Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

One of my favorite Disney events of the year is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!  This is a special hard ticket event held select nights in November and December.  They close down the Magic Kingdom at 7 PM on party days.  Only party guests are allowed in after that. The party runs from 7 PM to midnight (but I hear they will let guest with party tickets in as early as four). Party guests are also treated to complementary snacks--including cookies, hot chocolate, apple slices and apple juice.

One of my family's favorite things to do at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is to visit with Santa Clause. We usually use one of our family Santa pictures as our holiday cards.  Like everything Disney does, the Santa was perfect.  He was jolly, with a long white beard, big belly and deep voice.

After visiting with Santa Claus, we went to visit with "Sandy Claws" from the Nightmare Before Christmas.  Another cool thing about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is that they bring out characters that can not be seen any other time of the year.  We got to see the Seven Dwarfs, Scrooge McDuck and Daisy Duck this past trip.  Along with the other obscure characters, we love to meet the princesses with their princes.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party has so much more to offer than characters.  They usually have a party exclusive Sorcerers Kingdom card for party guests only.  Another party exclusive is the fireworks and parade.  The parade features the characters all dressed up in their holiday best. There are skiers, toy cars that really drive, ice skaters and toy soldiers. The finale of this holiday spirit filled parade is Santa waving and wishing everyone Merry Christmas! The fireworks for the party are one of the best shows Disney puts on.  It is a mix of the regular "Wishes" show with lots of holiday touches.

All of the regular rides are open during the party.  My family usually chooses to not do the rides during the party--we like to do the party exclusives during the party and ride the rides another day.  But, if you are interested in riding the rides, a party night is a great night to do it.  The party sells a limited number of tickets, so it can be less crowded than a normal day. Plus, many people at the party will be doing the party exclusives instead of rides.  Wait times on the rides can be significantly lower during a party than a normal day.

After meeting all of the special character, visiting Santa, getting some holiday snacks, watching the parade and experiencing the fireworks--midnight rolls around.  That means its time to say good night to the Magic Kingdom.  My favorite glimpse of the castle is just after Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ends.  It's late, the park is quiet and almost empty.  I always feel a sense of calm, of thankfulness.  I say good night to my favorite place in the world feeling totally totally jazzed for the rest of the Christmas season.

A dream is a wish...

--Amy