After our first trip to the world this past October, I have been dreaming of going back! My husband however would be happy to travel elsewhere. He did mention a coworker though who visited in early December and had a wonderful time. DH said it would be nice to see Christmas at WDW. I agree! (And I would love to take advantage of his show of interest in the world 
)
His friend went to MVMCP on a nonpark day and thought it was great. I think if we go that route we would at least feel like we were getting more for our money because we would have not already spent money on a regular park ticket. I just keep hearing such negative feedback about the party in general so that I am a little hesitant to plan on it. We did go to MNSSHP and enjoyed it but also felt as if we may not have really gotten our moneyās worth. I think that if we plan to stay late however and take advantage of shorter lines during first showing of parade/shows then plan to see the later showings, we may feel as if we are able to do more?
We have three kids that will be fine to miss a couple of days of school but not a week. So we are looking at probably a 4 night stay. Iām thinking a Wednesday through Sunday in early December. Which means probably 4 day park passes with MVMCP one day. On the day of the party we would have a rest morning at the pool (maybe too cold? Was thinking of trying to book YC and check out storm along bay and have breakfast at Cape May)
Another consideration is that we are from Maine. My kids think 40 degrees is shorts weather. I think we would turn into puddles if we went during summer months.
I have also considered seeing Universal for a long weekend over Columbas day 2018 and putting off WDW until the following year. Kids are 13,10,and6 years old. We have never been there and the two older kids are HP fans.
Any thoughts or feedback on this would be much appreciated!
December should be fine for the pool most times, especially with your cold tolerance coming from Maine. We went several times in December and always were able to swim and the pools typically arenāt overcrowded then.
MVMCP isnāt a great value if you had tickets already and are adding it to what you have already spent so it is held to a high standard due to the additional costs. We went one time and enjoyed it - if you liked MNSSHP and felt you got solid value, it should be much the same experience, just Xmas themed instead of Halloween.
Early December (before the Xmas crowds at least) is one of our favorite times to go over the years. We canāt go then now due to scheduling, but it was a great blend of weather, lower crowds, and Xmas environment.
It may also be worth touring the monorail loop resorts and Wilderness Lodge to check out the Xmas decorations. Day of the party might be a decent opportunity to do a late lunch at one of the MK area resorts on the monorail loop and check out the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian, the display at the contemporary, general decorations at the Poly and/or the monster tree at Wilderness Lodge. All are fun to see and might set the mood for the party well potentiallyā¦
I have been to MNSSHP a few times and I enjoy it but to me MVMCP is magical! I do not go to the parties for meet and greets but the combination of the parade, fireworks and snow- is magical.
I recommend doing MVMCP at least once. It is extra-magical and a memory that we will always have (it may also have something to do with the fact that it POURED that night!!) I would absolutely recommend that and just say āmehā to the Halloween party, but Iām sure others would disagree!
As for Universal, your kids would LOVE it there. The HP areas are amazing.
Regarding universal: it has many more height restrictions. I would make sure your youngest is tall enough for at least the Harry Potter attractions and most of the attractions you think they would want to experience. I have been waiting to take the niece and nephew (6 and 10) until she is tall enough. It would be tough for her not to be able to ride many of the attractions.
You can spend the day touring resorts to see Christmas decorations before the party.
I just measured her and she is 49 inches. I think that means that if she is over 48 she can ride everything except the Hulk coaster as long as she is with an adult.
Iām really torn. We can only go one, I think to try to do both in one trip would be too much for us. One trip a year is hopeful. So I keep going back and forth between second WDW trip or first time Universal.
Christmas at WDW does sound amazing and I think maybe winning out (in my mind anyway, will have to collaborate with DH)
We just got back from WDW and thought MVMCP was amazing! I really enjoyed all of the Christmas decorations not only at the parks but also at the resorts, and the Christmas Party with all of the special events and great treats was quite fun (the gingerbread cookies with eggnog particularly stand out in my mind). The special parade was just fantastic, and the āJingleā Cruise was quite fun! We had to go at the peak time, though (Dec. 22 for the Christmas Party) so we were mentally prepared for crowds and were willing to put up with longer lines for everything. Even with that, it was a truly magical experience.
We went to Universal for New Years and thoroughly enjoyed both Harry Potter parks. The rides were fun (but didnāt quite compare to FoP); just walking through Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were what really made it worthwhile for us. And the warm butterbeer - couldnāt get enough of that stuff! 