On Monday, November 8th, my son and I had the privilege of attending this year’s very first Very Merriest After Hours party of the year at the Magic Kingdom! Since there were no Halloween or Christmas parties scheduled in 2020, we were extra excited to be able to experience the Christmas party this year! After Hours parties are only available to guests who purchase tickets in advance. This allows for smaller crowds and shorter wait times for rides!
The party started at 9:00pm with Cast Members dressed in the most adorable holiday attire passing out treats such as popcorn, Mickey ice-cream bars, Mickey ice-cream sandwiches, soda and bottled water at different stations located throughout the park. At stations located at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café in Frontierland, Columbus Harbour House in Liberty Square, Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Tomorrowland, you’ll find snickerdoodle cookies and hot cocoa! All of these snacks are complimentary! There are also specialty food and beverages available for purchase throughout the park including Gingerbread Almond Cake Pops, To Be Jolly Floats, Ginger Apple Funnel Cakes and Orange Bird Churros.
Extra special entertainment is available throughout the night, including Mickey and Minnie’s Very Merry Memories stage show performed in front of Cinderella’s Castle at various times throughout the night. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is truly spectacular! It will surely get you in the Christmas spirit with catchy music, characters dressed for the holidays, festive dancers and even Santa Claus makes an appearance! This parade was one of our favorite events of the night! Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show is also a delight! If you love fireworks and Christmas, you’ll love this fireworks show! The Reindeer Wranglers are an entertaining western music trio you can enjoy while strolling in throughout Frontierland! Another one of my son’s favorite moments of the night was when he participated in the Club Tinsel Dance Party in Tomorrowland! A DJ spins fun holiday tunes while Stich dances on stage, poses for socially distanced photos and other Cast Members boogie down with guests on the dance floor! We spent a lot of time at this super fun dance party!
Definitely take advantage of the smaller crowds and ride as many rides as you can fit in your night! We were able to walk right on several attractions with no wait! The longest we waited in line was for Peter Pan’s Flight and it was only 15 minutes! Short lines are definitely an advantage when attending this party!
Be sure to look out for characters dressed in their holiday best attire throughout the park! You can even find Santa for socially distanced photos!
When you enter the park for the party, be sure to pick up a Disney Very Merriest After Hours pamphlet with all of the information you need to know! There are even noted locations for festive photos taken by Disney’s Photo Pass Cast Members! You’ll definitely want to add the Memory Maker to your resort package so you have access to all of these adorable photos that would make a perfect Christmas card!
We thoroughly enjoyed our night at the Very Merriest After Hours party and we will definitely be back next year to kick off the holiday season! Be sure to reach out to your FTM Travel agent so she can order you and your family tickets to this amazing event! Happy Holidays!