My Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Review

On November 27, 2022, my daughter and I went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. As you probably know, it didn’t take place in 2020, and in 2021 it was Disney’s Very Merriest After Hours instead. We were thrilled to experience the full Christmas Party again. Here are a few thoughts.

I’ll start with the bad (there was much more good). Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party includes cookies, hot cocoa, cider, and eggnog in the cost. Before the pandemic, there were also snowman pretzels and snow cones. My daughter is allergic to dairy, so those were a good option for her. Plus the pretzels were perfect when you wanted something that wasn’t sweet. This year, there are no snowman pretzels or snow cones. She could have cider to drink (which wasn’t available at all spots) and a pouch of small allergy friendly cookies to eat. There was a sign that stated that there were “alternative healthy options” and we asked about that. It was the same cookies, not really healthy.

Speaking of the cookies, I’m not a fan of the ones that they used this year. All the cookies that I saw were frosted, and they were way too sweet. We ended up mostly skipping the cookie spots, mainly because we just didn’t like the options. I hope that they bring back the snowman pretzels next year.

Now onto the good. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party features one of my favorite fireworks shows; Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. It’s a great show, with some of the best projections on Cinderella Castle. It’s so much fun.

Another amazing part of the Christmas Party is Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. It runs twice each party night, weather permitting. We watched the second parade, since a lot of people will leave after the fireworks. It’s a well done parade, and it’s pretty long! It’s always a joy to see so many characters. There were some new elements this year that made it even more special.

There were extra characters around the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We normally skip the characters at the parties, but we did get in (a very long) line at one point. The line didn’t move at all in several minutes, so we decided not to wait. There were also dance parties in various locations, which offered another way to see characters.

Another good place to see characters was Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. It ran several times on the stage in front of Cinderella Castle. We caught it before we found a spot for the fireworks.

Some of the rides transform for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Pirates of the Caribbean was sadly down all night, and we opted to not ride Mad Tea Party or Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We did watch the holiday version of Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and enjoyed every joke. There was an Amber alert in the middle of the show so everyone’s phone went off, and the cast was able to work the noise in the show.

Our favorite ride of the evening was Space Mountain. For Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, they turn off the lights and you ride totally in the dark. For Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the lights are turned up a bit. It’s still not full on lit, but if you’ve ever wondered what the track looks like this is your best bet to see it! There are red and green lights in parts, and a rock instrumental version of Deck the Halls plays throughout. My daughter and I have a tradition of ending Mickey’s Parties on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but we decide to keep riding Space Mountain instead because there was little wait at the end of the night.

When you arrive, pick up your free ornament! There’s a sign that will tell you where to go, and they are available until 8:00. When you leave, you’ll receive a free print. I guess that technically these aren’t free because you paid for your ticket, but both items are a nice bonus.

I’m glad we were finally able to go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year. We had a wonderful time, even without the snowman pretzels. Sadly, all dates are sold out. At first, five hours seems like a long time, but it passes so quickly! There were things that we didn’t experience, but overall we got our money’s worth. I’m glad that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is back.