Last month, I wondered if I should splurge on MVMCP (Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party) tickets before our short 3-day cruise on Disney Cruise Line. The feedback was unanimous: DO IT!
Time flew by, and before I knew it, the party was just over 60 days away. I purchased the tickets online and added them to my MDE (MyDisneyExperience) account. Christmas party, here we come!
When people ask me for advice on visiting Disney World, I normally don’t recommend over-preparing. Make some dining reservations, make three FastPass+ reservations per day and just have fun. Among my friends on social media, I see some go to Disney World totally unprepared and others who go way overboard and stress about the planning.
However, if you are attending a special ticketed event like MNSSHP or MVMCP for the first time, I absolutely recommend that you read up on it before you go. Why? Disney doesn’t share all the details.
What Disney Doesn’t Tell You About MVMCP
When you buy tickets for MVMCP, the tickets say the hours are 7:00 p.m. – midnight.
But if you go onto any Disney message board or fan blog, you will learn that cast members start letting in guests at 4:00 p.m. That’s three extra hours in the park! DVC members can enter at 2:00 p.m.
Disney also advertises that there are no FastPass+ reservations during the party, which is true during the stated hours. If you look online, the latest FastPass+ times end at 5:30 p.m.
However, it doesn’t advertise that you can actually book FastPass+ reservations from 4:00-6:00 p.m. if you have a special event ticket. In fact, last year, the Disney Moms panel said you couldn’t book FastPass+ reservations during that time. But many people reported being able to do so.
A few days ago, I logged into MDE and was indeed able to reserve FastPass+ during the 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. time slot. I don’t have any “regular” park tickets in my account, just the MVMCP tickets. Note that if you have multiple day regular tickets, you must reserve your FastPass+ for MVMCP last after reserving all of your other park days. Also, if you’re going to another park before MVMCP, you will only be allowed three FastPass+ reservations in total at one park for the day.
Making Three FastPass+ Reservations in a Two-Hour Timeframe
Like most people, I wanted to get a FastPass+ reservation for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. However, it was sold out for the day.
So instead, I read up on the rides with the longest waits during MVMCP in the past. I decided to book Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion.
Our first FastPass+ reservation is 3:10-4:10 p.m. Even though we can’t enter the park until 4:00 p.m., cast members give a 10-minute grace period at the end of the window. So, we have until 4:20 to make it to the Jungle Cruise. Our next reservation is 4:15 – 5:15 p.m., and our last one is at 5:25 p.m. And that’s how you squeeze in three ride reservations in a two-hour timeframe.
Are you heading to MVMCP this year, or have you attended in the past?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Holy cpw, we’re going in December. Definitely going to try it when it becomes available! Thanks for the tip!
@Steve Yes! Definitely book those fastpasses. And hope for low crowds on rides throughout the night.
Sounds awesome! Can’t wait for your posts about your experience!
@Julie I’m looking forward to the party! Hopefully we can find a good balance between holiday characters, shows and rides.