Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Strategy - PREP 331

Shannon and members of the WDW Prep School team recently returned from attending the first 2 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties at Walt Disney World! This episode shares their experiences and strategies.

In this article

The Basics

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a special ticketed event that happens at Magic Kingdom a few nights a week during November and December. Be sure to plan your schedule around the party even if you do not plan to attend because the party will cause the Magic Kingdom to close at 6 p.m.

The other parks will also have special things just for the holidays, but those are included in your park ticket. This is the only special ticketed event that includes a full evening of shows, characters, and fireworks.

The tickets range in price and increase the closer you get to Christmas. They are $149-199 for adults and $139-189 for children. They can be purchased online or through your travel agent.

Because the tickets are expensive, especially for a family, we want to be sure that you get the most out of your ticket price.

How to plan your time

Before the Party Begins

The party begins at 7 p.m. and the park closes at 6 p.m. Your party ticket will allow you entrance as early as 4 p.m.

Arrive to the Magic Kingdom as early as 3:30 p.m. and get in the line for the Christmas party. It is important to be in the front of this line especially if you want to meet Jack and Sally.

As soon as you can enter at 4 p.m. you will get your party wristband. If you plan to meet Jack and Sally, you should go directly to Town Square to get in line for them. They will start meeting at 4:30 p.m. and if you are at the front of the line, you can meet them between 4:30-5 p.m.

If you are already in Magic Kingdom because that’s where you spent your park day, you can get your wristband station at the front of the park. You can do that at Guest Services across from Town Square.

After meeting Jack and Sally, we recommend that you mobile order something for dinner. It’s a good way to utilize mobile order before it is limited while the party is going on. Cosmic Ray’s is a good option.

On your way from Town Square to pick up your food, take the Main Street bypass and you’ll receive your party ornament as long as you show your wristband.

After dinner, you can get in line for another popular character. You can get in line for Santa. He will not start meeting until 7 p.m. but if you get in line early, you’ll be able to meet him right at 7 p.m.

You can also go to the Dumbo queue and get in line to meet Donald and Scrooge McDuck and Daisy and Minnie. Another popular option is meeting Pooh and friends. They have on a cute holiday scarf and meet all together. These lines begin around 6 p.m. but Pooh and Friends begin meeting at 6:30 p.m. while the others do not begin meeting until 7 p.m.

The First Hour

The party officially begins at 7 p.m. and there are a lot of party-exclusive options beginning at 7 p.m. This includes a dance party or treats. There are complimentary treats available and other holiday treats available for purchase

There are also rides with special overlays including Space Mountain with red and green lights and holiday music. Tomorrowland Speedway also has beautiful Christmas lights. Monsters Inc, Laugh Floor also has a cute holiday overlay.

The PeopleMover doesn’t have an overlay but it is a fun ride because you can see the overlays at Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Speedway. There are many things to do in Tomorrowland so this is a great place to start when the party officially begins.

The Second Hour

During the 8 p.m. hour of the party we suggest watching the first showing of the parade. It is sometimes more crowded but it might be a good option if rain is in the forecast, be sure to catch the first one. The parade may be modified or canceled due to rain.

To watch the parade, be sure to get a spot along the parade route about 20 minutes before the start of the parade. To catch the stage show, parade, and fireworks all from the same spot, head to the hub area and get a spot there in front of the castle.

Our favorite place to watch the parade is in front of the Christmas tree near the front of the park. You can get the floats with the castle in the background. The hub area is another great spot to see the parade.

If you aren’t interested in watching the first parade, we recommend seeing Santa Goofy and watching the Disney Junior Jingle dance party with Fancy Nancy and Vampirina at Storybook Circus area. This area is also covered, which is good if it’s raining.

The Mad Tea Party also has a holiday overlay with special music. It’s very fun to watch.

The Third Hour

During the 9 p.m. hour we suggest doing some other party activities. If you like Princesses, you can meet the princesses with their princesses in Princess Fairytale Hall. You can also meet Princesses outside in Fantasy Land. You can meet Belle in her blue cape in Fantasy Land.

There are 3-D photo options during the party. This is a good way to use your Memory Maker!

By 9:45 p.m. you’ll want to be sure to get a good spot to view the fireworks.

The Fourth Hour

Watch Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. These are only available once during the party at 10 p.m. We opt to do the dessert party during the Christmas Party in order to get a good spot to view the fireworks. It is much less attended than a regular dessert party, so there is plenty of space to view the fireworks.

We love these fireworks, so we recommend making time for the fireworks. After the fireworks, you can watch other entertainment in Frontier Land or going to Adventureland to ride Jungle Cruise. Moana, Captain Jack, and Aladdin characters are also meeting in this area.

If you didn’t watch the first parade, you should find a spot to watch the second parade by 10:45 p.m.

The Fifth Hour

The second parade occurs at 11 p.m. so if you missed the first parade, be sure to catch the second one. This is also a good time to get some photos on Main Street.

“Snoap” usually happens on Main Street and you can get some beautiful photos on Main Street. You can also tell the PhotoPass photographer that you want all of the Magic Shots – there are some that are party exclusives.

As you leave the party, you will be given a party-exclusive print to take home.

Key Takeaways

If you do not choose to get Memory Maker for your entire trip, but want to utilize it for the party, you can opt to purchase it just for one day of your trip. This is a great way to get photos from the party without purchasing it for your whole trip.
Other parks have beautiful decor and entertainment without paying for a separate ticket. Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have holiday things now and Epcot will on November 25. Hollywood Studios is our favorite park for holiday decor.

Quick Tip

You can take food and drinks into outdoor theatres. If you are waiting for a show to start, you can bring in a snack or meal. This is especially helpful for Fantasmic because you might end up waiting an hour or longer and the snack options inside this theatre are limited and lines are long.

Links for this episode

BetterHelp – This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/WDWPREPSCHOOL and get on your way to being your best self.
Is the 2022 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Worth it? (Review and Strategy)
9 Tips for Making your Visit to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Magical
2022 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Food (Exclusive Treats, Dining Options)
Why We Don’t Think the Dessert Party During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is Worth it.
Where to find the Characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

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