Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

cindy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:56:33 +0000

On December 10, 2009 Aaron, my 16yo son and I attended a media event at Walt Disney World (I have 2 additional posts about the event coming in the next few weeks). As the event was ending at about 7:30pm we were offered tickets to attend that evenings Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party that was going on at the Magic Kingdom. After a few text messages to hubby to let him know we would be home really late, we headed over to the party.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party takes place on select nights in November and December from 7pm-midnight at the Magic Kingdom. It is a hard ticket event which means it is not included in the cost of your regular park ticket. For 2009 adult advance purchase tickets cost $55.38 and children’s tickets were $48.99.

I have attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party twice prior to this visit. In 1994 Aaron was 1 1/2 years old and I was pregnant with Jordan and it rained all night and then again when the boys were older, and it rained all night. This time it was cold but the rain had stopped a few hours earlier! After entering the turnstiles at Magic Kingdom we received our wristbands and map and headed in to the party.

Our main focus of the night was to see some of the shows that are unique to the party. When we stepped on to Main Street USA is was packed with people finding their spots for the 8:15pm Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade. Since the parade ran again at 10:30pm we decided to catch it then and we headed toward Tomorrowland. First up we took a quick spin on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and for the record Aaron beat me. Next we found our spots for the 8:45pm Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show at the Rockettower Plaza Stage. This high energy, high tech show featured singers and dancers as well as Tomorrowland residents Buzz Lightyear, Mike Wazowski and Stitch. It was a great show with a cute storyline of teaching Stitch about Santa Claus.

After that show we headed back towards Main Street USA and the hub to get ready for Holiday Wishes. Wishes is my all time favorite Disney fireworks show and Holiday Wishes is even better! Next we headed towards Liberty Square. We noticed that there were only a few minutes before the next show at the Hall of Presidents and we had yet to experience it since it re-opened in July. All political and historical thoughts aside, the new show is well done. We stopped in the Diamond Horseshoe to pick up our complimentary holiday treats-sugar cookies and hot chocolate! We enjoyed our treats as we waited for the parade to begin.

Kanga and Roo

Donald and Daisy

Chip and Dale

We enjoyed the parade and then walked right on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We decided it was time to head home but as we walked through Adventureland we couldn’t help riding Pirates of the Caribbean before exiting the park. We got to our car at 12:01am and were home in bed just before 2am! It was a late night but Aaron and I had a great time and it was a joy just to have some one-on-one fun time with with my son.

Disclosure: We were given tickets to the event as part of a media event at Walt Disney World Resort. Thanks s to Charles Stovall and his team for including us in this event. If you have any questions please refer to my Disclosure Policy at the bottom of the page.

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Christmas by the Numbers at Walt Disney World Resort

cindy — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:22:30 +0000

Miles of garland, ribbon, twinkling lights and glitter transform Walt Disney World Resort into a winter wonderland during the holiday season. Here is just some of what you will find:

737 Decorated Trees
A wreath 25 feet in diameter adorning the Cirque du Soleil building at Downtown Disney West Side
10 miles of twinkling rope lights in the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
150 tractor-trailer truckloads of decorations for 24 resorts, 4 theme parks, Downtown Disney and other locations
15 miles of garland strung and 1314 wreaths hung throughout the vacation kingdom
300,000 yards of ribbon and bows draping over Christmas trees across property
8.5 million lights strung throughout Walt Disney World Resort
98% of the lighting used for holiday decor is now LED

11 countries dressed for Holidays Around the World at Epcot World Showcase
More than 800 performers each night during Candlelight Processional at Epcot
More than 200 guest choirs during the entire run of Candlelight Processional
A Christmas tree in the Magic Kingdom with a base 26 feet wide
One 70-foot-tall tree takes center stage in Disney’s Contemporary Resort entrance lobby featuring nearly 35,800 white LED lights
6 lifesized creations cooked up by Walt Disney World pastry chefs, including: One 16-foot-tall gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa baked with 1,050 pounds of honey and involving more than 160 hours of decorating. One life-size gingerbread carousel at Disney’s Beach Club Resort featuring ponies made of chocolate and fondant, giant cany cane poles, handcrafted pointsettias and hand-painted portraits of famous Disney Characters
100% chance of snow flurries during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, taking place on select holiday evenings in the Magic Kingdom
365 day of the year that guests can shop for holiday merchandise at the Disney’s Days of Christmas shop in Downtown Disney Marketplace

Source: Walt Disney World Public Relations Department

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Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Christmas by the Numbers at Walt Disney World Resort