14 Tips to Enjoy Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016 (With Several Changes This Year!)

Hi everyone!

We were at the first two Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights at the Magic Kingdom, and there are quite a few changes this year! Here are 14 tips for enjoying Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in 2016, along with photos and some of our videos (check out our full Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016 playlist!) I plan to post an article with 100+ photos soon as well. And next Tuesday, we should have our Mousesteps Weekly #206 up, all about the Party.

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1 – Arrive early – Guests can arrive on their Party ticket starting at 4:00 p.m. I always recommend that. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a premium priced event, and it allows for 8+ hours of entertainment including pre-Party hours. The Party itself does start at 7:00 p.m. New this year – just like at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party – is the Main Street bypass with photo ops and a first cookie treat for guests. Look for this just past Town Square Theater. It opens at 4:00 p.m. and closes sometime after the Party officially begins.

Main Street Bypass

2 – Make a plan – I always say that you can’t see it all. Between Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Holiday Wishes, the new Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration show, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, character meet and greets and other activities and shows and treats and rides…it’s a lot to try to pack into 5+ hours. Decide what is most important for your evening ahead of time.

Welcome to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

3 – Pick up your Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom souvenir Party card – Stop by the Main Street Fire Station starting at 4:00 p.m. and pick up your free card!

Goofy’s Festive Fiasco

4 – Meet Special Disney Characters Prior to the Party Kickoff – Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws in Liberty Square, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps in Tomorrowland, and the Seven Dwarfs in Storybook Circus all begin meeting a little before the official Party time. Jack Skellington began at 6:30 p.m. on the second night (we were in line at 4:15 p.m.). Nick and Judy began at around 6:15 p.m. on the first night, and I believe it was around that time for the Seven Dwarfs as well. So you can enjoy one character meet and greet before the Party begins if you line up early enough.

Our video of Nick & Judy meet and greet.

6 – There are a wider variety of treats this year – Forget just the standard snickerdoodle and hot chocolate – though you can still find those too. There are a number of different treat options for 2016! Heritage House at Liberty Square offers eggnog and ginger-molasses cookies. The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland offers a peppermint bark cookie and hot chocolate. And Friar’s Nook has a snow cone and snowman sugar cookie. There are other fun options, too! Those are all included with the Party ticket.

Hot Chocolate and Peppermint Bark Cookies Sign at Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland

Snow Cone and Sugar Cookies at Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland

7 – See “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration” – This new Cinderella Castle stage show replaces Celebrate the Season. Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration features a lot of Disney characters with fun holiday and Christmas music, though I always have to get past the first song about cell phones (that isn’t my favorite). But the rest is terrific, and the lighting on Cinderella Castle for it is stunning.

Our video of Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration.

8 – Meet Talking Mickey in his holiday costume – Talking Mickey meets at Town Square Theater, and is dressed in his holiday best! He may even tell you a joke.

Our video with Talking Mickey.

9 – Meet other characters in their holiday costumes – Minnie with Daisy, Goofy, Donald with Scrooge McDuck and the Pooh characters are all in their Christmas finest!

Our video of Minnie and Daisy in their holiday outfits

11 – View the second parade if weather permits – The second parade showing of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is always less crowded than the first, as long as weather holds out for the evening. If rain is forecast, definitely see the first parade. But if it looks clear, the second one will give you a lot more viewing and breathing room. We like viewing it from the Christmas tree location, though that area is reserved for dessert party guests the first parade.

Our video of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

14 – Stay late – the last show of Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration begins at midnight! That adds another 20 minutes of entertainment to a five hour Party ticket. It is also the least busy show of the evening. After that, enjoy looking at the decorations on Main Street with fewer crowds than earlier in the evening.

End of the Night at the Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom Train Station at Night

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be held on