Jacksonville, are you ready for the holiday magic? If you’re looking for a great winter day trip with the family, the most magical holiday tradition returns to Disney’s Magic Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida select nights in November and December! This annual event is the most magical experience and we have the complete lowdown and great tips for you on how to make the most of the party. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event that occurs in the late fall through the holidays after Magic Kingdom closes officially at 6 pm. It’s important to note that this event is a separately ticketed event and requires separate planning and booking from your normal park tickets. You can book your tickets when they come available starting in August every year with a travel agent or by going to Disney world’s official website. But act quick, all of the special events Disney holds sell out very fast each year due to the limited availability.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is So Much Fun
Much like the Not So Scary Halloween Party, this event is not included in the price of normal admission. If you are familiar with Disney, you probably know that they do parades and really all entertainment very well. The flagship parade of the Very Merry Christmas party occurs twice a night at 8:30PM and 11:00PM along the route from Frontierland and down Main Street U.S.A. I highly recommend watching the early parade just in case you or your party partners start being a little less merry later in the evening. Some of the highlights from the parades include faux snow, your classic Disney characters adorned in winter wear plus the nostalgic holiday music that we all know and love.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Entertainment
This itinerary puts all your entertainment into a single block pretty late in the evening, giving you maximum flexibility to basically do whatever you want—characters, rides, snacks, etc.—from 4PM to 9PM. This is last years itinerary but the schedules have been very similar for the last several years!.
- 4PM Enter Park, Queue begins for Holiday Character Meet and Greets
- 6:15PM Queue for a ride with Overlay
- 7:40PM Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration
- 8:10PM The Edge Effect
- 8:30PM Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade
- 9:00PM The Edge Effect
- 9:25PM A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas
- 10:00PM Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show
- 10:30PM Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration
- 11PM Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade
Holiday Events
If you or your party partners are looking to listen to some holiday jams and dance the night away – these events are a do not miss.
Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jingle Jam – Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jingle Jam is a dance party in the back of Storybook Circus held from 7PM to 12AM. Kids will get to dance with some Disney characters.
Club Tinsel (Cosmic Ray’s, Dance Party) – Club Tinsel is a dance party held in Cosmic Ray’s from 7PM to 12AM. Kids can have a chance to dance with some bears and/or reindeer throughout the night.
Special Attractions
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party also has four attraction overlays that are normally in effect during the party. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Tomorrowland Speedway, Mad Tea Party, and Space Mountain all have new overlays.
Space Mountain – Space Mountain switches to holiday rock music along with getting red, green, and white strobing lights. This creates something of a “lights on” experience in the ride. It’s a must-do, in our opinion.
Tomorrowland Speedway – Tomorrowland Speedway basically has a Christmas music lights show added to it. If you’ve ever seen a lights show, you know what to expect. If coasters aren’t your thing, or even if you’re just a bit on the fence, I could easily see prioritizing this over Space Mountain.
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor holiday overlay is simply the same attraction you’re used to with holiday-centric jokes and other small holiday touches (like Roz in a holiday sweater). It’s fun if you have the time, but definitely not a must-do because it isn’t too different from the regular version.
Mad Tea Party – The Mad Tea Party overlay is simply Christmas music and lighting. You can just walk by the attraction to see it in action and decide if you want to ride it.
Enjoy the Food
If you are a foodie, even if only self-appointed you may be interested in the food options and special treats only offered to the Very Merry Christmas Party goers! Disney has not released the 2023 locations for the complimentary treats but in 2022 there were 5 locations that each served a different combination of cookie and beverage. Here is what you could find at each treat stop:
- Columbia Harbor House (Liberty Square)
- Chocolate chip cookie and hot cocoa
- Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (Tomorrowland)
- Snickerdoodle cookie and hot cocoa
- Pinocchio Village Haus (Fantasyland)
- Frosted gingerbread cookie and hot cocoa
- The Lunching Pad (Tomorrowland)
- Sugar cookies and apple cider
- Tortuga Tavern (Adventureland)
- Sugar cookies and eggnog
More Snack Options
As for non-complimentary food, there are typically 12 party-exclusive snack items, along with other holiday items that are also available during regular Magic Kingdom hours. These include a variety of standard food items such Hot Dogs with festive topping as well as drinks and desserts with your classic holiday flavors such as egg nog and apple cider.
Tips & Tricks
- Buy your tickets early!
- Eat an early dinner before the party starts so you are not starving during all of the amazing entertainment or in line.
- Arrive at 4 p.m., grab an event map and have a general idea of what your priorities are for the night.
- Plan to wear something potentially lighter than your typical winter wear such as velvet dresses or coats as it is still warmer in Florida in November especially.
- Plan for potential rain. I suggest bringing some cheap ponchos from Amazon just in case.
- Stay hydrated by bringing a water bottle that can be refilled.
- Be sure to use the My Disney Experience app, it will have the exact locations of all the characters.
- Go to the dollar store before the party and get some glow sticks and light up toys, the ones at Disney can be very expensive!
- Don’t forget a change of clothes for the kids. It is a long night, so pack something comfy to help them be more comfortable.
- Bring a portable phone charger! Your battery will die with using the app and snapping videos and pics.
- Try to prioritize things that are not available any other time and are special to the party.
Lindsey has lived in Jacksonville now for over 12 years and is originally from the southeast Georgia area. She is a business and data manager for UF Health Emergency and Trauma services downtown by day, a travel agent, social media influencer, and BLS instructor by night. Lindsey is also the mom of three kids, Lily, Logan, and Ruby. She is married to a very talented musician, Cody who plays locally all around in the Bold City Classics and Blue Muse and with the symphony as well. Lindsey started posting on social media about her trips to Disney and beyond on social media in the last few years as a means to document the joy and help others with planning their trips, balancing traveling and motherhood and finding the true magic in it all. As her presence grew she was invited to become a travel agent specializing in Disney and other theme parks because of her expansive knowledge. You can follow Lindsey on Instagram and tiktok as well as request a free travel quote for your trip @magicmomlife or send her an email at [email protected].
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