How to Handle Mickey’s Very Merry in Disney World

Earlier this week I posted a review of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I thought it might be helpful to breakdown everything we did during the party. If you are going to the party for the first time, my hope is that this will help you know How to Handle Mickey’s Very Merry in Disney World. Happy Holidays!

Main Street USA at christmas

5:30pm – Arrive

We planned to arrive at the party closer to 4:00pm. If you have a ticket for the event, everyone is allowed inside the park at that time. However, my daughter took a late nap and there was a rain storm to avoid. We ended up getting to Magic Kingdom closer to 5:30pm, but it worked out well.

6:15pm – Watch Frozen Holiday Surprise

After enjoying the Christmas ambience for a bit we headed to find a spot near the stage in front of Cinderella’s castle. The Frozen Holiday Surprise show that takes place during the party also takes place at 6:15pm, so we decided to get it out of the way early. It was very easy to find a spot near the stage, and my daughter was thrilled to see all her favorite Frozen characters.

7:00pm – Meet Mary Poppins

It wasn’t easy to make our way back down Main Street USA, because everyone who wasn’t attending the party was heading for the exit. However, I was determined to see Mary Poppins. It’s one of my favorite Disney movies and we had heard she would be seeing people near the Town Square Theatre. We waited about 20 minutes. My husband went to get some holiday treats while we waited and we were first in line to see Mary! Worth it.

cookies at mickeys very merry

7:15pm – Start Collecting Cookies

Our strategy was to go toward Tomorrowland and make a loop around the entire park to collect cookies. We stopped at the Lunching Pad for our first cookie, but got distracted afterward.

7:20pm – Ride the People Mover

My sister and husband had never had the opportunity to ride the People Mover, so we took advantage of it being a walk-on. We had so much fun riding it as a family. It’s so underrated.

7:30pm – Club Tinsel Dance Party

After the People Mover we got distracted again by the Club Tinsel Dance Party. They had Judy and Nick from Zootopia dancing with all the kids, and we even saw Chip and Dale. It started sprinkling a bit, but was fun in spite of the rain.

snowman dessert

7:45pm – Continue Collecting Cookies and Get a Snack

We continued collecting cookies at Cosmic Rays and then stopped for a snack at the Friar’s Nook. The Holiday Ham Fried Pie was delicious and Peppermint Snowman was also a family favorite. Then we grabbed more cookies from Pinocchio Village Haus.

8:30pm – Ride It’s a Small World and Get Photo

My favorite ride in Magic Kingdom is It’s a Small World, so we had to ride it, because again… it was a walk-on. There were hardly any lines for rides during the party. We also got some special pictures with a lantern from Tangled. Absolutely Precious.

8:50pm – Get More Cookies!

My sister got us the cookies and hot chocolate from Columbia Harbor House and we walked around the first parade to to toward Adventureland.

9:10pm – Ride Pirates of the Caribbean

Again, Pirates had zero line, so we simply had to go on this ride. My daughter used to be a little nervous on this ride, but now she loves to pretend to be a pirate and say ARG!

9:30pm – Mickeys Most Merriest Celebration

We were a little late getting to Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show. I honestly thought it was at 9:35pm, but it started at 9:25pm. Then my sister had something break on her phone and got little pieces of glass in her finger. It was quite an adventure to deal with in the darkness, but luckily my park bag always includes bandages! What we saw of the show was very cute.

Olaf at magic kingdom

10:00pm – Ride Winnie the Pooh and Teacups

Now the Fireworks start at 10:00pm, but my daughter isn’t the biggest fan of fireworks and loud noises. We decided to divide and conquer. My husband and sister went to get more food (they were starving) and Ronia and I went to try and meet a princess.

The line was a little too long for a princesses, so she chose to ride Winnie the Pooh and Teacups instead. Both rides had no line. We could have ridden them several times in a row without waiting.

10:30pm – Get a Spot for the Parade, Meet Mickey

Once we were done with those rides we all met again on Main Street USA to secure our spot for the parade. I had hoped for a spot on Main Street, but it was all full. We found one at the end of the street beneath the Christmas tree, which was also very magical. While we waited for the parade we ate treats and my daughter went with my husband to meet Mickey. The line to meet him was non-existent, so another win!

11:00pm – Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

The last thing we did at the party was watch the parade. It got to us around 11:20pm, and my daughter was hanging in there, but barely. We headed back to the hotel after seeing the parade, and our toddler fell asleep on the bus ride. Overall it was an absolutely magical night!

How to Handle Mickey's Very Merry in Disney World

Thank you for reading about How to Handle Mickey’s Very Merry in Disney World. I hope they will help you on your next family vacation. For more helpful tips, be sure to read the additional content below:

Helpful Review of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
A Review of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
My Ultimate Disney World Packing List

If you have any questions feel free to send me an email or message on Instagram. Follow @gentryjourneys on Pinterest for more travel tips and tricks and don’t forget to subscribe below for new content every week!

Safe Travels,