Category — n. Approaching Dates at Disney World

OVERVIEW: JUNE 2016 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews June 2016 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

If you must go to Disney World in the summer, the beginning of June is your best choice for a first visit.

Crowds, while not good, are lower then than most of the rest of the summer, prices are OK–except at the value resorts–and the full weight of summer weather is not yet in place.

(The end of August is the next best choice.  Prices and crowds are much better, but you are not only in peak summer then, but also the peak of the hurricane season.)

Crowds build over June, peaking the last week of the month.

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MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY: A REVIEW

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (“MVMCP”) is a special event that takes place during the Christmas season at Walt Disney World.

It requires its own ticket, which is entirely separate from regular Disney World tickets, and is only shown on certain nights from early November through mid-December.

(For more on MVMCP tickets and show nights, see this.)

Even though it is expensive (tickets for a family of four will cost over $200) it’s been part of this site’s Basic December Itinerary since the site opened, for a couple of reasons:

Going to it lets people save a lot of time. 

Disney limits the amount of tickets it sells to each show of MVMCP.  As a result, waits for the rides are low–most typically 10 minutes. For just how low, see Josh’s post here. Going to it and seeing some really popular rides with hardly a wait saves a ton of time that can instead be spent sleeping in or at the pool.

For example, above is the Space Mountain wait at a little after 9p at the November 8, 2015 party that I attended.

Going to it guarantees seeing an evening parade and fireworks. 

At the time of year the Basic Itinerary covers, the evening parade and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom may happen just a couple of times a week on non-MVMCP nights.  Sending people to MVMCP guarantees your family will have the opportunity to see an evening parade and fireworks.

Moreover, the parade and fireworks are unique. The fireworks are tied with those of the Halloween party as best of the year, and the parade has a fun Christmas theme!

I recommend people go to Walt Disney World in the early part of the Christmas season…so how can I not send them to this show?

It’s silly and fun!

In early November 2015 I had a chance to see it again, for the seventh time. The rest of this entry is the review of that visit. (Note that some of the photos are from my 2014 visit, as they turned out better that night…)

MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY

There’s a couple of components to MVMCP.

Noted already are the parade and fireworks, both in special Christmas versions.

The parade, called Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, happens twice each night, at 8.15 and 10.30p.

I strongly suggest you go on rides during the first parade, and watch the second parade–crowds for the second parade will be much lower, and you won’t have to save a spot like the little guy above.

The parade begins with a bunch of characters…

…then Minnie and Mickey.

Frozen comes next with three floats, beginning with Anna and Elsa…

…then Olaf…

…and then Kristoff.

Next is Wreck-It Ralph…

…then Clarabelle Cow and Christmas cookies–I wonder why no resort is themed to Clarabelle?…

…then Goofy and Christmas candy.

Next up is a sequence of princess-themed floats.

Snow White and Cinderella get their own floats.

A closer shot of Cinderella.

One large float is fronted by the Beast and holds a passel of princesses.

The parade then shifts to a toy theme, including Woody and Jess…

…and toy solders.

Santa Claus is on the last float.

The fireworks, called Holiday Wishes, happen between the parades at 9.30, preceded by a special holiday version of Celebrate the Magic at 9.15p.

Also noted already are the rides.

• Not all rides are open, but all of the most popular ones are (there’s a list of what’s open on the brochure below).
• Because of the limit on tickets sold, the rides are pretty easy to get on to without major waits. The park will feel very crowded on Main Street and near the Castle, but this is because of all the people lining for the castle shows and the parade route.  Away from Main Street and Frontierland the park opens up and ride waits are quite short.

There’s some shows, some unique to this event.

Castle shows Celebrate the Season…

…and A Frozen Holiday Wish are the same as on regular MK evenings. The first is OK but not worth seeing at the mobbed 7.30 showing (the 10.05 or 11.20p show is the better choice), and the second skippable.

Only shown during the party are A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas in Tomorrowland…

…and a dance party in Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland.

(The dance party formerly held at the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland was not on during my November 2015 visit.)  The first of these is quite lame, the second a cute way for your kids to burn off energy if they need to.

New for 2015 is “Voiceplay,” showing on the same stage as A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas at 8.10, 9.05, 10.10 and 11.05p.  This will please you in direct proportion to the joy you take in slightly thuggish boy band a Capella gestures towards Christmas songs.

There’s some fun other business: free cookies, free hot chocolate (locations on the map, and marked by candy canes), and snow!

There’s also character encounters, some rare. My first reaction to the bear was “that scarf must be warm.” Yes, my first reactions are often stupid.

You can spend a lot of time waiting in lines for characters–go for it if that’s your thing, but for most there’s much better ways to spend your time given the cost of this party…

I am a member of The Tuba Guy fan club, and am sorry I did not get a better shot…

Both sides of the 2015 MVMCP brochure are below–as always, click them to enlarge them.

Even though the party starts at 7p, Disney traditionally lets people holding tickets for it through the turnstiles beginning at 4p. Show up early, see some of the lower wait rides, and have dinner.  If you show up around party time, Main Street will be mobbed.  If the train is still running–the last run will be 6.45p or so–take the train to Frontierland or Fantasyland to avoid the crowds on Main Street and in front of the Castle.

FastPass+ is not available during the party–but it’s also not needed, as only Anna and Elsa and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train see major waits. If you want to see these, do them as late as you can stay up.

WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE NOT FOLLOWING THE BASIC ITINERARY?

As noted, this show is expensive, but worth considering if one or more of the following apply to you:

• You otherwise won’t see the evening parade and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom
• Your plans otherwise leave you short on Magic Kingdom time, and/or
• You are really a fan of Christmas

With kids old enough to be focused on rides, the right plan for MVMCP is to

• Show up early, and eat before the party
• Do rides until a little before 9, and then
• Position yourselves near the Castle for Celebrate the Magic, Holiday Wishes, and the second showing of the evening parade.
• After the parade, do more rides or see the shows!

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OVERVIEW: APRIL 2016 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews April 2016 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Whether or not April is a good time to go is almost entirely a function of the timing of Easter and the patterning of spring breaks after it. 2016 combines an early Easter with relatively few April breaks (compared to March), so most of the month is recommended.
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MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (“MNSSHP”) is a special, separately ticketed party that happens on certain nights every September, October and some years even early November at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

At the party you will find un-crowded rides, a special parade (shown twice, at 8.35 and 11.15p), special fireworks at 10p, a Hocus Pocus show, trick-or-treating, a dance party…and a ton of guests in costumes!

I had a chance to see it again in mid-September 2015, and the scoop follows!

(See this for more on logistics–Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates, ticket prices, etc.)

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2015 AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

The most important change for 2015 is that the parades and fireworks are more spread out, and later.

Last year the first parade was at 8.15, the fireworks at 9.30, and the second parade at 10.30p. This year, the first parade is 20 minutes later at 8.35, the fireworks are half an hour later at 10p, and the second parade is 45 minutes later, at 11.15p.

So far as I could tell, though, this isn’t really thinning crowds in front of the Castle, mainly because the new Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (photo above, and also at the top of the page), with its showtimes of 8p, 9.20p, 10.40p and midnight, is packing them in.

The best approach to the Party remains the same–see rides until the Fireworks and watch the second parade rather than the first–but, because of the 9.20 Hocus Pocus, it will be hard to get to the hub after riding rides to see the 9.45p Celebrate the Magic and 10p HalloWishes from there.

Frankly, much as it pains me to suggest this, the hub congestion is not worth seeing Celebrate the Magic. And while HalloWishes, like all Magic Kingdom fireworks shows, is best seen from between the Castle and the Main Street railroad station, it does work really well from elsewhere in the park, because of things that happen in the finale that I’m not gonna spoil here.

So do rides until a little before ten, watch the fireworks from wherever you are, then continue with rides (or see the characters and go trick or treating), see the 11.15p parade, and see the midnight Hocus Pocus show. A late night, but one that avoids the congestion around the Castle hub and Main Street.

Also new for 2015 is that the dance parties we used to see in Cosmic Ray’s and the Diamond Horseshoe are gone.  There’s still a dance party in Tomorrowland.

COSTUMES AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

Costumes are not required, and not everyone wear them.

The most common costumes I saw in my September 2015 visit to MNSSHP were, as usual, princess costumes and pirate costumes, and after that Star Wars costumes. Lots of Princess Leia hair!

And this group in Tomorrowland proved a Disney princess theme was not required!

THE PARADE, FIREWORKS, DANCE PARTIES AND TRICK-OR-TREATS AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

MNSSHP has a special set of Halloween-themed activities (see above–click it to enlarge it).

For example, the parade–Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade–is seen only at MNSSHP.

It starts with ducks and mice…

…but then shortly shifts to my favorite part, Haunted-Mansion themed dancing gravediggers and ghouls.

More ghouls.

These are followed by Disney villains, but the parade returns to “not-so-scary” at the end, with candy!

There’s two showings of the parade, at 8.35p and 11p, with spectacular Halloween-themed fireworks between at 10p.

While the fireworks are best seen from in front of the Castle with the Main Street train station behind you, this will lead you into a wildly crowded section of the park.

Because of their spectacular finale the fireworks can be seen from elsewhere in the park–you’ll miss a little but gain a lot of comfort from avoiding the mobs in front of the Castle.

This year I watched them from a new spot, near Big Thunder Mountain. As usual my photos don’t communicate it, but this was a cool spot, and I particularly liked the reflections on the water.

The Liberty Square and Cosmic Rays dance parties are gone, but there’s still an outdoor dance party at the thingy between Astro-Orbiter and Space Mountain.

Character meet-n-greets are all over the place–with both common and unusual characters–and there’s also a ton of trick or treat locations…both of which raise an issue.

STRATEGY AND RIDES AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

All the major rides are open, and many minor rides as well. Most have very short waits–e.g. 10 minutes for Space Mountain. In our visit, only Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had annoying waits.  Josh has wait times for the party here.

The trick-or-treat spots and character greetings, on the other hand, have pretty long lines.

So the best approach is to skip the character greetings and trick-or-treats–or delay them until after the fireworks–and spend the first part of the evening on rides.

Do rides until just before the 10p fireworks show and watch it.

Some families will be worn out by now.  If yours has energy left, keep going with with more rides, or trick-or-treating or character meets! Then see the second (11.15p) parade and the midnight Hocus Pocus show.

I struggle with whether or not this party is worth the money for first-time family visitors who may never return.

It’s quite expensive–more than $200, and even over $300 on some dates (prices vary by date and whether or not you buy in advance–see this) for a family of four.  And it’s just a five hour show (7p to midnight)–though Disney unofficially lets you in starting at 4p.

Yet the fireworks are the best Disney World offers, the parade is a hoot, the rides have short lines…and the costumes are fun!

My overall take is that for first-timers this time and money is better spent elsewhere, but that’s a really close call, and for sure I’d recommend it to returning visitors!

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OVERVIEW: MARCH 2016 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews March 2016 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

The first week of March can be a great time to go to Disney World, and is so in 2016.  The rest of the month will be lousy–with high prices and high crowds.
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(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

DISNEY’S 2018 INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL AT EPCOT

Every year from roughly early March into May, Walt Disney World presents the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.

In 2018, the Flower and Garden Festival is scheduled for February 28  -May 28.

The gardens at Epcot are almost always lovely, and they are at their loveliest during this period.

Disney’s own wonderful landscaping is supplemented by additional plantings, topiary, and specially themed gardens.

Also presented are special programs presenting gardening tips, and weekend concerts.

See the official Walt Disney World web page for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival here.

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