There are two large vacation season laborious ticket occasions at Walt Disney World: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together in Magic Kingdom and Jollywood Nights in Hollywood Studios. This compares and contrasts MVMCP and DJN to see which is best for characters, fireworks, leisure, crowds, and extra.
Now that tickets to each Christmas events at Walt Disney World are on sale for 2024, we thought it will be a superb time to make this comparability so you possibly can decide which is perhaps best for you. With that mentioned, it does include a few asterisks. First, Jollywood Nights developed and improved final 12 months over the course of the season. We’re thus judging it primarily based on the tip of its run final 12 months fairly than the start.
Second, Jollywood Nights is making much more modifications and additions for Christmas 2024. We’re assuming it’ll be higher in consequence, however that actually doesn’t issue into the classes that every social gathering “wins” and even the final word verdict. However, it’s an incomplete or imperfect comparability, which is pretty much as good as you’re going to get if you’d like one thing sensible that will help you resolve which tickets to buy. When you watch for our precise opinions of the 2024 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together and Jollywood Nights, there’s an opportunity your dates will already be bought out.
One remaining factor we need to warn in opposition to is baked in biases of Walt Disney World diehards. This cuts each methods. On the one hand, a number of followers maintain great nostalgia for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, having skilled it over the course of a long time. This contains us–it’s been annual custom since 2007. We’ve made so many nice reminiscences on the occasion and maintain a lot sentimentality in the direction of it that I can not think about not doing MVMCP…at the same time as ticket costs explode and never a lot modifications.
Alternatively, there are those that are, primarily, the precise reverse. They’ve been across the block with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, and are prepared for one thing new. Disney Jollywood Nights is new. It is extremely, very completely different from MVMCP. Because of this, a number of longtime followers who really feel that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together is drained or stale is perhaps predisposed to preferring Jollywood Nights on the idea of it being recent and new-to-them.
However that’s the viewpoint of a blogger, vlogger, or Walt Disney World diehard fan. It’s not consultant of the common attendee and even the extra informal fan who visits sometimes. Whereas everybody clearly has biases, that’s our viewpoint when making this try at an goal comparability between Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together and Disney Jollywood Nights: which ought to an rare or first-time Walt Disney World visitor attend?
Time: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – Walt Disney World is transferring in the suitable course with Disney Jollywood Nights, making it a 5-hour vacation social gathering from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am in 2024, with the mix-in permitting occasion ticket holders to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as 6:00 pm.
That’s nonetheless not so good as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together. The occasion length is equivalent at 5 hours, albeit from 7:00 pm to midnight. The distinction is the mix-in, which permits MVMCP ticket holders to enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4:00 pm. That further 90 minutes offers friends time to knock out favourite sights with quick waits, seize a meal, or in any other case discover the park at Walt Disney World with essentially the most issues to do.
Meals: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – No refreshments are included with the value of your occasion ticket to Disney Jollywood Nights. That is in sharp distinction to After Hours, a significant promoting level of which is the limitless bottled drinks, ice cream novelties, and popcorn from outside merchandising carts.
It’s additionally a departure from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, which gives “free” limitless Christmas cookies, sizzling chocolate, and different vacation refreshments. MVMCP additionally gives particular menus at numerous counter service eating places and snack stands, though that is hardly one of many major options of the occasion.
Oddly sufficient, one of many major promoting factors of Disney Jollywood Nights is “shimmering sips and sensational sweets.” The issue is that this can be a promoting level, fairly actually, for Disney. They need to promote you extra meals when you’re on the occasion. We discovered a few of that meals to be effective, however truthfully, we’re not paying over $100 or utilizing our restricted social gathering time to spend much more cash on meals. We doubt many friends are. The free cookies and sizzling cocoa at MVMCP are the way in which to go–and what Disney Jollywood Nights needs to be doing, too.
Parade: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – That is a straightforward one since solely Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together has a parade within the first place, so it wins by default. When you love parades, MVMCP is the Christmas social gathering you need to select.
However let’s fake, for no matter purpose, that you just’re on the fence concerning the ‘significance’ of this class. Possibly you’re not essentially a parade particular person, however are open to watching one if it’s actually good.
Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade (MOUACP) is de facto good. It has marching toy troopers, dancing reindeer and gingerbread males, and ever the large man himself, Ole Saint Nick! Calling MOUACP actually good is an understatement. It has iconic floats, characters, moments and music.
It’s prolonged and satisfying, with no filler–each unit is great, making for a parade that by no means overstays its welcome and truly leaves you wanting extra. About the one “weak point” of Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade is that 90% of it existed a decade or two in the past. So for some Walt Disney World followers, it feels drained and overdue for a alternative. To that, I say don’t repair what isn’t damaged. What number of Walt Disney World followers imagine the alternative for Vacation Needs is an precise improve? In brief, watch out what you want for.
Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade is likely one of the greatest items of leisure at Walt Disney World, and is an absolute must-see. From the toy troopers marching in formation to the pleasant character costumes to reindeer dancing in entrance of Santa–and a lot extra. Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade is cozy and charming, a enjoyable and memorable parade that’s bursting with vacation spirit.
Fireworks: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – This can be a nearer name than it needs to be. 9 instances out of 10, fireworks at Magic Kingdom will win over these at Hollywood Studios as a result of the straightforward actuality is that explosions over Cinderella Fortress have baseline attraction.
Fireworks above Cinderella Fortress is likely one of the definitive experiences at Walt Disney World, and as long as the music is sweet sufficient, the vast majority of friends will take pleasure in it. That’s how Disney Enchantment managed first rate visitor satisfaction scores general regardless of being very low relative to previous Magic Kingdom fireworks reveals.
Related story right here. Minnie’s Fantastic Christmastime Fireworks are a current addition, and showcase pyro plus projections. Whereas longtime followers may argue that this present is inferior to Vacation Needs in some methods, it’s adequate. Just like the track “Fantastic Christmastime,” it’s schmaltzy and foolish. (My unpopular opinion about each the fireworks and the track is that they’re good, truly. However I do know there are many haters on the market.)
It’s an identical story with the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! fireworks at Disney Jollywood Nights. This nighttime spectacular primarily based on “Prep & Touchdown” has its moments and is polarizing amongst followers. Personally, I like Minnie’s Fantastic Christmastime Fireworks much more–however by no means say no to both of those reveals.
It additionally helps that Minnie’s Fantastic Christmastime Fireworks has much more pyro–together with perimeter bursts that encompass Cinderella Fortress. On stability, not solely is Minnie’s Fantastic Christmastime Fireworks the superior present, however in a contest between two nighttime spectaculars that garner combined opinions, the Magic Kingdom fireworks will at all times beat the Disney’s Hollywood Studios fireworks.
Stage Exhibits: Disney Jollywood Nights – Now we flip to the simple win for Disney Jollywood Nights, which has three stage reveals to the one at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together. On the subject of DJN, the third of those stage reveals is described by Walt Disney World as a blinding new skating spectacular set to vacation tunes, that includes grace and ability of worldwide champion skaters in an awe-inspiring twist on the standard ice present.
This can be a wild card, with its high quality, scale and scope all being unknowns. But it surely doesn’t matter. Disney Jollywood Nights wins even when we fake the ice skating present doesn’t exist, as its different two stage reveals are each excellent to nice.
The spotlight of the stage reveals throughout DJN is Holidays in Hollywood, a vignette selection exhibiting that includes appearances from particular visitor stars, together with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Tiana, Belle, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse—accompanied by a proficient forged of singers, dancers and jazz musicians. Holidays in Hollywood is incredible. Nice choreography, music, staging–every thing. It’s one of many prime 3 seasonal stage reveals in all of Walt Disney World.
The opposite stage present at Disney Jollywood Nights is “What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas Sing-Alongside.” That is admittedly a bizarre one, because it’s what quantities to a excessive idea sing-along plus puppetry. An odd combine, if I’ve ever seen one. Regardless of that, What’s This? is method higher than you may count on. The silent performers are very good, seeing the Jack Skellington puppet in a theater setting is superior, and Oogie Boogie steals the present. As somebody who hates sing-alongs and is detached to all issues Tim Burton (so I’m hardly goal), I used to be shocked to take pleasure in this a lot.
Over at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together, the lone stage present is now Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. That is the tried and true Cinderella Fortress musical medley stage present, the premise of which doesn’t a lot matter. Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is the very best stage present on this checklist (and #2 general after Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular) and it rises to that spot because of a superb combination of sentimentality and custom plus popular culture and wonderful track choices. It’s without delay precisely what you’d count on and delightfully sudden with one thing for everybody, from children to adults.
Although Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is #1 general, the truth that Disney Jollywood Nights has (no less than) two excellent to nice stage reveals to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together’s lone present cements it with the win right here.
Atmospheric Leisure: Disney Jollywood Nights – Disney Jollywood Nights options quite a lot of dance events, swinging soirees, and intimate lounges–with the highlights being Vacation Fiesta en la Calle, Twilight Soirée on the Tip High Membership, and Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby. These three issues, particularly, are a number of what offers DJN its extra refined and refined vacation vibe. I might think about spending a complete night dressed up, dancing the night time away and having fun with these grownup experiences. There’s completely nothing like every of that at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together.
In contrast, MVMCP does have character dance events like Membership Tinsel and Disney Junior Jingle Jam. Then there are different atmospheric acts, such because the Reindeer Wranglers in Frontierland. Personally, I don’t suppose any of those choices are pretty much as good as Twilight Soirée on the Tip High Membership, however the audiences are completely completely different. I’d give the sting, objectively, to Disney Jollywood Nights, however I might see loads of households preferring the atmospheric leisure at MVMCP.
Characters: It Relies upon – This can be a robust one. At the same time as a longtime Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together attendee with a number of fond reminiscences of the occasion, I really feel the character lineup is stale–and has been for the final decade. It’s downright unhappy that Walt Disney World hasn’t refreshed–or totally overhauled–it. However, once more, I’m making an attempt to be goal.
Even that’s tough, although. Objectively talking, there are far more characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together. There are roughly two-dozen distinct meet & greets, with about three-dozen characters whole. In contrast, Disney Jollywood Nights is promoting a dozen distinct meet & greets for a complete of “greater than 20 character experiences.” So it appears fairly open and closed, proper?
I’m not so certain. Loads of the characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together are additionally accessible throughout an everyday day at Magic Kingdom (typically they’re merely “enhanced” with the addition of scarves). MVMCP has a couple of dozen uncommon characters–that means characters who seldom seem throughout the day or have distinct costumes (for instance, we’d depend Belle in her winter costume) for the social gathering.
That’s roughly the identical quantity as at Disney Jollywood Nights. And whereas it’s nearly not possible for me to be goal about this, I’m personally extra excited concerning the uncommon character lineup at DJN. There’s Santa Duffy, Phineas and Ferb, Three Caballeros, Toy Story friends who don’t usually seem, Disney Afternoon characters, Mickey & Associates in distinctive outfits, and extra. Most first-timers won’t care about this eclectic lineup of deep cuts, although, and thus may favor Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together. It’s a extremely robust name.
Environment: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – Just by advantage of being within the fortress park as an alternative of the studios park, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together has the rapid edge to win this. There’s simply one thing about seeing Most important Road reworked for the vacations, with an additional layer of lighting and music on prime of the tree, lights, and every day decor.
One of many issues we routinely speak up about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together is the distinctive ambiance–our favourite factor concerning the occasion is just being there. Seeing the snowfall on Most important Road, listening to Jolly Previous Saint Nicholas in Fantasyland, having fun with the moody lighting and particular projections, free-roaming characters having enjoyable–all of it simply places a smile on my face.
None of that’s nostalgia speaking. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together has mastered its temper, and that’s an enormous purpose why so many individuals love that social gathering. Even the lands that aren’t very Christmassy–like Adventureland and Tomorrowland–get into the temper by way of projections, music and extra.
The most important misfire of Disney Jollywood Nights for me final 12 months was the vibe. A number of areas of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like full ghost cities. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge felt like a barren planet. Toy Story Land had nearly nothing occurring for Disney Jollywood Nights. The 2 hottest elements of the park provided nothing.
Even lands that ostensibly have been taking part in Disney Jollywood Nights have been fairly unhappy. We don’t usually spend a lot time in Animation Courtyard–as a result of why would we?!–and this occasion was a superb reminder of that. It felt like a useless mall making an attempt to reinvent itself by including a Spirit Halloween Christmas.
Echo Lake was a vibrant spot, however not due to Disney Jollywood Nights–it’s at all times a sleeper throughout the vacation season. Similar goes for Sundown Boulevard, however that’s as a result of nearly the entire substantive choices have been on this space of the park. Hollywood Boulevard was additionally completely nice, however nothing like Most important Road.
Solely small pockets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like they have been open for enterprise, a lot much less actively celebrating Christmas. Once more, this can be a common ole DHS drawback, however it’s amplified whenever you scale back the park capability and fake there’s a celebration occurring. It simply didn’t have the vitality. A few of this seems it’ll be fastened for the 2024 Disney Jollywood Nights, however it’s laborious to fathom it’ll be sufficient to tip the scales.
Crowds: Disney Jollywood Nights – It’s exceeding tough for the common attendee of both of those events to do every thing in a single night time. Likelihood is, you received’t have the ability to meet each single character, see the stage reveals, fireworks, different leisure–by no means thoughts doing rides along with the party-specific stuff. However which is extra difficult? The place are crowds worse?
There’s a model of this the place the reply is “it relies upon.” Somebody on the market may need very particular priorities that make Disney Jollywood Nights the more severe of the 2 occasions for crowds. This may possible be the case if consuming or particular meals are your prime precedence, because the worst strains final 12 months throughout DJN have been for the bars. I don’t suppose that’s the common first-timer, although. (Particularly the common first-timer debating between the 2, since MVMCP doesn’t actually have a consuming element.)
For the overwhelming majority of attendees, Disney Jollywood Nights goes to be the much less crowded and laid again expertise. On common, there’s much less congestion, it’s simpler to see the leisure, experience wait instances are minimal, and there are not any areas of the park which have wherever close to the extent of congestion as Most important Road at Magic Kingdom between the primary and final parade.
Even MVMCP isn’t as unhealthy as its notion, which relies on 2018-2019 when events have been arguably oversold (see final 12 months’s publish, Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together Much less Crowded?!). Regardless, Disney Jollywood Nights is mostly decrease stress and decrease stakes, extra like an After Hours occasion with a Christmas twist.
General: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together – In the end, our ‘verdict’ can be that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together is the superior occasion for first-timers or Disney followers who get to the parks on an rare foundation. It’s truthfully not even a remotely shut name. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together is the quintessential vacation time expertise at Walt Disney World.
A lot concerning the occasion is iconic, and the idea for advertising supplies for Christmas at WDW. There’s a purpose the social gathering hasn’t modified all that a lot within the final decade–since you don’t mess with perfection. Positive, this has resulted in some WDW diehards who’ve gone repeatedly to change into burnt out and need one thing recent–however if you happen to’re studying this and are on the fence about which to attend, that most likely doesn’t describe you!
To make sure, Disney Jollywood Nights has its promoting factors. It’s a extra refined and complicated social gathering, in some methods, which will attraction to sure segments of parkgoers, even rare ones. When you’re searching for an Previous Hollywood occasion with the glitz and glamor of Tinseltown throughout the holidays–full with extra grownup choices and consuming, then a robust case could possibly be made for Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s additionally one thing to be mentioned for its upstart nature, and the chance that it’ll be markedly improved in 2024 as Disney appears to enhance perceptions (and ticket gross sales). There’s no resting on its laurels in relation to Disney Jollywood Nights, that’s for certain!
It’s not simply doubtlessly increased upside, although. As we realized final 12 months, there’s additionally extra draw back threat to Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s loads about it that’s taste-specific which will sound nice on paper, however could not resonate with you in particular person. Not solely that, however in solely its sophomore season, there are additionally a ton of unknowns. Amongst these are precise attendance, potential good & unhealthy modifications, strains for the characters and stage reveals, and doubtless extra I haven’t even thought of.
Possibly Disney Jollywood Nights is price it to you from a risk-reward perspective. It actually is to us, and we’re actually trying ahead to making an attempt this Christmas social gathering once more in its second 12 months. In reality, we’re each extra enthusiastic about Disney Jollywood Nights than we’re MVMCP. However I additionally know that I have been a Walt Disney World first-timer and had thus by no means attended both occasion, the one that might be proper for us would, definitely, be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together. It’s not even a remotely shut name. MVMCP is so clearly the protected and proper alternative for first-timers that this whole publish appears superfluous. Then once more, not everybody has our preferences and priorities, so the point-by-point breakdown will hopefully be useful in serving to others make their choice about which to attend.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Get together or Disney Jollywood Nights? Which did you suppose had the higher environment, characters, fireworks, meals, leisure, and so forth? Would you fairly spend the night doing an occasion in Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios throughout the vacation season at Walt Disney World? Do you disagree with any of our recommendation and assessments? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
