Christmas is coming and Disney World is completely decorated and ready to celebrate. To help ring in the holidays Disney started their newest after hours event – Disney’s Very Merriest – and it was a spectacular evening. Although the ticket price was more than I would normally pay, I was very pleased with all that we were able to do and see. The main reason I purchased a ticket to this event was the return of the Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show. Both of these events were worth the ticket price to me because I missed the party not being offered last year and was ready to celebrate Christmas at Disney this year.
Overall we had a great evening and rode some of the bigger rides, ate lots of popcorn, ice cream bars, strawberry bars and pop (all included in the ticket price) and truly enjoyed all the Christmas excitement that Disney brings to this special time of year.
There are a few things that you should be aware of if you are attending this event. If you are only doing the party, then plan on being in line outside the gates between 6:15pm-6:30pm. This line gets long really quick. They say they will let people in at 7:00pm, but not sure if they are letting people in a little early or not. If you are already in the park and picking up your wristband, they won’t be distributing those until right at 7:00pm. In past years, you could start picking up the bands a little before the gate time, but we noticed that they waited right until 7:00pm to start handing out the bands. When we went on the 11th you could pick up bands where Stitch’s Great Escape used to be (across from Monster’s Inc.), Tortuga Tavern (across from Pirates) and also at Mickey’s Philharmagic. Since Mickey’s Philharmagic has since reopened, you will need to check with a cast member if they have moved this location or just using the other 2 places. I would also recommend making sure that your party ticket is linked to your My Disney Experience app. This will make it so much easier when you’re picking up your band or checking in at the main gate.
Little Mouse and I also learned that they won’t start handing out snacks at the snack carts until right at 9:00pm. You can get in line a few minutes before, but at 8:50pm we were told that they wouldn’t start until 9:00pm. I will say that the lines moved very quick and they would come through and hand out the ice cream bars or popcorn if that was all you wanted. If you wanted something to drink then you needed to stand in line. There isn’t a limit on your snacks and drinks, so eat often and enjoy.
We decided to watch the Enchantment fireworks from the backside of the castle by the carousel. This was a fun and unique viewing spot. We did this so that we could head straight to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. We were in line for 10 minutes at Seven Dwarfs and by the time we were done it was a 30 minute wait. If this is your only chance to see the Enchantment fireworks, then watch from the front of the castle and then head to Seven Dwarfs. This line stays pretty busy and consistent throughout the night. After Minnie’s Fireworks and the second showing of the parade, the line is a little shorter at Seven Dwarfs.
I do recommend watching Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. These were both spectacular and I couldn’t wait to see the soldiers and reindeer. This brought me such enjoyment to see and you don’t want to miss this. If you aren’t worried about a front row seat or being on Main Street, then I recommend sitting in Frontierland. It usually isn’t as busy and you don’t have to be there as early. This is also a great spot to watch the second showing of the parade and then you can head to Big Thunder and Splash Mountain. If there is a chance for rain I also recommend viewing the parade at the earlier time just in case the rain moves in. This happened to us on the 11th and we had watched the first parade from the hub and were going to watch it a second time in Frontierland, but the rain moved in and instead they did a rainy day Christmastime parade. Still fun but definitely not what we saw in the first parade.
We did sample the Orange Bird Churro and the Gingerbread-Almond Cake Pop. For the money I would recommend either. I haven’t had a churro in forever and this one was delicious. We also had a chance to catch some fun characters dressed in Christmas outfits.
The biggest disappointment was that everything does close promptly at 1:00am. You couldn’t do any last minute shopping, no photos on Main Street or by the Christmas Tree on your way out. The snack carts will also close right at 1:00am. So, if you want to do any shopping or get those fun Disney Photos done, you will need to do this before 1:00am because everything is closed up tight. Fortunately we visit often enough there wasn’t anything particular we were shopping for, but we were very disappointed to not get a Christmas Tree photo on our way out. So plan accordingly in your night so that you can get it all done.
I am so glad that the Little Mouse and I attended this new event. I am really hoping that Disney will bring back the regular Christmas Parties next year with character interactions and a longer party evening. I did miss the special merchandise and just having a little bit more time to enjoy. However, if Christmas in Disney is your favorite thing to do (like it is mine) then I recommend spending the money to attend this event.
If you are excited to get to Disney World this holiday season, let me know how I can help you plan a magical Christmas getaway.
“Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing” – Little Elf Judy from Disney’s The Santa Clause
Enjoy the pictures from the party and some of the treats that we sampled. Have a great time at Disney’s Merriest After Hours Event. – Traci
