Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Worth it? Pros and Cons

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Snacks

We go crazy for the extra special treats that Disney offers at the hard-ticketed parties. The big deal at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is “free” cocoa (and other hot drinks-hello warm cider) and cookies across Magic Kingdom. People literally walk into the party and make the rounds to all the places offering free cocoa and cookies all night. You can go back as much as you want, but lines do form.  If endless cookies and cocoa are really not your thing, there are a variety of other treats you can purchase throughout the duration of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to satisfy your cravings for festive foods!

Cinderella Castle Christmas Show 

We’re also suckers for any extra Disney magic to be found, especially when it’s extra cold on Florida evenings and we’re waiting for the parade to start. Being able to see THE Cinderella Castle lit with images, music streaming, and snow falling on Main Street are showstoppers for us. While you’ll also get ” snow” over at Hollywood Studios during the holidays seeing Mickey and Minnie on that parade route in all their holiday finery really does feel extra special.

Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

The price of the party ticket comes complete with access to the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. A big surprise for us was that this parade is not-so-magical when viewed in Frontierland. The sound was bad, the spacing of the floats seemed really off and overall, we just didn’t honestly find it that enjoyable! For some reason, the addition of the castle and lights on Main Street took this parade from mediocre to spectacular. Definitely choose Main Street as your parade location if you can. The parade is absolutely stunning from Main Street and the acoustics were much better. While this parade song won’t get stuck in our heads like the Boo To You Parade, it’s still pretty lovely and we’ll surely be searching for the song this season.

Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks

A newer addition to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, and featuring the late Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse, this show is reserved for the party and special events. 

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Cons

Ok, we’ll be honest here. From a personal opinion, we like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party better for a variety of reasons. Some of which are completely sentimental! However, there is something so magical about having an extra special event like this to kick off the season. So we’re definitely in that “everyone should do it at least once” mindset regarding Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.  That being said, with the current ticket prices, if you find this event is taking you way outside of budget or is going to cause you to take out a second mortgage to afford it, we think you can skip it. But by all means, you can make up your own mind about this one. We have some sentimental opinions after all.

Crowds at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

A big Con of this party is the CROWD LEVELS. We just do not see this many people during the Fall. The crowds during late November and December are insane, INSANE! Everyone wants to be where the fun is, but don’t let the crowds deter your visit. This party usually sells out, especially for December dates so make sure you buy tickets ahead of time and preferably earlier in the season. A lot of people purchase tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Christmas Party thinking the crowds will be low. Nope. They won’t. It will still be crowded so keep that in mind when planning.

The Florida Cold in November and December

The weather during the days at Walt Disney World is great this time of year, but come nightfall- beware! You get a very wet cold air that could go down to about 30 degrees on some nights. We were definitely not prepared to handle this waiting for an hour to see the midnight parade. We know better now for next time. Our best advice here is just to dress for it. Bring hats and gloves and puffer coats like the true Floridians. Sometimes there is a reason you see the natives bundled up when its 50 degrees out. It’s a different kind of cold than we have here in the northern part of the United States.

Travel During the Holidays

Traveling during the holidays for us can be both a Pro and a Con for us. We love being able to leave the normal and ring in the season properly with a fun event or trip. But then, there is so so much to do back at home. The shopping, the baking, the hundreds of Christmas movies waiting for us back home that we aren’t really ” allowed” to watch any other time of year beckon us home. The airports are crowded. The Disney buses are crowded. And we hands-down know that if we visit Walt Disney World during the holidays, it’s easier to just get an uber for our transportation needs.

The Cost of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Is Christmas really the best time to head down to Walt Disney World? Just to attend this party? While we love Disney at Christmas, there really is enough to do without the party if you’re questioning that high party price tag. We loved Hollywood Studios at Christmas, and would probably go back just to be in the parks during the holidays. The resort decorations and the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll were also a nice bonus and both FREE. Everything everywhere is decorated and it will still feel like Christmas if you don’t attend this party. There are so many  Things to Do for the Holidays at Walt Disney World, make sure you take the time for it.

The Pros and Cons of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

So there you have it our quick list of pros and cons. Should you attend or shouldn’t you? If you’re hung up on the cost of the party ticket, it really depends on your money mindset. At the party you generally get on rides faster, you get free food, access to special characters, access to the parade, access to special merchandise, and access to special treats. If that is worth 100-200 dollars a person then go for it!

We will probably attend the Christmas Party again in a year or two, but it didn’t make our list as an annual necessity. Do you think the party is Must-Do? Let us know!