Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder If the "after hours" party isn't an excuse to gouge an extra $40 plus a head, then why does it exist?
Originally Posted By dresswhites that is bizarre about the parade running only a week before christmas. what is the rationale behind this? i would think people would enjoy seeing a christmas parade in the magic kingdom most of the month of dec.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<If the "after hours" party isn't an excuse to gouge an extra $40 plus a head, then why does it exist?>> You just answered your own question. It's so Disney marketing wizards can make people think they're getting something special when they pay an extra $40. The reality is MVMCP's began in the early 1980s as a one weekend event in early December. Back when the Candlelight Procession was on Main Street, where it belongs, and not at Epcot with must people fooled into buying dinner plans to secure seats. It used to be simple. Thanksgiving came and with it was the debut of all the Christmas shows and parade. It was all included with the price of admission. You didn't have to pay extra. You didn't have to stay onsite. You didn't have to be an APer or a DVCer. It was just the Disney way ... now it's a new era and a new Disney way and includes nickel-and-diming guests for every last penny while giving them less for their dollar but making them think the opposite.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Oh, and because the Mouse (or his execs) have a voracious greed for $$$, the parties keep getting extended. This year, they began two weeks BEFORE Thanksgiving. I fully expect this trend to continue and I wouldn't be surprised if they went to parties five nights a week next year with EMH's for resort guests on the other two nights. The parties also keep running later. This year, you can't see the Christmas parade unless you pay extra UNTIL 12/23 ... that's the latest debut in history.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Thanks goodness! I'll gladly pay as long as I don't have to fight these crowds! Why aren't tasers leagal in WDW? I am so tired of being pushed and shoved and plowed down by strollers. At least give me some defense. I have this long scratch on the back of my right leg from being in EPCOT yesterday and I have no idea how I got it. NEWS ALERT: Personal note to self. Pack a first aid kit on next trip to WDW.
Originally Posted By jazzfan4 K. Tom: sounds like the parks are crowed when this historically is not to crowded time to go. Is it the Pop Warner people or regular guests?
Originally Posted By pbjshakelover Just back (11/16 to 12/3). Parks were extremely busy especially Thanksgiving week. First time there for holidays & will be the last! Not worth it! As my treat, my family & I went to MVMCP on 11/17. It turned out to be sold out that evening & way too many guests. My parents are disabled & it was very difficult to navigate them due to amount of guests & the park was not well lit. My mom's ECVT tipped over on Main St. as we entered the park due to the "edge" of the curb on the handicapped area not being marked. One cast member ran to assist me get the ECVT off her. My mom was not injured seriously, but did have bruises the day after. It did not get any better after that. We were only able to see "The Night Before Christmas" stage show in Tomorrowland. Twice we were misdirected by "confused" cast members in our hunt to find cookies & cocoa. Other guests could not find them either. We finally found one location inside the Columbia Harbor House. It was so frustrating to see anything else, so we left after only being there two hours. I felt like a fool for paying that much money. In my opinion, the event was extremely disorganized & that many tickets should not have been sold. I always enjoy being with my family & thank goodness because we had one tough trip this year. On the whole, we found everywhere in WDW to be too crowded, disorganized (not efficient in moving people), decorations not as wonderful as we were led to believe, etc., etc., etc. My sister & I are Annual Passholders. We will go down next year at our "usual" time, but if things do not seem "better", we will probably not renew our passes, & very sad to say, because it's always been my "happy" place, I will not feel I want to return.
Originally Posted By CTXRover The garlands across Main Street actually appear to be new. I know it seems to be fun to make comments on how old and stale the MK is compared to DL recently, but if you compare pictures from last year's garlands to this year's, you will notice that the garlands and wreaths are in fact different, which were new themselves 3 or 4 years ago. It was at this time the wreaths and garlands began to incorporate various fruits instead of just bows and ribbons. The fruit has a historical meaning given the time period Main Street is set in, but I forget the exact reasoning. In contrast, DL's MS decorations are loaded simply with shiny colored balls, the exact same look Universal Studios Florida uses on their decorations. It is the decorations used in New Orleans Square that I truly admire at DL. All of WDW's main decorations are on a rotating schedule to be replaced every few years and individual ornaments are replaced as needed every year. Many keep a similar look and feel, however some completely change. In fact, the Markeplace at DTD received all new decorations this year, complete with LED lighting for the garlands.
Originally Posted By CTXRover As a side note, I do agree though that the decorations on Main Street need more "stuff" in them. The wreaths from last year appeared to literally be weighed down with various fruits/ornaments, but the newer wreaths and garlands for this year are a bit more sparse.
Originally Posted By jmuboy The WDW Christmas Trees are the things that bother me the most. The 4 large trees at the parks are just really bare looking. Take a queue from DL next year.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo The crowds on the Saturday and Sunday were unbelievable - 45 min waits for It's a Small World!!! The quiet early December is no longer. However, during the week, the parks were manageable, but no where near as quiet as they used to be.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I agree... the weekend was definately the busiest. Much better during the week. But still crowded.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Those Magic Kingdom decorations are embarassing. Did Orlando get stuck in a time warp and someone thinks it is still 1978? Or are they really just that cheap and unstylish on purpose?<< Yes they are but don't let that discourage you. Let's find the silver lining on this, shall we? The decor is actually from 1971, but the fact they look as new as 1978 is a credit to their storage practices. What shocks me the most is how even DLP in all of it's bleeding cash glory can manage to install much better and state of the art decor to a degree similar to TDL, where are the "jewel in the crown MK" can't or won't. Wait until I post my pics from both TDL, DLP and even HKDL's xmas decor this year and compare. One thing to commend about... I am glad the Xmas tree is now sitting on Town Square where it rightfully belongs. It was horrible how during my night at the MVMCP, the whole Town Square area looked barren due to the tree being installed by the castle for the Xmas parade taping purposes.
