Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party review
I recently attended the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The party was a sell out and I expected large crowds to meet Sandy Claws. Sandy Claws is the alter ego of Jack Skellington during Christmas season. It's the first time he's met guests at Walt Disney World and I knew that a lot of people would want to meet him. I arrived at the Christmas party a little later than I really wanted, but still had a great time.
The friendly Cast Members were decked out in their holiday finest and ready to assist guests at the touchpoints. I forgot my MagicBand, but had my party ticket and annual pass card. I found out that a party ticket alone doesn't get you free parking and the guy at the toll booth made me show id as well at 5:00pm.
I arrived at the Sandy Claws meet and greet area about 5:30pm and found about 15 families ahead of me. The place would become a madhouse by 6:30pm and people were waiting up to 2 hours to meet him.
Sandy Claws was a lot of fun and very interactive with guests. One guest bumped his Santa hat and he had to go offstage for a fixer upper that cost about 10 minutes. In all I ended up waiting 2 hours, but 90 minutes was before the party began. 
I like to line up early for my preferred character in order to get the most out of the party time. I should have arrived at 5:00pm. If you have a family, people don't seem to mind one person holding the spot for the others. Little kids don't do very well with 2 hour waits.
Due to my later arrival and Sandy's wardrobe issue, it put me arriving a little later for Minnie than I wanted. I really wanted to see her because this outfit is a new one for the party. I learned later that I could have also met her after 11:00pm with a little shorter wait, but I didn't want to chance it.
That's a tripod strapped to my backpack. We lost the actual clip :) 
While waiting in line Minnie, I began getting a bunch of reports that Olaf was offering meet and greets at Columbia Harbor House. I scrurried over to find that it was a very limited thing provided only for "media" members. Only one of them bothered to state that in their tweet, so a lot of people were confused by these tweets and Facebook posts. I get asked often why I place media in quotes. Many of those approved by Disney as "media" are far from media members or press members. They operate websites like I do and often just write a bunch of super positive garbel that just regurgitates Disney posts. It's rare to see honest opinions when they are being wined and dined. Some think I'm bitter or something. I have NO desire to become a "media" person. I'd rather just share my opinions and rumors of things that might happen, rather than have my thoughts limited to overly positive things that keep me on some list for exclusive meets or rides with food and drink. Rant over.
After checking on that Olaf mess, I ventured over and met up with some friends so we could meet Clara Cluck. Clara very rarely appears for guest contact in any form, so I was excited to be among the first dance with her. When I arrived this is what I found. It was around the time for the first parade, so the place was a ghost town.
The Country Bears used to offer actual meet and greets, but now they are limited to dancing with a few guests and a bunch of selfies.
You thought I was joking about the selfies?
Nice to see the boys with the hats and scarfs for the holidays. All four of them appear for the dance party.
Promptly at 8:30pm Clara Cluck arrived and we boogied for a few minutes. I didn't take a selfie this time.
Horace and Clarabelle were out for dance time too.
I think this was the popular song, "Walk like a bovine."
Jasmine and Genie were out meeting guests around the time the parade was beginning. Genie must have forgotten his festive scarf. They rotate with Aladdin and Abu.
Genie and I compared muscles, and I won of course.
Any self-respecting pirate wouldn't miss out on a performance by the Rusty Cutlass Pirate band in Adventureland. Their schedule is on 
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Christmas in Adventureland isn't as visually appealing as Halloween in my opinion. See I have opinions!
Peter Pan and Wendy were meeting guests at the Adventureland Verandah. They had solid lines and leave before the second parade, so go early.
I got my regular spot between Casey Corner and the hub for Celebrate the Magic and Holiday Wishes. I had no problem getting a nice spot. Most people cram into the hub and end up with a bad view. This one wasn't too bad, huh?
I really like the Celebrate the Season Show and could have easily watched it from the hub across from the Castle like I did for the Villains show, but chose to move up close to get semi-decent photos. If I had used my regular spot, I would have been in perfect position for the second parade.
Good boy, Pluto!
Minnie seemed happy to see me up so close.
I think I'll head to the DMV and get that tag. I've always told my kids that I'm Santa, but they never seemed to believe me.
Minnie got this for Christmas. My wife prefers chocolate, gold or diamonds.
Mickey marches in to celebrate.
Minnie rewards him for the ballerina she received. The man has some serious cheese to afford to buy the dancer for her. I guess MyMagic+ and the record attendance at Disney World provides nice gifts, but the dude still hasn't given the lovely lady a ring!
Smiles everywhere!
That's not Olaf. We'll meet him later. 
Cool ending huh? 
Go watch the parade everyone!
Because I gave up my primo spot for the parade, I made my way over to Frontierland. I found a nice view near the Country Bears.
Duffy's eyes are creepy. Maybe he's a part of the Walking Dead?
Around this time some ginormous guy came and pushed his way in front of me with his horde of offspring and totally blocked my view, so I packed up and headed to Town Square because I knew it would be empty and I wouldn't have to arm wrestle the giant to get my spot back. I liked WDW better when people used to be polite to one another. This dude looks like he would be polite
I caught the full parade in front of the Train Station with no one blocking me this time and got a couple of nice shots of Anna and Elsa. They ride the same carriage they used for the Frozen parade.
They seem happy to be permanent aliens at Disney World. Anna had a lovely smile, don't you think? Looks like Elsa was just soaking it all in.
Hi, I'm Olaf and I love parades! Olaf is riding on the little house that I told you he was supposed to ride upon during the Frozen parade this summer. And to think that people thought I made that all up :) Olaf is really cute. Some think he's too big, but don't complain much about Doc McStuffins or Sofia the First, go figure. Olaf also appears in the uber popular Castle Lighting show twice each night.
Kristoff's ice guys follow Olaf. Not a lot of ice in Lake Buena Vista, Florida guys!
Kristoff was pretty chill about it all.
Kristoff booted the Chipmunks off their float, so they joined the cooking crew with new costumes.
Clarabelle is mooved by all the Frozen stuff.
Wreck it Ralph and Vanellope appear in the parade, even though they no longer offer meet and greets. Ralph handed over the "big clod" role to Baymax who is the world's only inflatable meet and greet.
Dwarfs doing their thang.
No worries about Ebola in Disney, Doc has you covered.
Dopey being dopey.
Grumpy wanted to compare muscles with me too. I should have introduced him to that guy in Frontierland.
Cinderella looked happy to see Christmas season officially begin.
As were her dancers.
Belle in her beautiful red gown. No, you cannot meet her at the Party in this dress. She wears around Christmas at Akershus though.
Hi Jasmine!
Vrrooom vrrrooom...
Yeehaw
Little Bo Peep stopped for a quick photo op for me
The marching nutcrackers are one of my favorite part of the parade for me. I love how they clop their feet in unison.
The final gang is the reindeer with Santa. These guys are just super happy because they weren't turned into an expensive pizza in Norway!
The fat guy in a red suit. He does a nice job filling in for me.
Santa, I want a new car, a trip to Tokyo Disney and some peppermint sticks for Christmas. I've been a good boy and I've helped people plan their Disney trips!
After the parade the Dwarfs meet was already closed and still had a sizeable line to process through.
I barely missed the meet and greet with these Princes and Princesses. One line and two photo ops! They were nice enough to pose for a Robarazzi style photo for me.
The posted wait for Cinderella with Prince /Rapunzel with Flynn was posted at 10 minutes, but I bailed because the line wasn't moving. Anna and Elsa kept their line open until at least 11:30, but the line got pretty long toward the end. You could meet them last and use up the remaining party if you desired.
I opted to check on the ducks and Goofy. I was fortunate to be among the last to meet each group.
Goofy wanted me to try to take a photo with him and his ride passing behind.
There were only a few minutes left in the party, so I stopped in Cosmic Ray's to get a photo of Phineas and Ferb at their dance party.
I missed the A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, but some of the cast members posed for a nice photo for you guys. I really like the show and I'll catch it next time I go or during Christmas weeks.
Obligatory Castle with ice all over it.
They had to remove the garland that used to hang across Main Street. Some people were all up in arms about it, but I actually like this better because it opens up the view all the way down the street. They did this because the Festival of Fantasy floats are too tall.
See a nice open, pretty view. I was too tired to stay until 2am to get the empty street photo.
We'll end here and come back and visit another day!
Thanks for all of the info Kenny! We purchased tickets for the MVMCP for 12-8-17. It will be me, my husband and our 11 year old daughter. This is our first DW trip during this time, and our first MVMCP. We will have a regular park ticket and party ticket for that day and plan to spend the whole day in the MK. We are most interested in the shows and meeting with the princesses and their princes, and possibly Captain Jack Sparrow. What's the best strategy? How early do you have to get to Main St. to get a good spot for all of the shows/fireworks? Is it better to meet the princesses first and then get a spot on Main St.? Or wait to try to meet them until after the fireworks? We saw last year that they had Elsa lightning the castle at 6:15 and heard that people were "setting up camp on Main St. for the night" at around 5:00 pm. So does that mean you should keep your same spot on Main St. for around 5 hours? If we line up to meet the princesses first, and go early, would we still be able to get a good spot for the shows/fireworks? Any tips or advice would be extremely helpful! Thanks so much!
Use one of my Touring Plans on http://www.characterlocator.com
Is the memory maker worth the cost foe a 3 day visit to the MK with two character dinings and the Christmas party?
It won't help with Character Meals. It helps if you don't have a quality camera or don't want to carry it around all day.
Minnie's new dress is SO much better than the boring red one she has worn for the last few years. But actually it's not completely new, it has been seen before, for some special events:
http://articles.dailypilot.com/2012-11-13/news/tn-dpt-1114-fashion-island-tree-lighting-20121113_1_tree-disney-characters-christmas
Kenny - Need your expertise. We are going to MVMCP on the 16th and crowds should be manageable and will see Holiday Wishes. Our last day of the ten day trip is the 21st when crowds start building. We like to end our trips in Magic Kingdom. We have O'Hana reservation on the 21st (our first time we got in!) at 6:25 p.m. My question - should we watch the fireworks from O'Hana or the Poly beach vs trekking in to MK to fight the crowds?We have never tried to watch Wishes from outside of MK. This is our first trip seeing Christmas Wishes at MK, but we will have seen the fireworks on the 16th at the party. Wishes is always such a great way for us to wrap up a Disney trip.
When we did Disneyland Christmas 2 years ago - the fireworks were so spectacular, and the soundtrack - my daughter who was six then (8 now) actually cried and hugged me and said she didn't want to leave Disney! It was such a moment - they really were so moving! I am wondering if seeing fireworks from Poly will cut it like being in front of the castle? But maybe we could stay and see the water pageant - something else we have never done. Need sage expertise here.
Thanks!
Poly Beach
Thanks! We did MNSSHP last year and did Minnie and Mickey in costumes...I can't remember if they talked - I guess I was all funned out at that point LOL
Early parties were Mickey and Minnie, then when Mickey gained his voice, he kicked her out.
Ok what I thought thx
No magic shots at night
Wait - where does Mickey talk?
Magic Kingdom. Check my Characters schedule
Thans you so much!
Do you know if they have special Magic photos?
Didn't see any, but it's possible
Hi Kenny! The Character Locator App says Jack Sparrow is out 8:05-8:45pm, but I thought I had read in one of your posts that they disband his line for the parades. If we watch the first parade from the Hub and then head right over, will we miss him?
That's his schedule
Hi Kenny,
Great review. How long were the lines for the characters and attractions on this sold out night? And was it very crowded, or only around the castle area?
We are attending december 9th
Thanks for the info.
Regards
Danny
Character lines varied from 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on who and when. Ride lines are typically short. Always crowded around Castle for shows.
Did u say parking is free with a party ticket?
Nope, it's 17 bucks unless you are onsite or have an annual pass
Hi Kenny, is Mickey's very merry Xmas party the only place to meet the 7 dwarves? I'm heading to Disney right after Christmas and hope to meet them.
Christmas and Halloween parties only
Was Great meeting you in Sandy Claws line! Thanks for helping me plan out our party night. We saw a ton and had a blast!!
Great meeting you and glad you had fun
I met talking Mickey just minutes before the 7pm party start time. He was in his suit and cape. Didn't look to be especially Christmasy to me.
But it was before the party began, so we can't confirm based on this info.
Thanks so much for all your info! This is our first trip to WDW (& therefore first MVMCP,) & I was wondering if you had any idea of the average amount of time I should plan in waiting in lines for character meets. We won't be lining up for the Dwarves or Sandy Claws. Just as many of the other party exclusive ones as we can, as well as the fireworks & parade. Thanks! Your site & app have been invaluable to me as try to plan our trip.
Depends upon when you go. Could be short or could take 30 minutes or more
So if I wish to see all of the Christmas festivities
7:30 Celebrate the Season
8:00 Frozen Holiday Wish
8:15 Christmas Parade
9:15 Celebrate the Magic
9:30 Holiday Wishes
Do you advise grabbing a spot outside Casey's before the party even begins? Do people line up that early? Or do you think I would be OK if I got on line for the Seven Dwarfs at 6, did the M&G with them, the grabbed a spot.
Also would the spot you described be a good vantage point for all the above listed events?
That's not how I would do it, but it could work if you go straight to the hub in front of the castle to get a parade spot. You'll be too close for the fireworks though. You can't see the Castle Show from Casey's
Kenny, could you go to every party and give a review. This is like the best thing on the internet. :) ROOOOOLLLL TIDE!
I could do every weekend party if sponsors are willing to cover the cost. Roll Tide!
i see that you went to frontierland for the 2nd parade. were the crowds on mainstreet still too nuts after wishes to get a decent spot on main street for the 2nd parade?
You could go to Main St immediately after Fireworks, but otherwise you'll miss out. As stated, I ended up in Town Square
Is it true that Sandy Claws will be out during normal park hours starting in December. I've heard some rumors about that but I find it hard to believe. Thank you.
Nope
Great coverage. Did you manage to eat? Any tips on that are appreciated. In the past we've grabbed Casey's while waiting for parade. Your comments make me LOL...esp about the guy hogging your parade view. Nothing worse. Well...worse was on our Disney cruise when the ADULTS were pushing over my little kids to dance next to the characters in the lobby!
I had a couple of cookies and some hot cocoa in Adventureland.
The video I saw yesterday showed them walking with several other characters at the beginning of the parade. Anna & Elsa are in the Daisy/Donald float from years past.
Two more questions!
1) The Character Locator app says Rapunzel's line closes at 11, but Cinderella's goes until 11:30. Which one is correct? Since they are in the same room, it would make sense to have them close at the same time.
2) Is the end time listed the time the line closes or the time the character stops greeting? Say for Minnie, you are in line a bit before 11:30. Assuming the line isn't closed already, would you be able to meet her?
Those were the official Disney times, but they allowed people to line up as late as 11:30 for both. I'll correct it. Depends on CM. They can cut the line much earlier based on how long it will take to process everyone.
Sorry, one more question I forgot. I am a big Daisy fan. Are her and Donald on a float this year in the parade or are the just walking along the route? Thanks again.
Walking like the photo in the post
I have a question about the parade. I've seen it from Main Street before but, unlike most people, I don't like the "snow" that falls all over you. If I try to get a spot for the parade in Town Square near where you saw it, can I avoid the "snow?"
About how long on average was the wait for Minnie?
Any chance of Olaf meet and greets happening for us "regular people" at parties later in the season?
Also, is Mickey in Town Square Theater in a holiday outfit? I ask since talking Mickey was in a Halloween outfit for MNSSHP. Thanks for answering all my questions!
Town Square is filled with "Snow" as well.
30 minutes
No - regular paying guests won't meet him.
Not sure, didn't check.
Thanks for the great review Kenny!
Welcome
With so many people wanting to meet Sandy Claws, will that hopefully mean fewer people lining up for the Dwarfs prior to party time? We don't care about Jack, but are planning to line up for the Dwarfs around 5:30-5:45, hoping that we can meet them relatively quickly when they come out.
People actively line up for Dwarfs around 6pm and the line usually takes about an hour.
Thanks for another great report!! We'll be there on 12/7 for our first xmas party!!
Have fun!
So, you can shop and linger for two hours after the party ends?
Not sure how long the shop stays open but people were actively lingering and getting photopass shots at 1 am.
We did not get to go last year because I was overly preggers. This year, I am hoping to go! And this post just got me even more hyped up about it!! :)
Have fun and get your tickets early
Awesome info and pictures! We are going to the next to last party on the 19th and I expect it to be sold out as well. Did it feel more crowded than parties past, or about what you expected? I feel like they are probably selling more party tickets than ever before. Any rumors on if they will be offering an Olaf meet during the party this year, or only test running him? I heard the rumors about a soiree type offering, but so far that doesn't seem to have come to fruition. Thanks for the update!
About the same. They won't offer Olaf meets that was just for "media." There will not be a soiree and that rumor originated here. It was determined that they didn't want to offer it after all.
Sorry I meant the parade
Is it true that sometime later in December the party is offered every night not just on party nights?
Nope. Read my Christmas party guide for full details. However, after the parties end in late december, the shows and parade are offered to regular guests.
Great photos and thanks for the info we will be there 11/20 with your character locator app! Would love to see Sandy Claws!
5:00 to 5:30pm is recommended
I can't even begin to imagine how many "obligatory Castle" with ice all over it pics I have!! Ha! :-)
Loved the review. I might come back and read several times to take the place of me not being there now. I'm supposed to go the first week of December EVERY year!!! ;-)
Thanks
I thought the Christmas party ended at midnight...what do you mean by "I was too tired to stay until 2am". And also, do you have a list of the show times and your recommendations on which ones to go to? We're going MOnday (which is now sold out) and the only character that is a "must" is the Ducks, so we'd like to concentrate on the shows, parades, fireworks.
It did end at midnight, but to get a shot of an empty street one would have to stay until everyone trickles out at 2am.
Showtimes are on my Christmas Party guide and on characterlocator.com along with character schedules.
See, not she!
Hi Kenny! I've been eagerly waiting for your MVMCP review. Thank You! We are attending the 12/16 party. We HAVE to view the first parade because we are going with my 3 year old. I'd like her to experience the "snow", but if it's too crazy we can always go and watch the parade off of Main Street and the Hub. Where should I stake out a spot early on so she can she? Thank you!
If you must, then you'll need to be on Main St 1 to 1.5 hours early. I just tell people to take a mid-day nap and enjoy the party though.