Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - A Disney Christmas Day 1.5
December 4th, 2014 (Evening)
I think I have had a bit of Writer's Block on this event (and I'll pause for a moment while friends - and strangers...hello, strangers!! - laugh hysterically as they think of me a "Writer."). Looking back, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP going forward) was a bit of a letdown.
I've done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP, again...these are really long event names) a few times and haven't run into the same amount of meh as I have with MVMCP (see...it really works, doesn't it??). So what's different?? What do I have against the party??
Several weeks later...I still don't know.
MVMCP is a ticketed event in November and December, celebrating, what else...Christmas. Main Street USA is decked out with lights, there is a special parade and fireworks, there are dance parties all across the park, and you can wait in line for free cookies and hot chocolate. So what's there not to love??
I still don't know.
We left Animal Kingdom before closing and went back to our room to regroup. The plan was to stay at Magic Kingdom as late as we could muster, so I prepared as any Midwesterner does...I packed a cardigan in my bag. We may be in Florida, but it will get cold at night. The party starts at 7p, but you can officially head in anytime after 4p. The goal is usually to get there at the stroke of four so you could soak in all of the goodness. Again, this is a hard ticketed event, so sucking all of the time out of this ticket is wise. We ended up at the park after 5-ish.
The first sign that this night was going to be less than what I'd expected was literally a sign. "MVMCP has been sold out for the evening." Dammit. I mean, far be it from me to deny the Disney Company all of the dollars they can get on a daily basis, but sold out equals more people. It was already more crowded at Disney than I like. To deal with a sold out party was not what I was hoping to see. But whatever. Let's do this.
The goal was to see the fireworks, then the parade. The parade ran twice on this night. It may run twice a night every night. But I knew it would be better to wait to see the parade after some of the people took off. I think it worked better for us. But I don't have a time machine (yet) to really know if that was the case.
There was still plenty of time before the fireworks, so we wandered a bit and decided to burn some of that time at the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover. This is seriously the best way to rest up and still "see" the park. This was also where we got into a slight altercation with other festive holiday goers.
The line for the People Mover was long. Which can only be attributed to a Sold Out party and people needing to rest up and still "see" the park. We were in line, then left as Scott doublechecked to see if this was really the line. It was. So we went back into the line again. The line kind of curved a bit. And we got into the line at the curve. A Horrible Shrew looked at us and asked, "Are you in line??" to which we responded yes. She began to explain that the line was behind her and that we should stop cutting.
Seriously. Someone thinks another person is cutting in the People Mover line. The PEOPLE MOVER line!! That makes so little sense that I'm pretty sure I cocked my head to the side like a confused puppy. I think I waived my arms in the "You First, Asshole" sort of motion, and then Scott and I mocked her the rest of the time in line. Which was maybe 5 minutes. Because, People Mover. For a hot second we thought we'd be in the same car as the Horrible Shrew and her cohorts, but fate was on our side. Because we were in our own car, where we continued to mock her. Ahhh...good times.
We left Tomorrowland, but our journey into the future wasn't over. An hour or so later, we ventured back into Tomorrowland where we saw a dance party with Buzz Lightyear. We watched and shook our head in Gen-X embarrassment. But the interesting part was up on the People Mover. The People Mover was stuck. And a number of poor bastards were stuck with the People Mover. We watched in horror and fascination and wondered "What if??" After a while, we noticed Cast Members walking the track and getting people out of the car. They had to walk through the various stages of the attraction to get back to safety. I guess it's good this wasn't a roller coaster. That might be my worst nightmare.
I think it was around this time that we became big fans of one little section of the park. It was a section that is hidden from view of others. I don't really know what the name of this area is. And frankly, I don't care about the real name. Because we became big fans of the Murder Path.
What is the Murder Path, you ask?? The Murder Path is the path to the left hand side of Space Mountain. It connects Tomorrowland with New Fantasyland. It is a dark path that most definitely cuts the time it takes you to travel from land to land, and is a path not many folks take. When I say it is dark, I mean it. I'm sure Jack the Ripper would have a lovely evening in a dark path like this. It would be the perfect place for a murder, hence the name. And the name did stick. It was referred to a few days later when describing to Kim and her family how to quickly get to the Mine Train. "Turn left at the Murder Path and head straight on until morning..."
We still had some time before the fireworks hit, so we decided to take a chance on the Seven Dwarf's Mine Train. This is the newest roller coaster in the Magic Kingdom and the wait time rivals that of Peter Pan's Flight (WHY??). We didn't have any FastPasses for this coaster (there were none left), so we figured we'd chance it.
As we got in line, it was only a 30 minute wait. But instant we stepped into the line, the time jumped to 50 minutes. Scott and I looked at each other in the "Should we??" kind of way. We stayed in line, because why not?? And it actually was a good idea. The 30 minute wait ended up only being 20 minutes or so. And the good part about the line is it really moved. The ride itself should be known for having VERY tiny seats (a shoehorn may be needed to get people in and out of the ride vehicle...I'm by no means a tiny person, but I'm not overly large either...this was a squeeze). But small seats aside, this ride was terrific. It is a roller coaster, but not an upside down one. It is very Big Thunder Mountainy. Tons of fun. I think this was where I texted Elias to tell him that I knew he'd love it too. And he really doesn't like coasters one bit.
Eventually, we maneuvered to the front of the castle. We needed to stake a claim on the viewing for the fireworks and then the parade. The hope was to be able to find a place to sit (we are old), but we didn't easily find a place. Scott did plant it a bit on the ground, but I knew if I sat down, I'd never get back up. First, we saw some fireworks...
After the parade, we decided to sit for a while. More hot chocolate (and maybe a cookie) was in order. And it had been a busy day. Only our first!! The goal was to eat something (we really hadn't had any real food since Lunch) and wait for the swarm of party goers to leave the park. It worked a bit. This is where the whole bus thing kind of is annoying. We are not the only people going back to our hotel. But whatever.
As a whole, the party was nice enough, I guess. The fireworks and parade are great. But are we paying for just great fireworks and parade?? I had my serving of cookies and hot chocolate, and the hot chocolate stations were abundant, so you could go back as for as much as your stomach would allow. I don't care too much for the dance parties, though if I had kids with me, I'm sure they'd love this part (kids do love to dance, don't they??). But the decorations at the park are there whether or not the party is going on. The ticket cost for 2014 was $67, so putting that money towards a day at the park might have been a better choice.
But I did get cookies, so I think the evening was a win.
I think I have had a bit of Writer's Block on this event (and I'll pause for a moment while friends - and strangers...hello, strangers!! - laugh hysterically as they think of me a "Writer."). Looking back, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP going forward) was a bit of a letdown.
I've done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP, again...these are really long event names) a few times and haven't run into the same amount of meh as I have with MVMCP (see...it really works, doesn't it??). So what's different?? What do I have against the party??
Several weeks later...I still don't know.
MVMCP is a ticketed event in November and December, celebrating, what else...Christmas. Main Street USA is decked out with lights, there is a special parade and fireworks, there are dance parties all across the park, and you can wait in line for free cookies and hot chocolate. So what's there not to love??
I still don't know.
We left Animal Kingdom before closing and went back to our room to regroup. The plan was to stay at Magic Kingdom as late as we could muster, so I prepared as any Midwesterner does...I packed a cardigan in my bag. We may be in Florida, but it will get cold at night. The party starts at 7p, but you can officially head in anytime after 4p. The goal is usually to get there at the stroke of four so you could soak in all of the goodness. Again, this is a hard ticketed event, so sucking all of the time out of this ticket is wise. We ended up at the park after 5-ish.
The first sign that this night was going to be less than what I'd expected was literally a sign. "MVMCP has been sold out for the evening." Dammit. I mean, far be it from me to deny the Disney Company all of the dollars they can get on a daily basis, but sold out equals more people. It was already more crowded at Disney than I like. To deal with a sold out party was not what I was hoping to see. But whatever. Let's do this.
Our first stop was Tomorrowland...
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| I love the entrance to Tomorrowland. |
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| Winner and still Champion!! Until Saturday. But we'll not talk about that right now. |
This time in between the end of the day at Magic Kingdom for the Normies and the start of the MVMCP is the perfect time to cram in rides that might have more lines. Then again, Buzz Lightyear and The Jungle Cruise isn't always known for their long wait times. Though, The Jungle Cruise is a little more special this time of the year.
Because it's now know as The Jingle Cruise. The Skippers are away from home for the holidays, so they're making the cruises just a bit more festive. So if you like your corny jokes with a bit more Holiday Zing, you'll enjoy the cruise. I'm an easy laugher, so this is right up my alley.
It was around this time that the party actually began. And when we were able to have some cookies and hot chocolate. This part...I dug this part of the party. Free snickerdoodles (only my FAVORITE kind of cookie) and hot chocolate are always a good idea. Though, if you have two cookies and a hot chocolate early on (don't judge me...they were giving out two cookies to everyone), you're probably not going to want any later.
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| I didn't take any pictures of the cookies (?!?!?!?) but there was this frog on the garbage can. So... |
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| I took like 100 of these Castle pics, so I need to show a few of them off... |
The line for the People Mover was long. Which can only be attributed to a Sold Out party and people needing to rest up and still "see" the park. We were in line, then left as Scott doublechecked to see if this was really the line. It was. So we went back into the line again. The line kind of curved a bit. And we got into the line at the curve. A Horrible Shrew looked at us and asked, "Are you in line??" to which we responded yes. She began to explain that the line was behind her and that we should stop cutting.
Seriously. Someone thinks another person is cutting in the People Mover line. The PEOPLE MOVER line!! That makes so little sense that I'm pretty sure I cocked my head to the side like a confused puppy. I think I waived my arms in the "You First, Asshole" sort of motion, and then Scott and I mocked her the rest of the time in line. Which was maybe 5 minutes. Because, People Mover. For a hot second we thought we'd be in the same car as the Horrible Shrew and her cohorts, but fate was on our side. Because we were in our own car, where we continued to mock her. Ahhh...good times.
We left Tomorrowland, but our journey into the future wasn't over. An hour or so later, we ventured back into Tomorrowland where we saw a dance party with Buzz Lightyear. We watched and shook our head in Gen-X embarrassment. But the interesting part was up on the People Mover. The People Mover was stuck. And a number of poor bastards were stuck with the People Mover. We watched in horror and fascination and wondered "What if??" After a while, we noticed Cast Members walking the track and getting people out of the car. They had to walk through the various stages of the attraction to get back to safety. I guess it's good this wasn't a roller coaster. That might be my worst nightmare.
 |
| Stuck!! |
 |
| Because Buzz apparently does sing and dance. |
What is the Murder Path, you ask?? The Murder Path is the path to the left hand side of Space Mountain. It connects Tomorrowland with New Fantasyland. It is a dark path that most definitely cuts the time it takes you to travel from land to land, and is a path not many folks take. When I say it is dark, I mean it. I'm sure Jack the Ripper would have a lovely evening in a dark path like this. It would be the perfect place for a murder, hence the name. And the name did stick. It was referred to a few days later when describing to Kim and her family how to quickly get to the Mine Train. "Turn left at the Murder Path and head straight on until morning..."
We still had some time before the fireworks hit, so we decided to take a chance on the Seven Dwarf's Mine Train. This is the newest roller coaster in the Magic Kingdom and the wait time rivals that of Peter Pan's Flight (WHY??). We didn't have any FastPasses for this coaster (there were none left), so we figured we'd chance it.
As we got in line, it was only a 30 minute wait. But instant we stepped into the line, the time jumped to 50 minutes. Scott and I looked at each other in the "Should we??" kind of way. We stayed in line, because why not?? And it actually was a good idea. The 30 minute wait ended up only being 20 minutes or so. And the good part about the line is it really moved. The ride itself should be known for having VERY tiny seats (a shoehorn may be needed to get people in and out of the ride vehicle...I'm by no means a tiny person, but I'm not overly large either...this was a squeeze). But small seats aside, this ride was terrific. It is a roller coaster, but not an upside down one. It is very Big Thunder Mountainy. Tons of fun. I think this was where I texted Elias to tell him that I knew he'd love it too. And he really doesn't like coasters one bit.
Eventually, we maneuvered to the front of the castle. We needed to stake a claim on the viewing for the fireworks and then the parade. The hope was to be able to find a place to sit (we are old), but we didn't easily find a place. Scott did plant it a bit on the ground, but I knew if I sat down, I'd never get back up. First, we saw some fireworks...
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| One picture out of probably 100 I tried to take. |
Then we moved off to the curb and waited for the parade.
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| It's Santa!! I know him!! |
As a whole, the party was nice enough, I guess. The fireworks and parade are great. But are we paying for just great fireworks and parade?? I had my serving of cookies and hot chocolate, and the hot chocolate stations were abundant, so you could go back as for as much as your stomach would allow. I don't care too much for the dance parties, though if I had kids with me, I'm sure they'd love this part (kids do love to dance, don't they??). But the decorations at the park are there whether or not the party is going on. The ticket cost for 2014 was $67, so putting that money towards a day at the park might have been a better choice.
But I did get cookies, so I think the evening was a win.
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