Christmas is a special time for Central Florida theme parks – each park hosts Christmas events and is adorned in beautiful holiday decorations. Walt Disney World, of course, is no exception and hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. This special night-time event is not included with regular Magic Kingdom admission, but is an event that you and the kids will love.

We were able to enjoy the festivities again this year via a media invitation to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Baby boy was able to enjoy a lot more this time since he’s now walking and able to partake in the fun. He and his big sister enjoyed riding several rides, meeting some characters, and of course, snacking on cookies and hot chocolate. I always enjoy seeing Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas and just walking around taking in the sights. Christmas and Disney World make a good combination, don’t you think?

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party began on November 9 this year and continues through December 21, on select nights. A very family-friendly event, this Magic Kingdom Christmas party includes various holiday-themed fun:

• Cinderella’s Castle is decorated with Christmas lights that change color.
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will be enjoyed by the little ones and they’ll love seeing Santa Claus at the end!
• Exclusive holiday fireworks – Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season - can be seen during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
• Special shows and entertainment featuring Disney characters are scheduled each night of the party.
• Disney characters dressed in their holiday best are available for pictures and autographs. Special characters also tend to make an appearance that normally are not in the parks, such as Donald Duck’s Uncle Scrooge.
• Complimentary cookies, apple slices and hot cocoa are provided throughout various locations in the park.
• Walking down Main Street, U.S.A. with “snow” falling on you is always fun, especially for the kids!
• Several of the Magic Kingdom rides and attractions are open for you to enjoy with less lines.
• Kid-friendly dance parties with a DJ and Disney characters dancing too!

If you’re local to the area or plan to visit Walt Disney World this December, consider attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party; you still have time as the event will be held several nights in December this year and goes from 7 p.m. until midnight. Several other holiday events are also happening throughout other Walt Disney World parks – see Disneyworld.com/holidays for more information!

What do you enjoy most about Christmas at the theme parks?

Disclosure: We received complimentary admission to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to experience the fun as a family.

My family and I recently attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. We were part of a media group invited to attend as guests of Disney and were able to join the fun of celebrating Christmas Disney-style. This is our second year attending Mickey’s Christmas Party and it was just as fun as our first time attending!

Some of the highlights of attending the holiday events at Disney World are special character sightings, special event merchandise for those who collect Disney merchandise, and event-only parades and other activities. During Mickey’s Christmas Party, we got to see Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, which has a special appearance from Santa at the end. You can also catch a holiday version of Wishes, Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show. There were also a couple of character-themed dance parties for the kids; baby girl got to dance with Jessie from Toy Story!

Throughout the night, we spotted some new characters we had never run into in the past: Abu from Aladdin, the bears from Frontierland’s Country Bear Jamboree, and Captain Jack Sparrow. I’m not sure if these characters are normally out and about at the parks and we’ve just missed them, but I know that it was our first time being able to get their autograph and picture. We actually had something really nice happen to us as we were waiting for Abu’s autograph. As is normal for character greetings, Abu and Aladdin were switching out with Jasmine and the Genie. The only character my girl was missing was Abu, since she’s met the others at previous park visits. As she was getting close to the front of the line, it was announced that only one more person would meet Abu and Aladdin, as Jasmine and the Genie were about to come out. So, baby girl was going to miss her chance to meet Abu! But, the very nice little boy in front of her told her it would be okay to switch places since he was fine with meeting any of the characters!

Something my girl was really looking forward to was the complimentary hot chocolate and cookies that are provided to guests throughout the park. The night we attended, it was actually pretty cool out and windy, so hot chocolate came in handy. The snow on Main Street is also a fun treat! Another bit of Disney magic that happened for us that night was not being charged for baby boy’s skullcap; the cashier told my husband as he went to pay, “I can’t let the baby be cold!”

We had a nice evening out and enjoyed seeing Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas. It’s always fun to visit the parks during these special events because you see them in a whole new way. In the coming weeks, we plan to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

Have you ever visited Disney World or Disneyland during the holidays? What is your favorite part?

Photos © ModernMami.com