Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Why am I writing about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in May? Because tickets for the event went on sale April 29! And if you want to participate in this "hard ticket" event, you better get a move on. (I'm more talking to myself at this point, as we haven't purchased our tickets yet.)

We attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in November and plan to go again. Magic Kingdom is transformed into a winter wonderland just days after Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties end. Click here to read more about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

The party is a hard ticket event which means that all guests have to have a special ticket for the party. Tickets can be purchased ahead or at the gate, even though they are less expensive if you purchase ahead of time. The tickets are only for the night you purchased them for, so watch dates carefully. The official time of the party is 7:00 pm until midnight, but you can actually get in the park with the party ticket as early as 4:00 pm. The festivities don't officially begin until 7:00, but you can take advantage of other offerings while in the park. Guests with tickets are given a bracelet and after 7:00 pm, only guests with bracelets are allowed to on rides and attractions.

Highlights of the evening include two parades, holiday Wishes fireworks display, free goodies at various locations throughout the park, a special holiday show on the castle stage, characters, short attraction wait times (if any), and snow on Main Street!

As you can see in the photo above, Magic Kingdom is adorned with lights and garland. We brought our Santa hats for the occasion. One of our favorites was the goody stops with free hot chocolate, cookies, and our favorite--bags of apple slices. We put those in our bag for later. You can also see in the photo above the bracelet on my left hand that are given to party guests.

We also brought the reindeer antlers for the boy, as he wanted to trade them in part way through the evening. Check out the Castle Dreamlights--they are turned on around 6:30 pm in a castle lighting ceremony featuring the Fairy Godmother.

If you are fortunate enough to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, here are some tips:

• Arrive as early as you can to the party and make sure you have already eaten. You want to have as much time as you can to enjoy the festivities. You can always grab a snack while you watch the parade.
• Grab a map and time schedule for the party when you arrive and plan your evening. Often the map and schedule are on line just after the first party at web-sites like allears.net.
• Remember that the parade is twice with fireworks in between. If you can wait for the second parade it is a bit less crowded, but be sure to watch the fireworks!
• Take photos and/or use Disney's PHOTOPASS service. Click here to read more about Disney's PHOTOPASS service.
• Enjoy the decorations. Disney goes all out!
• Be mindful that some park merchandise is only available during the event. So if you want a pin or t-shirt exclusive to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, be sure to purchase it before you leave the party and park.
• Look for special characters. The husband was thrilled to find Scrooge McDuck.
• Don't miss the parade! Our favorites are the marching nutcrackers.
• Don't miss the fireworks! I have never seen fireworks that look like 3-D images--boxes, presents, etc.
• Have fun! We bring hats and headbands to get in the spirit.
• If you want to see the "Big Guy," he is located in Town Square. The line gets pretty long, so get their early and get in line before 7:00 pm, as that is when he appears. We were able to visit with him as you can see in the photo below.

You know, we all have moments that mark the beginning of the holiday season. It could be when the tree goes up, or we get the first holiday greeting, or the first snow. Our moment used to be when we attended a local craft festival and purchased a hand-made Santa ornament. For us last year, the moment that marked the beginning of the holiday season, came at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party when we were engulfed by snow on Main Street, USA. What's your moment that marks the beginning of the holiday season?