The holiday season is fast approaching at Walt Disney World. The best part about the holiday season in the place Where Dreams Come True is the fact that Halloween get more than just one day of celebration; They each get two whole months of their own!
With the holiday season comes something you don’t get throughout the rest of the year: Special meet and greets at the hard ticketed events! I’m here today to tell you about a few of my favorite meets during the season and how to strategize the best ways to meet these characters with minimal time in line.
The Ladies of Club Villain
In spring of 2016, Hollywood Studios introduced a brand new special ticketed event called Club Villain, and they recently announced it’ll be back for the fall season, including an event night on Halloween!
This event is a fun, adult-oriented (though kids are welcome as well) alternative to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
For $129 per person (not including park admission), you are treated to a few hours of specialty buffet items and desserts, a full open bar(!!!) and a show featuring Dr. Facillier and several of the infamous female villains from classic Disney animated films.
Cruella DeVille and I had a wonderful conversation about how puppy fur is out and unicorn fur is currently all the rage.
Maleficent and I bonded about how neither one of us is invited to parties.
The Evil Queen was upset that she once again was not the fairest in the land (yes, I’m referring to me).
Best moment of the night. Meeting the Queen of Hearts in face form is worth the admission price alone.
Club Villain plays on select weekend nights throughout September and October with several showings a night, and reservations are strongly recommended. One of the best parts of this experience is the fact that you receive specific times for your meet and greets when you are seated, and you receive complimentary PhotoPass downloads of your pictures taken at the event.
If you’re looking for a laid back, more intimate event outside of the often hecticness of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Club Villain is most definitely for you!!
The Citizens of Halloween Town
Disney has its hands on something great with The Nightmare Before Christmas because it can be considered both a Halloween AND a Christmas movie! With this, you are able to meet the stars of The Nightmare Before Christmas in two separate capacities over the holiday season.
Jack Skellington and Sally the Rag Doll meet together during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. To see these two interact with each other is beautiful, and to be able to interact with them is even better!
When it comes time for the Christmas season, you have the chance to meet Jack Skellington’s alter ego, Sandy Claws, during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. He has plenty of ideas of how the holiday season should go, and be sure to tell him what’s on your Christmas list this year!
These characters meet from the start of a party until the party concludes for the evening, and their location is listed on the party map. In the past year, due to party attendees being allowed into the Magic a Kingdom gates at 4 p.m., these characters were known to enter the scene as early as 4:30 p.m. for party guests to meet.
Because they command such a high line throughout the night, I recommend you get in line for these spooky folk as soon as you enter the gates for the party!
The Princes
While you are able to meet the Disney Princesses any day throughout the year, it is only during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are you able to meet their male counterparts. While it is possible to meet Prince Charming at 1900 Park Fare, this event is the only time you will be able to meet Aurora’s Prince Phillip, Snow White’s Prince Ferdinand, and Rapunzel’s oh so stunning ruffian Flynn Rider.
I got to have a smolder contest with Flynn. This was worth going to the party for alone.
The princes meet with their respective princesses in their designated party locations, with Rapunzel/Tiana/Aurora/Cinderella occupying Princess Fairytale Hall and Snow White being located by the New Fantasyland wall outside the Hall.
My recommendation is to visit these ladies and their men during the evening’s first parade, as the second parade is typically easier to score a good spot for.
The Seven Dwarfs
They have their own ride, they are featured in both of Magic Kingdom’s daily parades, but the only time you ever get to see these adorable bearded guys up close and personal is during either Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
They are featured in their regular garb during the Halloween party, but they are decked out in their holiday colors during the Christmas party. These guys will be found in the Storybook Circus tent this year. The meet for them feels very rushed as it always commands a long line, and wait times can be very long.
I recommend getting in line to see these cuties about 45 minutes to an hour before the official start of the party.
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The special ticket holiday events at Walt Disney World feature a multitude of special meet and greet opportunities, but the ones I have listed here are typically the ones that have the highest wait times. With these tips, you might find it easier to schedule your meet times as fit, allowing yourself to enjoy the rest the party has to offer.
Happy (Early) Holidays!!
