Christmas in July – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and of course Walt Disney World is another favorite of mine, so when we were planning a trip in early November, I was excited to see Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party was starting during our trip. We had attended this party six years ago in 2010, and it was absolutely freezing in December, so much so that we did not get to really enjoy the party. The weather looked perfect for our week in November. I had four party dates to choose from during my week. I knew I didn’t want the first party (as after that party, many sites post character locations since Disney does not advertise those on their map) and I knew a Friday night party would be more crowded. In the end, we chose to attend MVMCP for the second party, which was on a Tuesday.

Now if you read my “Know Before You Go” article regarding the party, you will know we had our priorities going into it. I had asked my girls what they wanted to see most. The castle shows, parades, and fireworks were high priorities along with meeting Zootopia characters and Princess Elena. Personally, I wanted to try as many of the treats as possible, as I heard it wasn’t just one cookie and hot chocolate this year. My husband, well… he was just along for the ride and any rides we happened to go on! My mom (who traveled with us) was interested in checking out the exclusive party merchandise. Having been to these types of parties in the past, we knew at 7 p.m. the merchandise would come out and the door would be closed to the general public. Only those with a party wristband would be allowed to enter the stores.

Our goal was to get to Magic Kingdom around 4 p.m. We were a little delayed and did not get there until around 5 p.m. I was trying to change my first FastPass+ on the bus, but I kept receiving an error. Finally, I just gave up. When you enter the Magic Kingdom, all the Cast Members will be dressed in Christmas attire. It is so cute!

DIVA TIP: You will want to stick to the right. The event entrance is on the right, and regular day guests enter on the left. You will also be given your party wristband when you enter. If you are already in Magic Kingdom on the party day there will be several stations within the park to obtain your wristband for the party. You do not have to return to the
main entrance.

As you continue in Magic Kingdom, stay to the right. They have set up a Main Street bypass for those attending the party. It is a backstage area, but it is a shortcut around the crowds of Main Street. There were three different photopass photographers along the route and a few kids games such as word scramble and ring toss. We also received our first cookie of the night, a green Christmas tree! This bypass does close at some point during the night, so we did take a few minutes to take a few pictures along the route.

After riding a few rides and having a quick service dinner, we went to find a spot near the castle. As we were walking, we noticed some of the treat stops had already opened even though it wasn’t 7:00 p.m. We were able to pick up hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies and some more hot chocolate and peppermint bark cookies at the Lunching Pad. We also checked the line for the Zooptopia characters, which were already meeting with guests (prior to 7 p.m.) but the line was really long already.

It was about 6:45 p.m. and we knew we wanted to see Mickey’s Merriest Celebration at 7:40 p.m., A Frozen Holiday Wish at 8:15 p.m. and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade at 8:30 p.m. We figured if we went early enough we would be able to get a good spot, which we did near the front of the castle. However, we were lined up on the edge as you would normally do for a parade, but because everyone is able to fill in the road for the shows, we weren’t able to see much. Fortunately, we could hear everything and see the castle very well for the show and lighting. I absolutely love the Christmas parade and could watch it over and over! I hear the second parade is less crowded, but I never know if my kids are going to make it to 11 p.m. so we always watch the first parade.

After the parade we wanted to head back to get some snow cones and meet Princess Elena. We tried to cut back on the path near Sleepy Hollow Refreshments and the Castle, but that was roped off so we had to go all the way around. The snow cones were at the Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland along with snowman sugar cookies. The line for Cinderella was only 10 minutes. I don’t think people knew Princess Elena was meeting with her as it said mystery princess. The princes also meet with the princesses during the parties, so we met Cinderella, Prince Charming and Princess Elena.

We had some time before the fireworks and were able to ride some rides with 5 minute waits, such as the teacups, Tomorrowland Speedway, Barnstormer and Buzz Lightyear. My girls actually rode some rides several times as they were walking right on! The wait for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at this point was 30 minutes. We ended up watching the fireworks from where we were at that point in time so unfortunately, we missed the projections on the castle, but my girls were loving the no wait ride times! We also got apple cider (hot and cold) at Pete’s Silly Circus near where the Seven Dwarfs were meeting.

We eventually made our way back over near the Zooptia characters around 10:45 p.m. and waited 25 minutes to meet Nick and Judy.

We made one last stop before heading out at the Firehouse to get our Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom party card. DIVA TIP: MNSSHP and MVMCP have exclusive party cards given out to only those that attend.

We never made it to the other side of the park; we never made it to try any of the tasty treats you can purchase. I really wanted to try the Holiday Ice Cream Sandwich from the Parlor Ice Cream shop, but we just ran out of time. The cupcakes looked delicious too! We had a wonderful time with what we did have time to do. We know you can’t do it all and we will be back.

We did make sure we allowed time to sleep in the next morning as I knew it would be a late night! People always wonder if these parties are worth it, but it’s all what you make of it!

Here is a recap of some of the parties highlights *subject to change each year*:

Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration Castle Show 7:40 p.m., 9:25 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 12:00 a.m.

A Frozen Holiday Wish 8:15 p.m.

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade 8:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Holiday Wishes Fireworks 10 p.m.

A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show 9:20 p.m., 10:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. on the stage between Space Mountain and the Carousel of Progress featuring Stitch, Buzz and characters from Monsters Inc.

Voice Play A Capella singing group on the Tomorrowland Stage at 8:05 p.m., 8:55 p.m., 10:15 p.m. and 11:10 p.m.

Character Meet and Greets During the Party (note characters and locations are subject to change)

Aladdin, Abu, Jasmine & Genie
Ariel
Captain Jack Sparrow
Daisy, Minnie
Donald, Scrooge McDuck
Gaston
Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws
Mary Poppins, Bert & Penguin
Merida
Mickey Mouse
Moana
Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps
Peter Pan and Wendy
Princesses & Princes
Princess Elena
Tiana & Naveen
Tigger & Friends
Tinker Bell
Santa Claus
Santa Goofy
Seven Dwarfs

Event Merchandise
Exclusive party merchandise is offered at various locations including:
Main Street Emporium t-shirts and Magic Bands
Big Top Souvenirs in Fantasyland –t-shirt and pins
Mickey Star Traders in Tomorrowland – t-shirts and pins
Box Office Gift – Magic Band

Complimentary Treats

Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland – Hot Chocolate and Snickerdoodle Cookies
Heritage House in Liberty Square – Eggnog and Gingersnap Molasses Cookies
The Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland – Snow Cones and Snowman Sugar Cookies
The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland – Hot Chocolate and Peppermint Bark Cookies
Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Fantasyland – Spiced Apple Cider and Snowman Sugar Cookies

Many will ask if the party was worth it? To my family, any extra time we can spend together in Disney is worth it. Magic Kingdom is our favorite park and like I said, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays! It is all a matter of personal preference and what works best for your family. If you do choose to attend the party I hope you have a magical time!