By Undercover Diva
So you’ve been thinking about planning a trip to Walt Disney World during the holidays. Maybe you have been looking at pictures on the internet or you have been seeing advertisements and you just can’t decide whether you want to go to a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or to a Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party. Well, it sounds like you have quite the decision to make, but maybe I can lend a hand. I was lucky enough to get to attend a couple of each party and I can tell you that no matter what you chose, you are going to have a great time! Let’s look at some of the basics of each party and see if we can’t help you make a decision.
Both Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party have special parades, fireworks, character meet and greets and merchandise that is only available for party guests, but what is the difference?
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
As a guest at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party you will have a chance to see the Boo To You Parade and Happy Hallowishes Fireworks. The Boo To You Parade gives you the exclusive chance to see the Headless Horseman ride through the streets of Fronteirland and Main Street. The parade has tons of characters in it and a catching song that repeats through the whole parade, but changes its sound with the theme of each float, and at the end there are cast members passing out suckers to everyone along the parade route. There are a lot of rarely seen characters in the parade like Clarabelle Cow and many of the Disney Villains, and one of the coolest parts of the parade are the grave diggers. Most of the characters in the parade have Halloween costumes on which makes them even more adorable than normal. Hallowishes is a slightly scary themed version of the nightly fireworks show Wishes. Of course your Host for the night is the Ghost Host from the Haunted Mansion, and he is also the
host and voice of the fireworks. Many villains work their magic in the sky to give you a show you won’t soon forget. There are perimeter fireworks around the entire park that makes the finale amazing. For Villains lover, this fireworks show is for you! Everyone from Ursula to Oogy Boogy makes an appearance while entertaining guests with their power. And if you are really a Villain lover than you have to see the Villains Mix and Mingle show in front of the castle. It’s only about 5 minutes long, but afterwords all the villains we rarely see are out for about 20 minutes to meet as many guests as possible. The only bad thing is that they barely talk or don’t talk at all so they can meet as many fans as possible. Besides the Villains there are tons of other characters that are out too meet that are rarely ever out. Some favorites are the Seven Dwarfs, Tarzan, Jane and Terk, Jack and Sally, and many of the Princes are out with their Princesses. Plus all of the normal characters are still out to meet, like Tinkerbell, Buzz Lightyear, Gaston and Winnie the Pooh. Of course, to top off the whole night, there are various trick-or-treat spots throughout the park sure to have guests leaving the park with bags full of candy. And it’s not lame candy like some of your neighbors might pass out, some stations give out full candy bars and suckers! The one problem with the candy is getting it home. If you are flying then you have to remember to leave room for the candy (not to mention the Halloween costumes you are bringing) which may take away from some of the souvenirs you have room for. It might be a good thing if you have neighbors who are kinda stingy, or you might be left with WAY too much candy after the Halloween season.
Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party
As a guest at a Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party you will have the chance to see the Once Upon A Christmastime Parade and Holiday Wishes. The Once Upon a Christmastime Parade has many of the same characters from the Boo To You Parade but their floats are just a little more magical. Chip and Dale get to have a snow fight in their float while many of the other floats actually emit smells as the go by you. One of my favorite ways I’ve heard it described is as a “scratch and sniff parade that you don’t actually have to scratch”. There are skiers and ice skaters that are almost as impressive as the grave diggers and of course to end the parade Santa makes an appearance. The Holiday Wishes is made up of traditional Christmastime music, rather than anything super Disney. Rather than leaving you with a feeling of excitement, these fireworks leave you with warm fuzzy feelings. They make you feel like it could be Christmas Eve, even if it’s the first week of November. Personally, I think these fireworks are much more impressive and fun to watch, and they have their own perimeter fireworks as well. While the Christmas Party doesn’t have it’s own version of the Villains Mix and Mingle, they do have Celebrate the Season, which I would instead compare to Dream Along with Mickey. It is much longer than the Villains Mix and Mingle and contains many 
more characters. Once again, it’s all about getting you in the Christmas mood. There are all your favorite Disney characters, plus a nutcracker, a ballerina, a jester, reindeer and many more! As with Halloween there are special treats around the park, but this time it is hot cocoa and snickerdoodles. There are fewer locations, but often almost no lines, and these you don’t have to worry about hauling home with you. They have many of the same characters and a few that exchange. Instead of Jack and Sally, they have Santa, Tarzan and gang aren’t around anymore but Mary Poppins Bert and the Penguins are, and Buzz Lightyear switches out with Phineas and Ferb. Many of the characters that are out have holiday outfits on, and don’t forget to catch it snowing on Main Street several times throughout the night! One thing to remember if you are traveling towards the end of December is that the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Holiday Wishes and Celebrate the Season usually become a regularly scheduled events just after Thanksgiving when the parties stop. You might also want to remember that only Magic Kingdom celebrates Halloween, while all four parks tend to celebrate Christmas in one way or another.
Both parties have their pros and cons, so obviously you are going to have to pick what it best for you and your family. If you are really lucky, you could schedule your trip for the first week of November and go to the last Halloween Party on November 1st and go to the first Christmas Party which is about a week after that. Which ever you chose, make sure you take lots of pictures because they are events that you are going to want to remember for a long time.
Love the party and the best parade there is. Thanks for sharing!