21 Tips to Enjoy Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2019 at the Magic Kingdom
Hi everyone!
We have now attended three Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights and I updated this article after the second two. This is my ninth year of posting party tips and they are a little different each year! For 2019, the first night was different than usual in that it rained for most of the party. And while some entertainment such as A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas did not run, we still did (and saw) quite a bit. The second night was clear, and we experienced almost everything we wanted to. And the third night was mostly clear with light rain occasionally in the latter two hours.
I’ve been attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for probably 25 years, and it’s always been a nice way to kick off the holiday season.
Here are my 21 tips for 2019!
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1 – Arrive early – Guests can arrive at 4:00pm on a party ticket. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party does not officially start until 7:00pm, but there are some characters available to meet, first photo locations and a Minnie Mouse shaped sugar cookie prior to the kickoff time.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party guide map
2 – Plan ahead – The opening night of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party sold out this year. Book ahead, and I often recommend two parties if possible because there is so much to see and do. I suggest figuring out priorities for the evening, because there is Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade along with the new Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, stage shows, characters, a few ride overlays, treats to find and more. You can’t do it all in one night. But it is possible to see all you want to in one party if having a smaller list of must-do activities.
A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas – one of my favorite things to see at the party!
3 – Meet characters such as Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws with Sally – This is always our first meet and greet at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Sally joined Jack as Sandy Claws last year, prior to that she was at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party but not there for Christmas. And remember to ask for your souvenir autograph card! They began meeting by 5:00pm the first night (we did wait almost 2 hours, from just after 4:00pm until about 6:00pm). And the Seven Dwarfs start meeting in Storybook Circus early too. Winnie the Pooh characters begin at 6:30pm in Fantasyland.
Jack as Sandy Claws and Sally
Our video meet and greet with Mickey
Jack Skellington and Sally autograph card.
4 – Pick up your Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom souvenir card – Upon entering the park, go to the Main Street Firehouse and pick up your card! It features Pluto this year and is included with the party price.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card
5 – Head to the Market Street bypass for photos and a treat – Upon arrival into the park, you can head to the Market Street bypass to the right and pick up a cookie and enjoy some fun photo ops. Only guests of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party can enter and this area closes at 8:00pm. More guests arrive at 4pm than ever before, so there are some waits for photos. (And this will not be your best cookie of the night, if you want to save the calories for later I suggest the English Bay peppermint cookie at Cosmic Ray’s).
Minnie Mouse cookie
6 – Watch Cinderella Castle turn to “ice”! – Cinderella Castle is lit every evening, once before the Party and once after it starts. Make it a point to see the short stage show A Frozen Holiday Wish as Elsa makes the castle glisten! Cinderella Castle will be bathed in Christmas lights for maybe half of the Party, depending on what is going on as far as entertainment. For example, during Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration (4 shows), the castle has projections instead.
7 – See the first Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade if you want the best Cinderella Castle view – We always try to photograph the parade once from Town Square looking toward Cinderella Castle. There is a very limited amount of space, and now the second parade is taken up by Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party reserved viewing. So arrive very early if you really want that spot! And sometimes it can be taken up by Disney filming, so be flexible with your viewing area. We did manage to secure a spot during the second party.
View of Cinderella Castle – and Cinderella with Prince Charming! – looking down Main Street
9 – Watch the parade from Frontierland – If a castle view doesn’t matter and you just want to enjoy the parade, then seeing it in Frontierland instead of Town Square will free up some party time. It takes about 15 minutes for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade to reach Town Square.
10 – Don’t miss Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks – This is a new fireworks show for 2019! During the first party, the fireworks were hard to see because of rain issues. But now that I’ve seen it two more times, I love this show even more than Holiday Wishes. The music and pyro and projections – it really is just fantastic. I recommend viewing Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks on Main Street.
11 – Try included treats and drinks – I never use the word “complimentary” but instead “included” because treats are part of your Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ticket. My favorite stop is at Cosmic Ray’s for the English Bay peppermint cookies. For the first time ever, they were wrapped in adorable Mickey Mouse themed plastic! And GoGo Squeez is a healthy treat options. As much as I enjoyed apple slices, GoGo Squeez is much more shelf stable. There is hot chocolate and apple cider at Cosmic Ray’s, and other drinks available elsewhere.
GoGo Squeez is a healthy option, and then a cookie in a festive wrapper
12 – Watch the last Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration show – The last Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration show starts at 11:55pm so it doesn’t take up any real party time and is much less crowded than earlier in the evening. Some guests leave after the first parade, a larger group after fireworks and then by the end of the night, the space in front of Cinderella Castle is less crowded.
** I do want to say that the show stopped midway during the last performance on the second night. So if you really, really want to see it, maybe see it first earlier and then watch during the last show as a bonus. I like viewing the last show for lower crowds but I don’t want you to miss it!
Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration
13 – Ride the Jingle Cruise – This is not a party exclusive, so you can enjoy it anytime during your visit. But it will help you get into the holiday spirit! Riding between 4:00pm and 7:00pm is best as not to take party time.
14 – Enjoy other ride overlays – We enjoyed the new Tomorrowland Speedway overlay a lot, it features lights and holiday music. Space Mountain was pretty good too, with a heavy holiday soundtrack beat. The Mad Tea Party includes Christmas music and lighting, and there was no line when I rode (making it a fun and quick diversion). Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor has a Christmas addition as well, we haven’t gone yet but plan to during the third party.
16 – Purchase Party specific treats – We don’t usually buy many treats since there are treats already included in the party. When I do pick something up, I buy it from the Main Street Bakery so I can earn Starbucks Rewards. This year we tried the Olaf’s Frozen Hot Cocoa Cake, which is pretty but even tastier than it looks. This is a very rich, delicious dessert! It includes Gluten-friendly chocolate cake layered with chocolate crispy pearls, chocolate panna cotta, and marshmallow fluff. And I think this might be available all day, not just at the party.
Olaf’s Frozen Hot Cocoa Cake – you can purchase this at the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks)
17 – Walk around the park – There is a lot of special lighting and some extra entertainment, including the Reindeer Wranglers band.
Lighting at Pirates of the Caribbean
18 – Enjoy the party rain or shine – Honestly, I’ve rarely experienced rain at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in all the years I’ve attended. But it is a possibility. The rain lightened up enough for a first Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade on opening night, and to ride the Tomorrowland Speedway. I rode the People Mover 4 times to enjoy the Christmas music and the lighting of the Tomorrowland Speedway and inside Space Mountain. We spent some time at a table in Cosmic Ray’s during the Club Tinsel dance party. During the evening, we met Jack & Sally as well as Mickey in his holiday outfit. And during a break in the rain, I enjoyed the “snow” on Main Street. It was somewhat of a different evening than planned but we kept pretty busy.
Princesses were on the gazebo during the kickoff 2019 parade due to rain modifications
19 – Purchase Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party merchandise – There are always some fun items from apparel to pins to mugs, MagicBands and more.
This iPhone case has the same design as the cookie wrapper
20 – Stay late – It is busier now than it once was so late at night during special parties. I used to enjoy a near-empty Main Street, but now Photopass photographers are out much later and lines form. But staying late and enjoying the sights and sounds of Main Street is still one of my favorite things to do. We stayed until a few minutes past 1:00am on the second night.
Snow on Main Street
21 – Stop for Photopass Magic Shots – There is fun photo magic for some pictures, ask the Photopass photographer if they have one!
Have fun! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates for 2019 are:
November 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, and 24;
December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 22.
I will be adding video, a few more photos and some extra details into this article next week! And if you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World this holiday season, we do partner with MEI and Mousefan Travel and highly recommend them.
**The first two parties were paid for by us, and Disney invited us to a holiday showcase including Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party the third night.