16 May, 2016

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Holidays at Disney

Holiday Time is happening just around the corner at the House of Mouse, and here is a breakdown of both parties as well as the Christmas Day parade taping. For those wondering yes Mickey's Not-So-Scary and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas are both hard ticket events, so no you cannot get in free with your self-admission (they look for colored wrist bands).


General Tips & Tricks
  • Tickets are first and foremost non-refundable and non-transferable 
  • Tickets are limited, so keep that in mind especially if you want to attend a weekend party night
  • Party starts at 7:00 pm, but they begin admitting guest with wrist bands at 4:00 pm
    • Plan on getting there by 3:30 pm especially if you bring a bag
    • If you are in the park prior to party start, and arrived before 4:00 pm you will need too go to the front of the park to receive a colored band
  • Pro-tip best time to go is two weeks after Thanksgiving and the beginning of December as the crowds tend to be lower
  • Even though it is Florida (even California as well) it is warm during the day, but at night it can cool off so bring a jacket if you get chilly easily 
  • Dining options are limited during party times, so eat something prior to the start of the party 
  • While rides are operational during the party due to limited tickets Fastpass+ will not be available during the event
  • You will not be able to get everything done, so plan on what you want to get done then do that first


Alright first things firsts Not-So-Scary is the Halloween event available at The Walt Disney World Resort, and again to be clear it is a hard ticket event. To get this out of the way discounted tickets are available at Company D for 30% off of regular price for certain party days. Now what days? Well for most CMs it will be majority of September for discounted days, certain days in October, and as a note they sometimes add days if parties do not sell out in advance. For those wondering what it is exactly, and is it worth it -personally I think yes. It is special parades, special shows, rare meet and greets, candy trails, HallowWishes, and lower ride wait times.


Tips & Tricks Not-So-Scary
  • Costumes are allowed at Not-So-Scary, but only at the Not-So-Scary event
    • Also if you dress as a character that is fine, but you cannot sign autographs or take photos if you do you will be asked to leave
    • Desss up seriously do not be the odd one out majority of the guest dress up so have fun with it. Even if it is something simple does not have to be all out -plus some character interactions are different if you are dressed up.
  • If you are into Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom party guests have access to a exclusive card
  • There is also exclusive merchandise available such as trading pins
  • There are Trick-or-Treating stations throughout the park (and yes some have different candy)
    • Also if you are looking for sugar free, or allergy sensitive candy it is available at  City Hall
  • You will not be able to get through all the rare meet & greets (even if you time is perfectly) so make those you do not want to miss a priority
    • Jack & Sally tend to have a shorter line close to party close
    • Same with the Seven Dwarfs they tend to have short lines closer to the end
    • As a note they also have regular meet and greets with lower wait times 
  • Get a spot for HallowWishes especially since the castle does have effects 
  • Candy stations are available all night, so no need to rush through them
    • Also if you go later sometimes they just fill your bag all the way up
      • Small story time so I went to visit a dear friend of Gaston, and when I arrived he noticed I barely had any candy. So, disappeared for a minute into the Tavern store coming out with a large Disney bag then proceeded to fill it up all the way with candy. 
    • In case anyone was wondering there is no age limit on trick-or-treating so adults can join in as well
  • For the Sanderson Sister's show arrive at least 20 minutes early for a decent spot in front of the castle
  • Boo To You is 100% worth going to the party for, so get your spot early -up to 30/40 minutes for a decent Main Street spot. 
    • There are two of the parades during the event, and the second one tends to be less crowded 

Before I get into Mickey's Very Merry Christmas there is an event that one of my personal favorites, which is the annual Christmas Day parade taping. This happens typically at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland (however I know last year it was just Walt Disney World), and normally the taping is sometime in November. For Cast Members closer to the start of the taping you can sign-up on the hub for tickets, which will be given out later. Those tickets are for CMs and their families which will gain them access to Magic Kingdom before park open (like 6:00 am) on a certain day for filming. For those who do not have a ticket, or cannot go on the day they were given tickets -it is fine. Filming also happens after park open usually until around mid-afternoon before park operations go back to normal (for you CMs here is a laugh -it is the one time when someone asks what time is the 3:00 pm you can answer a time other than 3:00 pm). 

Tips & Tricks
  • Cast Members the tickets given out on the hub are free
  • Dress in holiday attire (truly they stress it) since it is suppose to be Christmas time
  • You are going to be standing a lot -like a lot! 
  • They are going to do multiple takes of the same exact thing, so you are going to be staring at the same section of the parade for a while
  • They also move locations so when they are done filming that section they will move somewhere else in the park to film something else
  • If you want to be in front of the castle stage -stake out a spot early after park open 
  • Filming takes place over multiple days (typically 3-4 days), so do not feel like you need to attend the very first day

Alright, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas it is a hard ticket event much like Not-So-Scary with special parades, special shows, Holiday version of Wishes, Pre-Celebrate the Magic holiday show, rare meet and greets, and hot chocolate with cookies. Again like Not-So-Scary for CMs you can purchase a ticket for 30% off of the regular price at any Company D location. As for what days it will be majority of November, certain days in December, and again if certain days are not sold out they will add more discounted days. As a note with Very Merry the party event actually stops prior to the start of Christmas, and for anyone wondering they become apart of regular park activity.

Tips & Tricks
  • For you CMs go to a hard ticket event as going near Christmas to the parks is a nightmare especially since they typically reach capacity shortly after park open -plus you will probably be working
  • I suggest arriving prior to 7:00 pm as you can see Elsa's light up the castle without a large crowd (although the event happens more than once)
  • Much like Not-So-Scary the parade has two times skip the first as it has a larger crowd
  • For the parade grab a spot on Main Street for the full effect 
    • Anyone wondering what that is exactly -it is "snow"
  • Rides may have lower wait times, but if you had not done it during regular park hours do the Jingle Cruise (aka holiday themed Jungle Cruise) 
  • Holiday cookies and hot chocolate are available free around the park 
    • For those who prefer a healthier option apple slices and apply juice are available as well
  • Also it has party exclusive merchandise such as trading pins, MagicBand, and tree ornaments 
  • Exclusive Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom card available during the event
  • Pro-tip best place to view the firework experience is further back on Main Street as it is a 365 degree viewing show 
    • For those who are not at the party the beach at the Polynesian is the best option for perfect viewing (I know I watched it there a lot of nights along with the Grand Floridian Marina)

Updated: Finally made it to Company D everyone, so I will not be posting the prices for the Cast Member ticket options for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.




Keep in mind these are dates available as of May 26, 2016 and Disney may add more party dates if certain days do not sell out. 


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