Is it worth buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?

Last year, I told you all my top tips for planning a Christmas trip to Walt Disney World, Florida, one of which was to give serious thought to buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Honestly, as I said at the time, it’s not cheap, and there were six of us, so we had to think long and hard about whether to go. So now we’ve had the chance to experience the event and time at home to really process all our favourite things from the holiday, I thought it was time to revisit the question: is it worth buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? Here’s more about what to expect at the event, and a deeper look at whether we thought we got our money’s worth.

Anna and Elsa on their Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime parade float

What’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party all about?

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (or MVMCP for short) is a ‘hard ticketed’ event, meaning that you have to buy a specific ticket to get in. The daytime crowd clears out, and ticket holders are issued with a special wristband (which is checked a lot at various points all over the park). We arrived at about 6pm but you can actually gain access from about 4pm. Once you’re in, you can experience most of the attractions (not all of the are open, but most of the main ones, like Pirate of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, etc are all open). The Jungle Cruise turns into the Jingle Cruise, and there are loads of other shows, dance parties and experiences that you’ll only be able to experience at MVMCP.

How much do tickets cost for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party cost?

Last year ticket prices started from £77 for adults and £73 for children. They’re not on sale yet this year, but I asked the guys at Attraction Tickets Direct, and they said they expected them to be roughly the same - maybe a few pounds more. The prices depend on the day you’re going and also how near you are to Christmas. I bought our tickets from Attraction Tickets Direct last year and for the 20th December, I paid £95 each.

When do tickets for MVMCP go on sale?

That’s a good question. They’re not out yet, but they’ll probably become available quite soon, so it’s worth checking the Walt Disney World page on the ATD site every so often - all the different tickets are listed on the right hand side.

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

What’s so special about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Well, just about everything! From watching Queen Elsa lighting up the castle in ‘A Frozen Holiday Wish’ to getting goosebumps watching Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, there are so many gorgeous things to experience. There’s also special event food (all including in the ticket price), at locations dotted all around the park, so you can nibble a snowman pretzel at the Tortuga Tavern near Pirates of the Caribbean, have ginger cookies and eggnog at Liberty Square, or snickerdoodle cookies and hot chocolate at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Tomorrowland (not naming any names, but you can make yourself quite sick trying to experience ALL the free food - especially if you then go on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).

A Frozen Holiday Wish at MVMCP

Our favourite bits of MVMCP

We loved A Frozen Holiday Wish, where Queen Elsa transformed Cinderella Castle into a shimmering ice sculpture, and Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is gorgeous. We had a really good view (see my top tip below) and really got swept up in the parade, from getting a wave from Santa to getting a really good view of the Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph parade floats. We also loved the snow on Main Street USA.

Wreck-It Ralph in the Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

MVMCP TOP TIP: find a good spot a little bit early - the parade is popular and it’s really worth getting a good location so you can smell the gingerbread that Clarabelle Cow is cooking, and get kisses blown at you by Olaf!

A still from my Instagram stories at MVMCP

Other highlights included an incredible a capella choir and of course, Holiday Wishes, a spectacular light, sound and pyrotechnic show which did the most incredible things like turning the castle into a Christmas tree, and transforming it with hundreds of thousands of tiny glittering lights.

MVMCP TOP TIP: if you fancy a different perspective, try watching the Holiday Wishes show from the viewing area just behind the castle - it’s typically quite quiet there and the view is different, but still incredible.

Holiday Wishes at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

MVMCP TOP TIP: Don’t leave! Most people (especially if they have young children) join the mass exodus to the exit after the Holiday Wishes show at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but the event doesn’t actually end until midnight, so if you’ve got an older family, or you’re with a group of friends, stick around and enjoy all the attractions with no queues!, as well as sampling all those delicious sweet treats all over again.

Anything else we should know about?

Merch! There’s tons of exclusive merchandise on sale in the shops down Main Street USA, including clothes, Christmas decorations, exclusive pins and - of course - special Minnie ears!

So is it worth buying tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?

If you can afford it - a big fat resounding YES! This Disney trip was a holiday of a lifetime for us - we’d both been saving hard for well over a year (and my Dad left me some money when he died, so I used a bit of that) and for these reasons, I was determined that everything be extra special. I really wanted my family to experience everything Walt Disney World has to offer, and I wanted it to all be super Christmassy. At the end of the day, you have to weigh it up. There were six of us, so the tickets cost me the best part of £600 but our evening was absolutely magical, we made the most of easy access to tons of the attractions, had loads of delicious sweet treats and ended the evening with the most gorgeous firework display over the castle. I’m always banging on about spending my money on making memories rather than on ‘stuff’ and this was a great example of that. The other thing that convinced me was that because we were away until Christmas Eve, we had a really quiet Christmas when we got back and only got each other small, token gifts rather than the usual big presents, so this was effectively my Christmas present to my family.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World

Oh and while we’re talking special Disney events…

Don’t forget that as well as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, there are also other evening events during the year. It’s worth booking in advance - especially if your chosen event falls during the school holidays - as tickets are limited.

Disney H2O Glow Nights Pool Party at Typhoon Lagoon was introduced last summer and is back this year by popular demand. The Toy Story-themed event runs weekly on Thursday and Saturday, from the end of May (I think the 30th), until 24th August. It’s very similar to MVMCP in that there are much shorter queues for the waterslides, special food and drinks, and you get to meet all your favourite Toy Story characters too. There’s even a DJ dance party on the beach and a special adults only area with a private bar and entertainment called The Wharf. Tickets cost from £49 per adult and £45 per child per night.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom is a cute alternative to some of the scarier Halloween events (HHN, I’m looking at you!) and has a special Halloween Parade, HalloWishes Fireworks, and trick of treating for the kids too. MNSSHP takes place on select nights between 16th August and 1st November this year. T019. The event is from 7pm to midnight and tickets cost from £65 per adult and £61 per child per night. Children under 3 go free.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World (pic: Attraction Tickets Direct)

As usual, if you’re planning a holiday to Walt Disney World and have any questions at all - I love helping in any way I can, so ask away!

Many thanks to Disney Destinations International and to Virgin Atlantic (some of our accommodation and a small portion of our flights were gifted – all the rest was paid for by us, including the MVMCP tickets). All words, photos unless otherwise stated, and opinions, are my own. This article contains affiliate links.