My Tips to Enjoy Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013 at Magic Kingdom

Hi everyone!

We attended the first two Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights this year, and I wanted to share some tips out of getting the most out of your Party night! The advice is similar to last year, but I’ve expanded the article for 2013.

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You can find our 2014 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tips here!

This is the third article I’ve posted on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013. You can find over 150 photos here, and an article on the changes from 2012 to 2013 here! I also have over 100 photos of decorations at the Magic Kingdom, including the Cinderella’s Holiday Wish show with Castle lighting.

My first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party visit was in the mid-90’s, and I’ve attended most years since then. Each year is a little different. It has always been a hard ticket event (requiring separate admission).

Here are my tips!

– Purchase Tickets in Advance. Most dates offer an advance purchase discount, and some dates offer Passholder/DVC discounts. Dates can sell out – the first Party this year sold out, which is something I don’t remember seeing in the past.

– Plan Ahead. Decide ahead of time what you’d most enjoy doing. Character meet and greets could take up a whole night!

– Arrive Early. Guests can enter the Magic Kingdom at 4:00 p.m. with a ticket to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I suggest resting up before the Party, and enjoying the full night from 4:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. The Party itself begins at 7:00 p.m., but those first 3 hours can be used to meet Talking Mickey, ride the Jingle Cruise and see the “Cinderella’s Holiday Wish” show, which culminates in the gorgeous lighting of Cinderella Castle!

Here is our first Jingle Cruise experience!

– See the 2nd Parade. Guests were staking out spots on Main Street for the first Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade by 6:00 p.m. both nights we went! The parade didn’t start until 8:15 p.m. and it took 20 minutes or so to arrive on Main Street. For the second parade, we snagged a prime spot at Christmas Tree Point in Town Square after the fireworks, and waited about one hour there until the parade came by. The second parade used to often be very empty, but it was busier this year. It is still much less attended than the first.

– Choose a Spot for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. Main Street is my favorite place to view the parade, with falling “snow” and Cinderella Castle as a backdrop. However, sometimes I prefer to enjoy the parade quickly – then I choose Frontierland. Watching in Frontierland can save you 20 minutes or so of important Party time!

Here is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade for 2013!

– Enjoy Treats! Cookies, hot cocoa, apple slices and apple juice are included with your Party ticket. There is a gluten free cookie option.

– Meet Your Favorite Characters. We always enjoy meeting unique characters, or our favorites dressed for the holidays. Unfortunately, Mickey and Minnie are not meeting together this year in their holiday outfits – Minnie is next to the Fantasyland wall, and Mickey is in his everyday outfit in Town Square Theater. I hope this changes back next year! We did enjoy meeting Scrooge McDuck with Daisy and Donald; Genie; Minnie and other characters around the park. The longest line always seems to be for the Seven Dwarfs. The lines for characters are shorter later in the evening, check with the character attendants for times. Some characters swap out with others (like Genie/Jasmine with Aladdin/Abu).

This is our video meeting Scrooge McDuck, Donald and Daisy!

– See Holiday Wishes.  Holiday Wishes is a wonderful fireworks show! Arrive early to watch the Celebrate the Magic projection show ahead of it.

– Enjoy Shows and Entertainment. There is quite a bit of entertainment to enjoy at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! I enjoy the show “A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas”. The “Celebrate the Season” show is also quite popular. There are two dance parties, and other great entertainment, like Rusty Cutlass in Adventureland.

– Buy Special Party Merchandise. There are some very nice t-shirts and pins for sale, but I don’t recommend buying them in the Emporium. Other shops around the Magic Kingdom offer Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party merchandise, and are much less crowded. I bought a t-shirt in the Heritage House in Liberty Square, and Jeff bought some items in Mickey’s Star Traders in Tomorrowland. We also stopped in Big Top Souvenirs in Fantasyland. None of these stores were busy when we visited.

– Stay Late. The last hour of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the least crowded. This is the time to see shows, characters, and enjoy attractions with a smaller crowd. And once the Party is over at midnight, we enjoy taking photos on Main Street until around 1:00 a.m. Shops are not open after midnight.

– Enjoy the Jingle Cruise. We weren’t overwhelmed by the Jingle Cruise, but it’s a fun diversion with some Christmas humor! We entered the line just before midnight to see it at night. That way, we weren’t taking up our Party time on the ride.

– Tomorrowland Terrace is Last Treat Station Open. The map says that the Tomorrowland Terrace serves until midnight, but a sign held by a Cast Member said 12:30 a.m. We found it somewhere in between. We picked up treats on the first night at 12:10 a.m., and they stopped soon after. If you are heading out of the park anyway, definitely stop by and see if there are some goodies left to enjoy during your walk out of the Magic Kingdom! Several treat stations are open until midnight. My favorite location for treats is inside the Crystal Palace, but their hours are the shortest, from 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Here is our Mousesteps Weekly episode #78 with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tips and video!

Have a great time! Most rides and attractions are open during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The dates for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013 are:

November: 8, 11, 14, 15, 17, 21 and 22
December: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 20

And you can enjoy the shows, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Holiday Wishes fireworks as part of a regular Magic Kingdom ticket from December 21-December 31, 2013!