A Guide to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

How can Walt Disney World get better you ask? You can go to Walt Disney World at Christmas!

How can you improve on that? You can go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party!

With a separately ticketed event, the question is always, is it worth it? Yes! If you already have a multi-day ticket, maybe a little less worth it, but if you're going just for the party or replacing one of your park days with the party that's a solid Yes!

I wondered those same questions in making that decision. Looking back at the pictures from our experience there and the memories from it remind me of that. Now, Magic Kingdom is decked out for the holidays starting the next day after the Halloween parties end so you can see Main Street USA decorated during the day, but there's some extra magic during the party and here are the highlights:

Crowd Control

While the party will have many guests, you can regain that time in Disney when you can walk forward and not weave through people. Attractions have low wait times and many things are more accessible. While the party starts at 7pm, you can access Magic Kingdom as early as 4pm as a party guest and many Magic Kingdom guests will be leaving or have gone to a different park that day knowing the park would close early for the party. 

Character Greetings

Characters will be decked out in their Christmas finery and you'll see characters out that normally aren't available such as all Seven Dwarfs. You may have to pick and chose for these because the lines are longer for some, but that's typically because the interaction time is greater when you get to the front of that line. 

Christmas Spirit Disney Style

 Everyone there is in the Christmas Spirit with themed shirts, lights, etc. If you love Christmas like me, you'll be right at home. Waiting in line is an experience to see all the creative ways people are celebrating Disney and Christmas. 

Free Things

 Now some would say this is relative since you pay for the ticket, but once you're in, cookie stations with varying seasonal beverages like hot cider and hot chocolate are available. There is some special Disney magic in these beverages as they somehow have them at that right temperature to drink as they are handed out. Are the cookies good? Well that's a little relative, but it's the experience that does it. My favorites were the specialty Christmas tree cookie at the party entrance and then the snickerdoodles at Cosmic Ray's.

Entertainment

Stage show- So the stage show last year was a little odd, with a song about cell phones, but Christmasy none the less. You can catch this multiple times a night so you can focus on some other areas of interest. 

Parade

Yes, technically the parade is run daily at the Magic Kingdom closer to the last week before Christmas, but if you want to catch it any other time this is the time! For a truly magical experience try to get a spot nestled (that's a great Christmas word isn't it?) up under the Christmas tree in the entrance hub facing the castle. If we're there we'll see you there! This was a truly magical experience I won't soon forget and great for pictures too! Trust me, you will feel the Christmas and I won't spoil the surprise magic. 

Dining

Select table service restaurants are open during the party hours, and select quick service restaurants as well. This is another opportunity to book popular restaurants like Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table, and Crystal Palace if they are high on your priority list and you haven't been able to book on a regular day. I recommend making reservations for the 4-7 hours if you are wanting table service so you don't miss too much of the actual party.

If you really want to do it right make a reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern (4-7) for a holiday feast fit for Christmas-spirited Disneygoers. (It also helps if you're going in early November to get you in the Christmas spirit even if some think it's out of season! It is a holiday meal every day of the year at Liberty Tree Tavern, which serves a family-style feast of turkey and dressing and all the fixins'.

Fireworks

 There are speciality fireworks for the party as well. There's just something about Christmas music and themed fireworks that is a magical combination. 

Holiday Overlay

And one more thing, did I mention Jingle Cruise! Yes, this is another thing available in the general Christmas season, but I can't recommend it enough. It will truly put you in the Christmas (and Disney) spirit, just don't accept Trader Sam's invite to head to dinner (you'll get that one when you ride the attraction).

Dates

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is happening on the following dates for 2018:

November 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29 and 30
December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 21 

Price

Ticket prices vary based on the day, and Annual Passholder and DVC discounts are available. Regular prices range from $89/adults, $84 kids 3-9, to $125/adults, $120/kids 3-9. Kids under three are free. 

Tickets

Ready to purchase tickets? Contact me today to book your tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! 

Final Thoughts

If I picked one thing to make sure I did I would chose the parade and I'm not a huge parade person, so that's saying something, but if you time it right you should be able to see all the entertainment, or, if it's your motive to ride an attraction with low wait times go for it. 

So, to sum it up, YES! do the Christmas party if you can! It's always a Jolly Holiday with Mickey!

*All photos Copyright by Mackenzie Clark, Dreams Magic Adventure, The Click Chick Photography

Epcot International Festival of the Arts

 

These days, Epcot has become synonymous with festivals celebrating gourmet food and drink in beautiful and festive surroundings. We have the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, and most recently, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts! I was excited when this festival was announced two years ago because it combined so many of my favorite things- food, art, and Epcot!

The Festival takes place January and February, post marathon weekend through President's Day weekend. In 2019, the dates are January 18th- February 25th.

Here is my guide to maximizing your festival fun and experiencing #ArtfulEpcot !

Festival Passport

"What happens when you mix visual, culinary, and performing arts inspired by cultures from all around the world? You get a global masterpiece."

Those words kick off the festival when you pick up the festival passport (similar to the ones used during Food & Wine, Festival of the Holidays, and Flower & Garden). Take a moment to browse the passport and choose the food and beverages you want to sample. Even better, check out the menus online before going so you have an idea on where to start. Disney Food Blog offers all of the menus here. 

Food Studios

There are 13 special "food studios" located around World Showcase that are creating beautiful works of art for your eyes and your palate. Chefs are literally creating these masterpieces before your eyes and take great pride in the presentation, so allow time for that. 

Here are a few highlights from 2018’s food studios:

At The Painter's Palate (at Odyssey Festival Showplace), you can enjoy a Trio of Savory Croissant Doughnuts with Whipped Herb Cream Cheese and Sea Salt, Chicken Mousse with Fresh Herbs and Everything Bagel Seasoning, and Spicy Tuna with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Sesame Seeds. Our favorite was the cream cheese.

At Decadent Delights, we tried the beautiful Deconstructed Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Salted Caramel, Bourbon-soaked Cake, and Marshmallow Whipped Cream. It was very unexpected and delicious!

Pop Eats had my favorite Almond Frangipane Cake layered with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate. This looked like an edible Mondrian painting. We also sampled the Pop'tart: Modern-designed Sugar Cookie with Chocolate-hazelnut filling (mostly because it was fun to take pictures of!)

E=AT^2 offered deconstructed takes on classic dishes and we sampled the Classic Reuben with Shredded Corned Beef, Thousand Island Dressing, Pickled Red Cabbage, and a Rye Curl. It was beautiful and delicious. 

These four Food Studios plus El Artista Hambriento were located near the front of World Showcase. Near Germany you will find Cuisine Classique, at American Adventure you will find The Artist's Table, and in Canada Masterpiece Kitchen. But also around the other quick service locations they have special dishes, too, like this Chilled Shrimp with Quinoa, Layered Vegetables, Spiced Yogurt, and Red Pepper Coulis at the Refreshment Cool Post at the Outpost.

Artful epcot

There are many artists booths to visit around the World Showcase, often with the artist present to answer questions and interact with guests. The Odyssey Festival Showplace offers daily seminars and workshops and galleries of work by famous Disney artists. This year's exhibit was a display of Disney attraction poster art. Where else can you find art? Check out the galleries in each of the countries in the World Showcase, as well as a Walking Chalk Gallery with live chalk artists, near the Universe of Energy. 

Looking for fun? I'm always up for a scavenger hunt and enjoyed Figment's Brush with the Masters. For this scavenger hunt you purchase a map at Disney Traders or World Traveler (at the entrance to World Showcase), which has a sheet of painting stickers and a map of World Showcase. You search for a painting in each country where Figment is hiding, and once you find the painting, place the correct sticker on the map. Hint: the painting is usually inside a shop and might be near a KidCot stop, and the country of origin of the painting just might give you a clue. When you turn in your complete map where you purchased it, you can choose a special Figment prize. The prize was a Figment magnet in 2017 and a a Figment pin in 2018.

There are fun photo backdrops set up around World Showcase where you can be a part of a famous painting, like The Scream and the Mona Lisa, Washington Crossing the Delaware and a Monet. Use that PhotoPass! (And as always PhotoPass photographers will use your own phone or camera, too). We noticed that there were no PhotoPass photographers at the backdrops this year, which was a bummer. 

Take part in an group mural and make your mark! Cast members will give you a cup of paint and have you paint 9 squares of a collaborative mural. Or watch one come to life before your eyes!

Character meet and greets are going on as usual, and have the added element of a fun easel that represents the character, like this one for Belle in France.

entertainment

The third branch of the arts is performing arts. Enjoy living statues and live performing groups. At the America Gardens stage every evening you can experience a taste of Disney Theatrical and Disney on Broadway. Two Broadway stars take the stage and perform songs from musicals such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King. We really enjoyed listening to Broadway powerhouses Ashley Brown (who originated Mary Poppins on Broadway) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan). You can purchase a dining package and get reserved seating, but we walked right up at about ten minutes until the second show and were able to easily get seats. 

final thoughts

We enjoyed the Festival of the Arts! Although there are plenty of kinks to be ironed out as it becomes more established, for an inaugural festival (that I don't think was planned very far in advance) it was nice. I would like to see some Passholder perks similar to Epcot's other festivals. I am looking forward to what is to come in the future for this festival. I loved seeing Figment back front and center as Epcot's ambassador, and I appreciate that Disney is paying attention to guests' love of all things retro Disney. While the Festival of the Arts might be seen as a gap-filler in-between Christmas and Flower and Garden, I hope it becomes something just as great.

All photographs Copyright 2017 by Dreams Magic Adventure - Mackenzie Clark