Christmas season is officially in full swing at Walt Disney World. The first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) was Friday, 11/8, and that means all of the details have leaked from people who attended the first party. Here I will lay out important information and helpful details about the party this year.
First off, some general information about MVMCP. Same as every year, MVMCP occurs from 7pm-12am in Magic Kingdom on select nights in November and December. This year, the parties began on 11/8 and run through 12/20. With the purchase of a MVMCP ticket, guests are allowed to enter Magic Kingdom starting at 4pm ( you should plan on lining up in front of the park by 3:30) and will have a 2 hour overlay with normal park guests. The park closes at 6pm for normal park guests, and the party festivities officially begin at 7pm.
It is very nice that Disney gives party ticket holders the change to enter the park 3 hours before the start of the party. This is the perfect time to get some rides in that you won't want to waste party time doing. I always try to hit up a couple of my favorite rides, that don't have a holiday overlay, from 4pm-6pm, since those won't be a priority once the party begins. Starting at 6pm, normal park guests are ushered out of the park, so you will see a dramatic decrease in wait times from 6pm-7pm. Also, party exclusive merchandise is available starting at 6pm, so this is a great time to grab some merch before the party is in full swing.
While Magic Kingdom does feature a Christmas tree and some Christmas decor on Main Street during normal park hours, you will not feel and experience the full Christmas ambiance unless you purchase a ticket to MVMCP. For that reason, I do think it is worth it to pay extra for a party ticket. To me, there is nothing more magical than Christmas and Disney combined.
Now that the basics are out of the way, let's talk MVMCP 2024 specifics!
1) Entertainment
MVMCP 2024 includes several party exclusive entertainment items that you are only able to experience at the party. In my opinion, these are the best parts of MVMCP and as such you should absolutely make them a priority to experience, over rides and character meet and greets. Afterall, you can ride the rides anytime, and your party ticket is really purchasing you the experience of these party exclusive items.
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade
My absolutely favorite part of MVMCP is Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade. It is so much fun. The parade features floats and characters dressed in Holiday apparel and cheer, dancing and singing along to catchy Christmas music. At the end of the parade, it actually "snows" on Main Street. The parade is truly the must magical part of the party in my opinion. I will note that Disney fans have complained loudly that the typical parade song has been changed this year, due to some type of copyright issue. I am interested to see how different the music is to make them this upset.
The parade occurs twice per party, at 8:30pm and 11:00pm. The second parade is typically less crowded than the first. I would highly recommend watching the parade from Main Street with the Castle in the background. The offers the most magical view, plus you will be snowed on!
Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks
This is a close second favorite of mine for MVMCP. The fireworks show only occurs once per party, at 10:00pm, and should not be missed! Make sure you are keeping an eye on the time, so that you can be in front of the castle to watch. My recommended spot to view the fireworks is next to the Walt and Mickey Statute directly in front of the Castle.
The fireworks show is hosted by Minnie Mouse and features fireworks and light shows on the Castle, coordinated to familiar Christmas Carols. It is another very magical experience.
Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration
This is a fun stage show that occurs multiple time throughout the party. It takes place on the stage in front of Cinderella's Castle and features characters in their festive outfits, singing and dancing to Christmas carols. The show is at the following times, during every party: 7:40pm, 9:25pm, 10:35pm, and 11:55pm.
It is the same show as previous years, so do not expect it to change much. I think it is worth a watch, but does not need to be seen more than once on your party night. An insider tip- if you watch the final show of the night at 11:55pm, you will be in the park after midnight and extends the party longer into the night.
New This Year: Santa's Christmas Carnival
This is a brand new attraction for this year's MVMCP, but seems to be more targeted towards kids than adults. It is located in the back of the park, in Storybook Circus, which is transformed to look like Santa's workshop. Guests can visit Santa Claus and friends from the North Pole. Free mini m&m's and candy canes are given out at this meet and greet.
Character Dance Parties
This is another entertainment item that is targeted more towards kids. There are 2 dance parties that occur throughout the night, at every party. The first is Jingle Jam, which features Disney Junior characters (I'm too old to recognize any of them). This takes place in Cosmic Rays. We will inevitably run into this party, because Cosmic Rays has some really good looking party exclusive snacks this year! The second is Club Tinsel, which takes place on the stage in Tommorowland. This is geared to a little older of an audience, featuring the likes of the Coca Cola bears, Mike Wazowski, and Stitch. In my opinion, the character dance parties are not worth wasting party time on. If you stumble across one while walking around, it is fun to see in passing, but I would not make a point in seeking them out.
2) Free Ornament
With the purchase of your MVMCP ticket, you are given a free ornament as a memento of the party. The ornament is actually super cute this year, and I am excited to get mine. Please note- it is 1 ornament per person, so your Christmas Tree may end up having multiples of this ornament hanging on it...
3) Free Cookies
This is perhaps my husband's favorite part of MVMCP. Scattered throughout Magic Kingdom are several different stations where MVMCP guests can pick up free cookies and drinks all night. The exact spots with their respective cookie/drink varieties are listed below:
Tortuga Tavern- Red velvet cookie and cold apple cider
Gaston's- buttercream frosted gingerbread cookie (my favorite!) and eggnog (collectively everyone's least favorite)
Columbian Harbour House- caramel pretzel chocolate chip cookie and hot cocoa
Cosmic Ray's- green buttercream sugar cookie and hot cocoa
Lunching Pad- red buttercream sugar cookie
Unlike with Trick or Treating at the Halloween Party, the lines for cookies go very quickly and you can breeze through multiple times with no questions. Some people make it their mission to collect as many cookies as possible during the party, which is strange to me, but to each their own.
4) Character Meet and Greets
There are pros and cons for the meet and greets during MVMCP. It is definitely neat to get photos with the characters in their special holiday outfits that only party guests are able to see. However, because of the exclusivity, character meet and greets tend to have extremely long lines. It is a huge waste of party time to wait an hour or more just to meet a character. That's why I personally like to only meet 1 or 2 characters during a party, and I do not wait more than 30 minutes. The party is already short enough and it is not worth it to me to wait huge amounts of time just for a picture with a character.
This year MVMCP does not feature a meet and greet with the Seven Dwarfs. This was the most popular meet and greet at last year's MVMCP that had guests waiting 2-3 hours. However, Jack Skellington and Sally continue to have their extremely popular meet and greet, which averages over an hour wait time.
Some of the characters that guests will be able to meet at this year's MVMCP are: Mickey Mouse, Jack Skellington, Aladdin, Jack Sparrow, Moana, Tiana, Mary Poppins, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, Alice, Pooh, Rapunzel, Snow White, Ariel, Belle, Mirabel & Bruno, Peter Pan, Anna & Elsa. Santa, Minnie, Daisy, Donlad, Scrooge McDuck, Stitch
5) Party Exclusive merchandise
There is some adorable merchandise on sale this year at MVMCP. This merchandise can only be purchased during party hours, but guests with a party ticket. It goes fast, so there are limits on how many items each party guest can purchase (to avoid people stockpiling and then reselling online with a price hike). I am personally very excited to purchase the spirit jersey (for $79)...
6) Holiday Overlays
Some of the rides in Magic Kingdom receive a special holiday makeover during MVMCP. I definitely recommend riding these rides DURING the party hours so that you can experience the exclusive overlay, that is only available to party guests. The only exception to that is Jingle Cruise, which is available all of the time during the holiday season. This is a ride you could ride from the 4-7pm time frame to knock it out before focusing on party exclusives after 7pm.
Jingle Cruise- This is Jungle Cruise with a twist. The attraction features holiday decorations, holiday jokes, and the skippers wear Santa Hats. At nighttime, the Christmas lights illuminate the experience, so it is definitely a must do after dark.
Tommorowland Speedway- Christmas lights and Christmas trees line the speedway for you to drive through. It is particularly magical and colorful after dark.
Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor- Unlike the "holiday overlay" at the Halloween party, during MVMCP there is a whole new show shown at the Laugh Floor. It takes on a Christmas theme and is definitely worth the time to check out, as it is a different experience than the normal Laugh Floor.
Space Mountain- This ride is consistently the best holiday overlay ride. For this year's Christmas overlay (which does change each year) they will play futuristic holiday music and you will be rocketed through space with snowflake projections around the room. I am excited to experience this!
Mad Tea Party- This is a Christmas take on the Teacups ride. You get to spin to the 12 Days of Christmas!
7) Party Snacks
Disney has released the full list of party exclusive food and snacks. That means that the only people who get to sample these holiday treats are people with a paid MVMCP ticket. These snacks are so fun and it is our plan to solely try party snacks for dinner on our party night. I want to try a bunch of these so it makes sense to snack throughout the party rather than to waste party time doing a sit down meal. Below I will list all of the Holiday snacks offered exclusively at MVMCP, along with my rating from 1 to 10 of how much I want to try that particular snack.
Main Street Bakery
1) Letter to Santa Cake- flourless chocolate cake, hot cocoa mousse, and marshmallow topped with chocolate pieces. 3/10
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
1) Gingerbread milk shake- vanilla ice cream, gingerbread syrup and ginger snap crumbles topped with whipped cream and chocolate pieces. 9/10
2) Peppermint Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich- peppermint ice cream sandwiched between 2 oatmeal peppermint chip cookies and rolled in candy cane pieces. 10/10
Casey's Corner
1) Holiday Dinner Hot Dog- beef hot dog with turkey and gravy, fried onions, and cranberry sauce. 1/10- YUCK
2) Holiday Dinner Loaded French Fries- french fries with turkey and gravy, fried onions, and cranberry sauce. 1/10- YUCK
3) Candy Cane Tart- chocolate tart filled with peppermint ganache topped with meringue- 1/10
Main Street Snacks
1) Festive Pretzel- jumbo pretzel with chocolate hazelnut drizzle, caramel sauce, twix pieces, and sprinkles- 7/10
2) Hot Cocoa Churro- churro rolled in hot cocoa powder and topped with marshmallows and peppermint candy- 10/10
3) Gingerbread Cola- coca cola with gingerbread syrup- 10/10
Aloha Isle Refreshments
1) Pineapple orange guava juice float- pineapple orange guava juice, coconut soft serve, spiced pineapple tree pop- 10/10
2) Cranberry Citrus Float- sprite, spiced cranberry, and fruity boba pearls topped with dole whip- 2/10
Golden Oak Outpost
1) Holiday Chicken Nuggets- chicken nuggets with sage butter and cranberry bbq glaze served with mashed potatoes and corn- 8/10
2) Fried Ice Cream Christmas Tree- peppermint ice cream rolled in cereal topped with green cookie butter whipped cream- 5/10
Peco Bills
1) Carne Asada Loaded Fries- fries with carne asada, chipotle queso, caramelized onion, avocado salsa verde, and queso- 9/10
2) Cheese and Chili Tamale- served with chile pumpkins seed sauces, citrus chipotle chicken, cilantro rice, pinto beans, queso fresco- 2/10
3) Chocolate Eggnog Tart- chocolate tart topped with eggnog mousse and chocolate antlers- 1/10
Sleepy Hollow
1) Orange Chicken Tenders- fried chicken tenders with orange soy glaze, glass noodles, green onions, and crispy garlic- 10/10
2) Szechuan Cauliflower- breaded cauliflower tossed in szechuan
soy glaze- 0/10 EW
3) Brownie Peppermint Bark with Peppermint Candy Pieces- 10/10
4) Holiday Red Velvet Waffle Sundae- red velvet waffle topped with m&m's, peppermint ice cream, and hot fudge- 4/10
5) Milk and Cookies Mousse- brown sugar cookie cake topped with chocolate chip cookie dough mousse, milk mousse, and chocolate chip cookies- 6/10
Pinocchio Village Haus
1) Bakes Brie Flatbread (brie cheese spread, mango chutney, green apples, arugula, almonds, and honey drizzle)- 1/10 or Lasagna Flatbread (italian sausage, meatballs, 5 cheese mix, ricotta cheese, and pesto)- 10/10
2) Black Forest Parfait- flourless chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and cherry chantilly topped with brandy cherry compote and chocolate popping candies- 1/10
The Friar's Nook
1) Holiday Pot Roast Hot Dog- beef hot dog topped with pot roast, swiss fondue, horseradish mustard, and crispy onions- 1/10
2) Italian Beef Tots- tots topped with braised beef, cheese curds, giardiniera, and red wive gravy- 6/10
3) Sugar Cookie Hand Pie- sugar cookie dough wrapped in crust with icing and sprinkles- 2/10
4) Toasted Marshmallow- Panna Cotta Tart with Graham Cracker Ganache Macaron- 3/10
Pretzel Cart in Storybook Circus
1) Santa Belt Buckle- pistachio mousse with dark chocolate truffle center and a chocolate buckle- 1/10
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
1) Holiday Pot Roast Melt- beef on thick toast with cheddar, provolone, and beef gravy-9/10
2) Holiday Turkey Burger- turkey burger topped with stuffing, provolone and cranberry chutney- 8/10
3) Peppermint Eclair- eclair with white chocolate peppermint mousse and chocolate pieces- 10/10
Auntie Gravity's Galactic
1) Lump of Coal in Your Stocking- cookies and cream shake with whipped cream and a chocolate doughnut hole- 2/10
2) Smoky Chocolate Brownie Sundae- brownie topped with smoky chocolate ice cream covered in chocolate cone dip topped with marshmallows and sprinkles- 4/10
Writing this blog post has gotten me very excited to attend MVMCP at Friday, 11/29. Just 2 weeks from today! As you can see, there is so many exclusive things associated with the party, that you can only experience with a party ticket. For those of you attending a party this year, I hope this blog post helps you plan the perfect night. For those of you not attending, I hope this blog post lets you live vicariously through those of us attending and gives you a piece of Disney magic.
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