Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

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Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party (MVMCP) is a hard ticket event that happens from the first week in November through Christmas at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.  If you’re lucky enough to visit WDW during this time of year this is an event that’s not to be missed!

 

MVMCP starts at 7pm and ends at 12am. WDW closes Magic Kingdom at 6pm on party dates to regular guests. If you have a MVMCP ticket then you are able to get into the park starting at 4pm. This is a great way to save money on purchasing a full day ticket. Simply purchase a MVMCP ticket and come into the park at 4pm. The day of the party spend your day at Disney Springs or at your resort (it’s a great pool day!).

 

Once you enter Magic Kingdom simply scan you magic band. It holds your  MVMCP ticket. You can also have a hard copy sent to your home (I always do this for myself and clients). You will then receive a special event party bracelet. This is how cast members keep track of who has MVMCP tickets and who are just regular day ticket holders. After 7pm you will not be able to get on rides, shop, get treats, etc without your MVMCP bracelet on. Make sure you pick up a map/events flyer as you enter the park! You will then be directed to the side of main street where you will get a sugar cookie, have photo pass opportunities and also be able to buy merch for the event. If you happen to be already be in the park before the 4 pm bracelet distributions you will find several other spots-such as Fantasyland where you can grab your bracelet and cookie as well!

 

The MVMCP event will have a rides open, snacks to grab, special character meet and greets and shows. YOU MUST PLAN! You won’t be able to get to everything but make a plan. The holiday parades are some of the most amazing parades and are not to be missed. Here’s a list of all the events.

  • A Frozen Holiday Wish – 6:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m.
  • Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration – 7:40 p.m., 9:25 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:55 p.m.
  • Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade – 8:30 p.m., 11 p.m.
  • Holiday Wishes—Celebrate the Spirit of the Season – 10 p.m.
  • A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas – 7:45 p.m., 8:35 p.m., 9:25 p.m., 10:45 p.m., 11:35 p.m.
  • The Edge Effect – 8:10 p.m., 9 p.m., 10:20 p.m., 11:10 p.m.
  • Club Tinsel – 7 p.m.-12 a.m.
  • Snowfall on Main Street – intermittently

It’s a good idea to make a family plan as to which events, rides, snacks and meet and greets each person is hoping to do. Our family has each person pick their top thing and plan on hitting those events. Everything else is icing on the cake! People will start sitting down in front if the castle immediately for good seats. Don’t be alarmed by this-there will be plenty of good spots later. Make sure you line up for parades a minimum if 40 minutes before. We ended up getting a spot right in front of the castle an hour before and were able to stay for the castle show, parade and fireworks!

 

Rare character meet and greets are available at this special event. People will start lining up at 6pm to get pictures with their favorite pals. Characters special to the event will not make their appearance until 7pm. Plan on a wait time of at least an hour per character. Characters often do not sign autographs at this time but will hand out a special pre signed card. Lines for characters will always be shorter during parade and fireworks times.

Mickey’s Verry Merry Christmas Parade is a popular event. It is by far one of our families favorite things. There are plenty of spots throughout the park so check the parade route. If you sit early enough you can grab a spot on Main Street where “snow” will fall! Take a seat and grab a snack! The marching toy soldiers are amazing. Make sure you wave to Santa as he rounds out the end of the parade. There are always spots in front of the train station by the front entrance. Also great if you intend on leaving right after the parade.

 

A Frozen Holiday Wish is where Elsa performs her stage show in front of the castle culminating in “freezing” the castle. Breathtaking! Make sure you stop at a photpass location to get a picture in front of the lighted castle.

 

Holiday Wishes is the final fireworks show of the night. Tinkerbell will fly weather permitting in Christmas attire from the castle into Tomorrowland. Fireworks will literally be all over the park!

Cookies and hot chocolate will be available throughout the park at special snack stations designated by lighted candy cane poles and found on your event map. This is included in your price ticket. This year they also had a snowman soft pretzel and a snow cone. Make sure you stop by Pinocchio House to grab a handful of cookies-this location hands out multiple cookies at once! If you play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom make sure to stop and get your special free card at City Hall. Families dress up for the event in a variety of ways from matching shirts, costumes for children and even matching pajamas!

Let me help you add this event to your Magical Walt Disney World Vacation! You can find me on Facebook at Callie at Fairy Godmother Travel or feel free to email me at callie@fairygodmothertravel.com My services are complimentary!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort

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I love to jump around from resort to resort at Walt Disney (WDW) when our family travels.  This past vacation took us to the lovely Coronado Springs Resort.

 

The Coronado Springs Resort (CSR) is located on the WDW property closest to the Animal Kingdom and has a Spanish flare to it’s architecture and design. CSR did not fail to meet the amazing Disney theming test. Disney has a way of creating a complete immersive environment when vacationing. Some Disney resorts scream Disney by decorating with a traditional Disney character theme but others like CSR create an environment with such attention to detail you can really feel the Spanish influence. We felt right at home since our move from Texas to Massachusetts with the food and the decorations it was perfect.

 

CSR consists of a main building with check in, shopping, quick service and table service restaurants. Off to the side of the main building you will find a conference center. I was hesitant about the crowds due to the conference center but we honestly never even noticed. I was also concerned that since there were several conferences being held while we were on vacation that our resort buses would be more crowded but that was not the case either.

The resort rooms have recently been updated with a contemporary Spanish feel and they were honestly amazing. The beds were so soft and cushy-similar to Deluxe resort beds. The bedrooms did not include a blanket but you can simply ask for one from mousekeeping or bring from home (I know many people do this). The beds were slightly raised and perfect for storing luggage underneath. The showers had new rain shower heads and handhelds. We had a lovely view onto the courtyard and the bus stations are within quick walking distance from each section.

The resort has a pool in each “settlement”-Ranchos, Casitas and Cabanas. These are smaller pools but are also heated. There is also a main pool called “The Dig Site” complete wit a Mayan Ruin, water slide, Jacuzzi and tiny splash pad for the little ones. We swam in December so make sure you always bring your bathing suit!

 

The food court offered a variety of every day food perfect for the whole family along with Tex/Mex offerings. The resort also offers a variety of activities such as an arcade, playground, jogging trails, movies at night, etc… They also offer seasonal events-we were lucky enough to stumble upon cookie decorating! There’s an interactive guide in the front lobby which you can always check for special events!

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All in we enjoyed Coronado Springs! The cons of CSR would be that the resort is spread out so if you’re walking from the main building to your room there will be quite a walk ahead of you. You can also catch a bus off the main building which will take you to each of the different settlement’s bus stops. This will save your feet after a Disney walking day but you will wait a bit for it. The pros of this resort are the updated rooms, attention to detail and friendliness of staff. I will honestly say the staff at CSR was amazing and went out of their way to help us in any way they could.

Would you like to add Coronado Springs to your WDW Bucket List? I would love to help you price out some options! You can comment below or find me on Facebook at Callie@Fairy Godmother Travel and let me help you make all you Disney dreams come true! Oh and my services are complimentary.

Should I Get The Meal Plan?

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Should I get the meal plan? It’s probably one of the top three questions I’m asked by people interested in planning a Walt Disney World (WDW) vacation. So should you? Let’s find out!

WDW has three levels of meal plans offered to guests staying onsite at a WDW Resort. The quick service plan, the dining plan and the deluxe plan. Each plan has a level of credits issued for quick serve and table serve dining based on how many people are in your party and how many nights you stay at a WDW Resort. Let’s Break down the meal plans.

Quick Service-

Quick service includes 2 quick service meal credits and 2 snacks per night per guest.

Disney Dining-

Disney dining includes 1 quick serve meal credit, 1 table service meal credit and 2 snacks per night per guest.

Disney Deluxe Dining-

Disney deluxe dining includes 2 table service meal credits and 2 snack per night per guest.

Each plan comes with a refillable resort mug per person which you can refill at any resort on property for the length of your stay. Meal plans also include an alcoholic beverage per meal for guests over 21 and/or a specialty drink at each meal. Dining plans are issued as credits and are loaded automatically onto your reservation and Magic Band for use at the resorts, parks and Disney Springs areas. You can use your meal plan by telling the server at the beginning of the meal or while ordering from quick serve that you would like to use your meal plan and they will deduct the credit from your account through your magic band. You can also keep track of the credits your party has remaining at the bottom of your receipt after ordering a meal or snack.

 

So should I get a meal plan? The truth is the meal plan works differently for each family. The easiest way to find out if the meal plan is a great option for you family is to think about the restaurants you’d like to visit while on your trip. Do you want to enjoy more than 2 sit down meals, especially character meals? If the answer is yes than most likely a meal plan would save your family. Do you like to order the most expensive thing on the menu and a dessert? If the answer is yes then a meal plan is most likely a best option for you. Do you like to share meals and spend as much time as you can riding rides? Then a meal plan might not be best for you.

 

You can easily decide if the meal plans are a great financial option for your family by thinking about the places you’d enjoy eating at on your trip. You can then go into the My Disney Experience website, look under things to do, click on dining, click on a restaurant, and click menu. You can clearly see the prices for items. I love this option because I can calculate just what I’d like to order and see the price. I can then get a general idea based upon the cost to add a meal plan if this option is best for me. This is a great question to ask your Disney travel planner. They can easily price out your trip with and without the various dining plan options and you can see exactly the cost and what fits your family best. The dining plan is not a best option for all families but it is for many. A little leg work can save you a bunch of money and allow you to enjoy your Disney vacation to the fullest!

Need help planning your Disney vacation or for that fact any vacation? You can find me on Facebook at Callie at Fairy Godmother Travel or email me at callie@fairygodmothertravel.com I would love to help you out and as usual my services are free!