I recently had the opportunity to visit the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. A couple of quick notes before I get into the actual details of the party itself.
- A ticket to the holiday party will not get you into Magic kingdom until 4pm.
- I highly suggest taking in Disney Springs in the am, as the holiday decor there is outstanding and there is plenty to see all around Springs.
- Not to mention that there are a few really good spots to either get brunch (Homecomin, or Chicken guy) or even just grab a coffee and light breakfast (Starbucks, and Joffrees) while taking in the sights.
- I actually made a quick stop in to Joffrees for a holiday themed drink, and added a Mickey and Minnie “Latte Art”. I had actually not gotten the “Latte Art” previously, I highly suggest doing it at least once!
Coming soon with more Disney Springs Fun…. our blog on DATE NIGHT at Disney Springs!
After Spending the morning in Disney Springs, one activity to consider adding to your day is a “monorail crawl” of sorts. I stared at Wilderness Lodge, and then visited each hotel along the monorail system before heading into the park for the evening. The transportation from the Wilderness Lodge to the next closest hotel was a bit messy, as we had to take the boat back to Magic kingdom and then on to the monorail, but it was totally worth it. Of all the “Bay Lake Resorts”, Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorites, and is beautifully decorated for the Holiday Season.
If you look carefully at the tree at Wilderness Lodge, you will see it is adorned with tents, light up deer, and other perfectly themed ornaments.
Each resort does have its own take on holiday decorating, with something to see at each stop. The highlights are most definitely the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian and the enormous Christmas Tree at Wilderness Lodge. While Polynesian adds a tropical feel to Christmas.
I would also mention that at the Polynesian there is a cult favorite of sorts that not everyone knows about. Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is tucked onto the first floor of the resort. It is quite popular and there is almost always a wait or queue of some sort. Trader Sam’s opens up at 3pm most of the year and they begin a queue at about 2pm. You will usually see a line of folks waiting for a cast member to begin the queue, and as soon as a cast member takes your information, you are free to explore the resort until Trader Sam’s texts you that it’s your time to return. It is important to note that Trader Sam’s does not guarantee seating, so you may have to stand, and they do have a limited capacity. Trader Sam’s did have some holiday touches such as the decorations and holiday themed drinks. This has become one of my favorite stops in all of Disney, and is a great place to cool off with a cold drink and a snack on a busy park day.
After Trader Sam’s, if you time it right, you should be able to head straight into Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The first thing I notice upon walking down the ramp from the monorail towards the front gates of the Magic Kingdom, is the sheer volume of Holiday décor. What a sight! It takes a minute to take it all in. Every lamp post, garden, window, arch, etc., is adorned with holiday decorations.
In front of the Magic Kingdom is a Mickey and Minnie holiday themed topiary, and the Main Street train station is decked out to the nines. As you scan your magic band and enter the park, head through the arch and you will find the Main Street U.S.A. Christmas tree. This is one of my personal favorite pieces of the Magic Kingdom holiday display.
Like many of the other after-hours parties, upon entering Magic Kingdom you are given a special wrist band and directed to the right of Main Street U.S.A. to the pass-through. Each guest is given a party guide and a Christmas Tree ornament as you enter the party. The guide is a lot more useful than a typical park guide, as it notes which rides will have holiday themed overlays, the times of the parades and fireworks, as well as notating the treat distribution areas. In this case the Jungle Cruise was given a holiday themed overlay, and was re-themed as the “Jingle Cruise”, and Space Mountain was adorned with holiday lights and music for the evening of the party. The “Jingle Cruise” overlay is not exclusive to the holiday party and can be seen in Magic Kingdom at any time throughout the holiday season. The “Jingle Cruise” overlay was quite a bit more elaborate than that of Space Mountain. The ride queue was decorated with holiday lights, and garland. Each “Jingle Cruise” boat was re-named in accordance with the holiday theme. The “Jingle Cruise” is most certainly one of the more popular attractions throughout the holiday season, and has fairly long wait times. I would highly recommend trying to do this attraction at the very beginning of the holiday party, this way you will ensure that you are able to ride and also that it will not interfere with seeing the parade or fireworks display later in the evening.
As I mentioned previously, there are numerous spots throughout Magic Kingdom that are set up to disburse holiday treats. There are a handful of them throughout the park, and each one has something a little different than the others. We visited three of them, each one having a different type of holiday cookie and beverage.
In addition to the treats that are included with the price of admission, there are also quite a few holiday themed treats available to purchase throughout the park, some of which are only available during the hours of the party. I was able to purchase a super fun Mickey Snow Globe Sipper from Cosmic Ray’s for example, but there were quite a few other menu items around the park. There were also two different Holiday themed popcorn buckets available for purchase at refreshment stands in Frontierland, Adventureland, and near the Hub at the popcorn stand. These buckets have become extremely popular, and I would highly recommend making this a top priority if this is something you are interested in because they do seem to sell out quite quickly.
After indulging in some holiday treats, and enjoying the attractions, Its time for the Parade and fireworks display. While both are quite amazing, and well worthwhile to take in, the Christmas Parade is probably more of a “must do” than the fireworks in my opinion – if you have little ones and need to choose one experience over another. I have seen a few of these after-hours fireworks displays, and they are quite good. In this particular case they had holiday themed overlays projected onto Cinderella’s castle and had the fireworks set to Christmas music.
You will notice people start to secure their spot, so to speak, an hour or more in advance of the firework show. I am not so sure this is necessary though, during these parties 1) because of how Disney limits the number of guests 2) there is more than one show per event typically, unless there is weather and 3) the display is able to be seen from a pretty broad area of the park. I walked into the Hub just moments before the fireworks started and I was able to see just fine, and it seemed that there was plenty of space.
This brings us to the main event, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. If you have any interest in Disney at all, or Christmas, this should be on your bucket list!!! It is honestly indescribable. As the parade approaches, the music begins and high atop all of the Main Street U.S.A. rooftops the “Snoap” cannons rain snow down upon all the guests lined up and down Main Street.
As you stand there staring up at the sky, amazed by the fact that it is now snowing in central Florida, your favorite Disney characters come down the street on elaborate parade floats one by one. The parade is lead by Mickey and Minnie, and closes with the big guy himself, Santa Clause. I have been to the Magic Kingdom more times than I can count. I have seen almost every type of parade, show, display, etc. that you could imagine. This Holiday parade is by far, with out a doubt, the best of them all. When you combine the magic of the holiday season, with a little Disney magic, it’s an unbeatable combination. One thing I would note with the parade is that, unlike the fireworks, location is key. In my opinion the parade is best viewed from somewhere along Main Street U.S.A. probably as close to the middle of the street as possible (In front of the Main Street Bakery or The Emporium), to get the most out of the experience.
Overall, even though the cost of attendance is pretty pricey, I feel that “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” is worth checking out at least once. Experiencing the most magical place on earth during the holiday season is something that is well worth the time and money. The lengths that Disney goes to with the decorating has to be seen to be believed. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. I feel like there are enough things that are exclusive to the event that make it worthwhile and a great addition to any November or December trip.