Considering partaking in Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year? Here are expert tips on how to take full advantage of this special ticketed event!
Buy your tickets early!
This event is incredibly popular, and even though it is still early, dates are already selling out! If you are looking at dates and are still on the fence, make a decision and take action ASAP!
P.S. Are you an Annual Passholder? You get $10 off each ticket! Be sure to look into those details before purchasing.
Don’t use a regular park ticket on this day
We believe using both a park ticket and a special event ticket on the same day is a waste of money. Since the special event ticket allows entrance at 4 pm you can’t fully utilize an entire park ticket.
Take advantage of a late start and sleep in, and grab a nice breakfast or brunch somewhere. Maybe go to Disney Springs and do some shopping, or even spend a day at the pool! Take it easy and gear up for a late, jam-packed night.
Prioritize prioritizing
It is important to go into the night with somewhat of a plan. Have an idea of what you want the main focus to be – rides? Characters? Snacks? Entertainment? You truly can do no wrong no matter what you choose, but it is best to go in with a little bit of an outline so not much time is wasted trying to decide.
Check the forecast
Yes – it is “winter” (kind of?) but you are still in Central Florida. Decembers are pretty unpredictable. Most days are warm and humid, but a cold spell isn’t out of the question. While planning your adorable holiday party outfits, keep this in mind! Be flexible and plan for bringing layers.
Arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 3:30 p.m.
Officially, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party festivities begin at 7 p.m., but your ticket allows you to get in at 4 pm. Sometimes the gates are even opened at 3:45 p.m., so get there early and be one of the first families in! These few hours before the party starts is when you want to grab some food, maybe ride a couple of rides, and take a look at the event map and schedule.
Visit party-exclusive characters before 7 p.m.
An expert, not-so-known tip is that a handful of the exclusive characters begin their meet and greets a couple of hours before the party actually begins! Jack and Sally, for instance, meet at Town Square Theater, and their experience begins at 4:30 p.m. most days. These lines can get to be one or two hours long, so seeing multiple characters can take up a lot of your party time. Get one or two of them done before the party even starts!
Don’t skip the rides
Yes, the exclusive entertainment of the party is fantastic. But if you do it right, you will be able to get a few rides in with minimal wait AND see all of the shows and parades. If you get most of the Magic Kingdom rides done with minimal wait times during the party, it frees up your other days in the parks.
Experience the Holiday attraction overlays!
Y’all. Walt Disney World is FINALLY starting to catch up with modifying attractions for special events. Most of the Magic Kingdom attractions will be functioning normally, but a handful of them will be slightly modified for the special ticketed event.
- Mad Tea Party
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Space Mountain – Holiday Run!
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Jingle Cruise (although this has the overlay during non-party hours as well)
Special shout out to the overlay on Space Mountain. It is EPIC and so impressive. Definitely a must-see!
View the second parade
The latest parade is traditionally the one that is the least crowded. After the fireworks, a lot of the families with children leave. So if you can stick it out to the late parade, do it! Go grab snacks and ride rides during the first one.
The second parade is scheduled to step off in Frontierland at 11:00 p.m. this year. Grab a spot in front of the castle, and you will start seeing floats around the 11:15 p.m. marker. Especially if you stand in the center of the hub, toward the Walt and Mickey statue, you will see the parade with the background of Cinderella Castle! By the time the parade is done, you will be in the perfect spot to…
…Watch the last stage show!
The final stage show of the evening is scheduled to be at 11:55 p.m. This is a great way to top off an already fantastic evening at the least-crowded show of the night. These performers are so incredibly talented and the show is so much fun – you don’t want to miss it!
Bring an extra bag to store snacks
Free cookies are provided through the whole event in different locations throughout the park. (This also includes hot cocoa, hot apple cider, and egg nog!) Instead of feeling forced to eat them all immediately, bring a bag to store them all in! The cookies are all plastic wrapped so they are easy to store. Think of it like a trick or treating bag, but for cookies instead!
Purchase party-exclusive desserts
If you aren’t so much in a cookie mood, there are some AMAZING party-exclusive desserts being sold around Magic Kingdom!
Check the “snow”-cast!
Be sure to hang out on Main Street USA to be surrounded by flurries! It may be Central Florida, but Main Street adds a little bit of much needed pixie dust throughout the evening.
Are you headed to a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this season? Let us know if you have any extra tips!
