Is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in Disney World Worth the COST? | the disney food blog (2024)

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is BACK in Disney World for the first time since 2019, and while we had a blast enjoying all the exclusive foods, fireworks, parade, and more, you may be asking yourself, “Is it really worth the price tag?”

Tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party range from $139 to $199 depending on your age and the date you are attending the party — and that’s for only a few hours in Magic Kingdom. So should you allocate some of your limited budget for tickets to the party — or save that cash for something else? We’re here to give you all the details on the party so you can decipher if Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is actually worth the cost.

We’re going to break down several different factors that could impact your decision to get tickets for the party, including things that are included (or not).

Price

As we’ve already mentioned, the tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are not exactly cheap. For ages 10 and up, tickets range from $149 to $199, and for kids ages 3 to 9, tickets range from $139 to $189, and the cost varies depending on which night you go. As you get closer to Christmas, ticket prices increase.

Last year, instead of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney held the Disney Very Merriest After Hours event, and tickets were much higher, ranging from $169 to $249. In contrast, for the very first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in 2019, tickets cost between $95 to $139 for children and adults.

Ultimately, tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party cost less than last year’s Very Merriest After Hours event, but they still cost more than a standard Disney World ticket, which begins at $109. And when you only get a few hours at the party versus an entire day at the park, it’s a good idea to consider whether you REALLY want to attend the party — or if you’d rather put that ticket money toward something else.

Read more about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets here!

Hours

So how long do you get in the park? Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party takes place in Magic Kingdom from 7PM to midnight, but guests can enter the park as early as 4PM. Just keep in mind that from 4PM to 7PM, you’re mingling with the usual Magic Kingdom crowds. You only experience the party festivities for five hours.

Still, if you enter at 4PM, you get three additional hours to ride rides, grab a meal, or do some shopping. If you want to take advantage of every single moment you can be in the park, we recommend getting in line BEFORE 4PM. Lots of other party guests want to enter at that time, and arriving right at 4PM might mean a long line to get into the park.

Take a look at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party map!

Food

There are many exclusive food offerings available ONLY during the partyand we enjoyed quite a few of them, like the Mickey Mouse Ornament Treat, theOnce Upon a Christmastime Tart, the Christmas Wreath Doughnut, the Red Velvet Brownie Cheesecake, and lots more. We can’t forget the Funnel Cake Sundae!

There are holiday goodies available during the day in all four Disney Parks so you don’t HAVE to attend the party for some festive treats. You can still get menu items like theLock, Shock, and Barrel Sundae, the Holiday Dinner Dog, the Chai Caramel Freeze, and more.

Click here for photos and reviews of ALL the holiday treats in Disney World!

Entertainment

Included in the price of your ticket are quite a few exclusive entertainment options, and we’ll start withMickey’s Most Merriest Celebration Show, which is performed in front of Cinderella Castle at 7:40PM, 9:25PM, 10:35PM, and 11:55PM.

The Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is shown twice per party, at 8:30PM and 11PM.

There are several dance parties you can catch throughout the night, such as A Totally Tomorrowland Christmastime Parade at Rockettower Plaza Stage, Club Tinsel at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, and Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jingle Jam at Storybook Circus.

Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks are held once per evening at around 10PM.

Don’t forget all the characters you can meet, including some rare meet-and-greets like Aladdin and Abu!

And don’t forget the ULTIMATE meet-and-greet — SANTA!

If parades and shows and rare characters aren’t your thing, you may not need a party ticket. Remember, you can still meet many characters in Disney World during the day, and you can also meet Santa in Disney Springs (which doesn’t even require a ticket!).

Also, just as a note. Rain can cancel and delay shows (it happened to us opening night). If that happens, you may want to ask for a rain check!

Click here to see ALL the entertainment at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Rides

During the party, not every Magic Kingdom ride is open — but you can check out the following list to see which rides ARE open!

Adventureland

• Jingle Cruise (holiday overlay)
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• Pirates of the Caribbean

Fantasyland

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• “it’s a small world”
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Mad Tea Party (holiday overlay)
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Under the Sea — Journey of The Little Mermaid
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Frontierland

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Splash Mountain

Liberty Square

• Haunted Mansion

Storybook Circus

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• The Barnstormer

Tomorrowland

• Space Mountain — Holiday Run (holiday overlay)
• Tomorrowland Speedway Race Through the Holidays (holiday overlay)
• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Holiday Show (holiday overlay)
• Astro Orbiter
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

You may have noticed that five of these rides have special holiday ride overlays,including the Mad Tea Party,Space Mountain — Holiday Run, Tomorrowland Speedway Race Through the Holidays, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Holiday Show, and Jingle Cruise. These overlays involve special lighting, decor, music, and more. You can actually ride the Jingle Cruise on any day in Magic Kingdom, so you don’t have to attend the party to experience every holiday overlay.

Read more about the rides open during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party here!

Crowds

Part of the appeal of after hours events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is lower crowds, but exactly how low are they? When we arrived at the main entrance around 4PM, there were quite a few people waiting to get inside.

Magic Kingdom closes to the public at 6PM on party nights but it takes around an hour for that crowd to fully clear. Once that happens crowds tend to thin out. After the regular guests cleared out, we got an amazing view of Main Street, U.S.A..

But when crowds gathered in front of Cinderella Castle for the fireworks, it was evident that this was a sold-out party evening.

While you will likely experience lower crowds, just keep in mind that it doesn’t mean you’ll see NO crowds, and if you want to enjoy the parade, shows, or fireworks, you will probably end up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with others.

See the CROWDS during a sold-out Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Decor and More

You can experience the special holiday decor in Magic Kingdom all season, so if all you want to do is stroll around listening to Christmas music, you don’t really need a party ticket.

There is, however, some beautiful lighting during the party, on Main Street, U.S.A., Cinderella Castle, rides, and more — which means there are some exclusive photo opportunities you can’t get outside the event.

If you’re planning to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, make sure you take a look around to avoid missing a thing.

Everything you can get for free at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Overall

Overall, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is not a cheap experience, and it’s really up to you to decide whether it’s worth it. If you’re looking for lower ride wait times and smaller crowds and you can swing the cost in your budget, it might be a worthy investment.

However, keep in mind that if you’re staying in a deluxe Disney World hotel, you also have the option to enjoy Extended Evening Hours, which allow you to stay late in select parks for two extra hours after closing. Considering there’s not exclusive merchandise this year and you can still enjoy many holiday treats and decor outside the party, the extra cost might not be worth it.

But if you have your heart set on the party and a strict budget, you can find ways to build in that extra cost, like by spending a day in Disney Springs instead of a park, or by adding a hotel day into your itinerary. You don’t need a ticket to do the Christmas Tree Stroll in Disney Springs or visit any of the giant hotel gingerbread houses!

But if you do end up with tickets, we highly recommend arriving as early as you can at 4PM, and make sure you maximize those party hours as much as you can. Talk about what activities you want to do with your group and note the showtimes so that you don’t miss a thing.

Keep following DFB for more Disney World holiday news and tips!

Click here to read about our experience at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Do you have Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets this year? Tell us in the comments!