade started early! We ran over to Main Street and caught most of it, the tin soldiers are cool and the reindeer are *so* funny, marching in step with their tongues hanging out. The Boardwalk bus was waiting and it was good to sit down and go home! We all really enjoyed the party but I think we'll take a break next year. E-ticket nights are more my idea of limited attendance, the two MVMCPs we have been to seemed awfully crowded. Bob Quincy

We had tickets to MVMCP on Dec. 14. For some reason, we had expected less people than we had seen earlier that day in the MK. Yikes!! When we caught the bus to MK we had to stand, not a good sign. But when we came out from under the train station onto Main Street it was wall to wall people!! We had been looking forward to our hot cocoa and cookies, so we stopped there first. Yuck- need I say more?

Then over to the Galaxy Theater for Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Unfortunately we were early enough for good seats way down front. Unfortunate because once we had seen some of the show, we wished we could slip out and run away, but felt it would be rude to leave from that close. So we saw the whole horrible show. Very bad. After waiting in line to get our (bad) picture taken, we got a spot for the parade. Very crowded, rude people, and we didn't much care for the parade. We tried watching the show at the Diamond Horseshoe, but it was really crowded, and we couldn't see very well from where we were standing, so we left. But what we saw/heard seemed like a decent show.

I thought it would be nice to ride the riverboat at night, so we tried that. After waiting on the boat for quite a while, we finally asked a CM what was going on. Some kind of brush fire? No more trips for the riverboat that night. (Not that they told anyone who didn't ask). Country Bear Jamboree cheers me up, makes me laugh. During the 2nd parade we are able to get on a few rides without wait. I was disappointed that Mickey's Toon Town was not open.

We tried to buy MVMCP T-shirts on the way out, but come to find out that if you don't buy one early in the night, that they don't replenish the supply. We left at 10 til one feeling as if we hadn't really gotten much for our money. Everything in Tommorowland was too crowded to ride. Most things in Fantasyland were too. We definitely would NOT do MVMCP again, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone we know. Jill(bagger)

We (2 adults and 2 young children) attended MVMCP on Thursday, December 14, 2000. This was our first trip during the holiday season and we were very excited to see the parks and resorts decorated for Christmas. We had seen what a mad house it was as we tried to get a bus from PO on Monday (12/11) night to MK to transfer to the monorail to go to Chef Mickey's. HUGE mistake! We missed our PS time.

We arrived at 7:45, needed to rent a double stroller and an ECV. We got both and headed toward Cinderella Castle to see the show. The character greetings were mobbed. Many of the restaurants and counter service restaurants were not open. I called CRO that afternoon to inquire about which eateries would be open during MVMCP. I was told by the CM that ALL restaurants and counter service and snack carts would be open... NOT TRUE!!! We were lucky enough to get out family photo taken right before the start of the 10pm parade. We used the booth right in front of Hall of Presidents and there wasn't a sole in line.

Being that I was in a wheelchair, we were used to being able to use the handicapped entrance to most attractions. Not so at MVMCP, at Buzz Lightyear I had to maneuver the ECV through the turny and windy queue. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was closed, although it was listed on the attraction guide as being operational. My daughter loved the live show performed in Tomorrow Land by the "Lost Toys". Cinderella's Coach was beautiful, but the lines to see the princesses there were HUGE.

We didn't ride many rides, but we did get some great photos of the kids (and some with the adults!) and Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Max. We stayed until midnight, and by that time the park was nearly empty. Oh, and our family photo came in the mail the other day! What a treat! It is a pretty good picture, not exactly centered, but we all look good - eyes open, smiling - and it is quite a unique memento of our trip. I don't think I'd do MVMCP with young kids again. Overall, we liked it, but it was not supposed to be sold out that particular night and, believe me, there was CERTAINLY 18,000 people there--if not more - Lisa

We had a wonderful trip, EXCEPT for MVMCP which we attended on the 14th. It was MOBBED!!! Our girls (ages 3 and 7) were not able to get near a character or a ride, due to the crowds. I was at WDW several years ago on New Year's Eve, and this crowd nearly equaled that. The Mickey Mouse 'Twas the Night Before Christmas Show was great, and the parade as well, but that was about it. I cannot believe that we paid over $30 for that! Friends of ours attended the party earlier in December and they said that the crowds then were not bad. Perhaps it was because we went closer to Christmas. We were so frustrated, that we never did get our hot cocoa and cookies! Barbara Cerimele

We bought our MVMCP tickets in August and had no problem getting them in the mail! The party was good! I had heard mention that Disney doubled the admission number for the party each night, and it sure did seem packed! Lots of people everywhere! The special display of the glass (bulb covered) Cinderella's coach was great, but because of lineups of girls wanting to meet their favorite princess, impossible to get a good picture! :( I think, in my humble opinion, if they cut the admission amount, it would be a better party for all, and not so long of line-ups for attractions. Despite this, it was a good time and worth doing once. Cindy Connell

Personally, I was disappointed. I didn't know what to expect so by the time I figured out the MVMCP special shows schedules, I had to decide what I would miss because I didn't have time to do everything by then. I would have skipped the pictures..."thanks for the small picture with the option to purchase more." The fireworks were very late. But the most disappointing was the parade! My husband and I were by the castle, thinking that would be a good place, but the music was nearly nonexistent and there was such a gap between "floats." I also think that it was unfair that the park is closed so early and then for $30+ you can get back in! (I feel E-Tickets are a much better deal.) I guess I'm glad I did it or I would have always wondered, but I won't do it again! Cathie Cronkhite

This was my third year going to MVMCP, it is so heartwarming as well as fun. Not only is Magic Kingdom decorated so beautifully for the holiday, walking down Main Street while snow is falling and hearing Christmas carols is like being in a fairytale. When first entering the park this year, we were greeted by band members dressed in holiday cheer playing favorite Christmas songs. This year was especially wonderful and memorable because my boyfriend at the time set up with Disney Engagements to propose the night of MVMCP in the Rose Garden with an unbeatable view of the castle lit up in red and green lights. It was so romantic. Eileen Torppey

This was the first time we have ever went and had a great time. The fireworks were the greatest. Just watching my grandchildren seeing everything , their faces glowing with the magic of Christmas showing on them, was worth every penny we spent. My granddaughter loves Cinderella and when we found Cindy's coach I thought she was going to explode. She is only 5 and loves Cinderella and that was the crowning point to it all.

MVMCP was superb. The show at the castle was excellent as was the Christmas parade. However, it's not very limited. I found out they still sell 15,000 tickets to the party. Fred Reinecke

We took our two daughters and four grandchildren at this time of the year because of MVMCP and the Osborne Lights. Being from New Hampshire and really appreciating snow it was awesome to see it snow in Florida. To see the face on our youngest granddaughter when she saw the parade with Mickey and Minnie leading was unreal, her mouth was wide open and grinning from ear to ear. Charlene Gourdouros

The best part of MVMCP was the smaller crowds. My son was able to ride all the rides he wanted to without waiting in line (which is a good thing when you are 5!). My advice to someone who wants a good view of the parade without sitting on the curb is to go to the train station balcony about 30 minutes early. We did this and had excellent seats. Tonia

MVMCP: Downside: the worst crowds we had ever encountered! Too crowded to see the parade, the shows, stand in line for the photo, or go on most of the major rides. We had deliberately taken the kids out of school for a week in mid-December to avoid the crowds, so this was a bit of a shock, compared to how accessible everything else was during the normal operating hours because people were dispersed at other sites.

Upside: the fireworks were extra-special. A reindeer (was it Goofy reindeer? I couldn't tell.....) flew down on the line from the Cinderella castle, and fireworks were shot off from points along the perimeter in a 360 circle around us. Cool! Also, the kids thought it was wonderful fun to be going on Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain at midnight. A great , unannounced surprise was the big riverboat ride that went on three or four tours around the lagoon that night, complete with Victorian carolers and the Bear Country Bears. It was the highlight of the evening for me, but I wouldn't have known about it but for a kind guest who shared the info with us. And we loved the snowfall on Main Street, so beautiful coming down among the decorations, but it snows more heavily at the Osborne lights.

Verdict: I'm glad I went once, wouldn't do it again. The ticket price was wasted on many kids under 6 yrs, who fell asleep in strollers early in the evening, I observed. Julie Seavello

Our family attended MVMCP which was wonderful. Our 7 year old daughter was totally mesmerized by the parade, fireworks & special Christmas shows. I didn't expect it to be so crowded. I was under the impression that there were a limited amount of tickets sold to this special evening. We did get our family photo taken, which was included in the price. It was a great picture of the three of us. Margie Cupaiuolo

1999 Party Comments

My fiancé and I discovered a great advantage for attending MVMCP, quite by accident, in 1999. We were running late the whole day and had to make very late dinner reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Not being fast eaters, the park was long closed as we finished. Our server asked if we had tickets for that night's MVMCP and told us that we could stay in the restaurant until the gates opened and have our tickets validated there as well. They allowed us and several others in the restaurant who were smokers to stand out in front, asking that we not stray away from the door. When the gates opened we were well on our way to having the picture taken and getting the hot chocolate and cookie, while heading to Big Thunder for a no wait nighttime ride. (Danny)

We were at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party December 13, this time without our 3 daughters. It was absolutely wonderful. It was not very busy at all (surprising for the Magic Kingdom), the Christmas decorations were beautiful and everyone seemed to be having allot of fun. My husband and I were having a blast riding all of our favorite rides and some we had never been on, we felt like kids again! When we were waiting for the 11:30pm parade to start there was a couple from Chicago who sat beside us, they were so nice and you could tell they were having a wonderful time also. During the parade you could see everywhere, young and old swaying to the wonderful Christmas music and singing along. It was truly a "Magical Time". We would like to make this a tradition for our anniversary. (Bob and Marjie Gold Maplewood,OH, 12/99)

We attended the above event on Friday 17 December, and were very disappointed! The whole evening was ruined by bad weather - namely several inches of rain! Both of the parades, and all of the outdoor shows were cancelled. The only thing that went ahead was the fireworks, and even they were nothing spectacular. All of the rides were packed, due to people trying to get indoors away from the rain, leading to extremely long queues for everything. In the end, we gave up and went home at 11 o'clock. Our free family photo is quite funny, we all look like drowned rats! Oh, well, at least we got free hot chocolate and cookies (The Buckles from England, 12/99)

We went to MVMCP December 10 arriving about 8:00 on a crowded bus. The park was more crowded than I expected and as predicted, folks were already sitting in their spots on Main Street for the 9:00 parade. We rode Pooh and a few other rides before looking for food. We sat outside Pecos Bill's and had a fair view of the first parade. Just after the parade we went back inside for cookies and hot chocolate, then it was about time for 10:00 Christmas Fantasy in the Sky. The fireworks were, of course great but not anything super-special (as if anything at WDW is not) but wait... the grand finale featured red and green fireworks in the round! Everywhere you looked the sky was lit up for what seemed several minutes. What a great Christmas touch! We got our photos taken at the Kodak exhibit on Main Street with no waiting. By now the park was a lot less crowded and after awhile we found a good spot on Main Street to view the 11:30 parade, which was really fun with the snow! After the parade we watched a performance of Mickey's 'Twas the Night before Christmas, a really good show with some hilarious ballet dancing bears. By now it was 1:00 and we were whooped, happily the bus to Boardwalk was waiting and left soon. Will we go again? Yep! (bobquincy, 12/99)

We attended the MVMCP both 1998 and 1999 and you could definitely tell that WDW had doubled the admission size. When we came last year, the attendance level was 10,000 and this year the attendance level was 20,000. You would think that if they're admitting double the crowd, they'd have a few more attractions open. The ones I remember being closed are: Jungle Cruise, Mark Twain, Treehouse, Carousal of Progress, & Tiki Room. We had a great time anyway though. (Kris Pogue, 12/99)

Went to MVMCP on Thursday, DEC 9th; it was a sold out event, as was the one on Friday, DEC 10th. Large crowds everywhere!! "Snow" on Main Street was really fun, and the early parade was typical Disney...lots of music and c characters. But having done Christmas as Disney once, I don't think we'll do it again. Some of the magic was missing when the regular music was replaced by Christmas carols, and the view of the castle was obstructed by the tree and boughs over Main Street. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time, but we like Disney in late September, or early October when the crowds are smaller, and there's no special events to speak of. (WLSrph, 12/99)

We attended MVMCP on Monday, December 13. I found the crowds tolerable. We entered at 7:30 walked right down Main Street and staked out a spot at Sleepy Hollow snack Bar for the 1st parade. Mom & Dad held the spot while we took the kids to Fantasyland. Saw the 1st parade. It was wonderful! Lots of characters, lots of fun. We then walked over to Liberty Square, in front of the Liberty Bell, to view the fireworks. Best MK fireworks I've ever seen! All in all, well worth it. And, we didn't even do the family picture, the snacks or any of the shows! (Cathy Zulker, 12/99)

We had our second taste of WDW at Christmas time this year, and once again, the Mickey's Very Merry was well worth the extra money. We manage to do more rides in 4 hours than we can do in 3 days of parks--but then again, we have two little ones under 4 :) I was quite disappointed that Toontown was closed for the Party also--our kids had a ball with the characters last year, and there were DEFINITELY less character greets this year. I know many find that a positive, but with little ones, all they want is to spend time with their favorites. We will continue to make MVMCP a family tradition each year. (12/99 Lisa in South Florida)