Tips for Meeting Characters During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013

We’ve created two new touring plans for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2013. This collection of touring tips and advice is designed for you to meet as many characters as possible, and see as many of the Party’s shows as possible.

Below you’ll find two touring plans. One is for families arriving at 4 pm, when guests with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets can get into the Magic Kingdom. The other plan is for families arriving at 7 pm when the party starts officially. You’ll also find the 2013 MVMCP entertainment schedule and guide to locations serving free holiday treats.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Touring Plan – 4 PM Start

Includes character greetings for Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, characters from Aladdin (either Aladdin and Abu or Jasmine and Genie), a couple of Disney princesses, and the Seven Dwarfs. With a little luck you’ll also see Captain Jack Sparrow and Toy Story’s Woody, Jessie and Bullseye.

You’ll see more characters by knowing which ones are available all day, and which are only available during the party. For the plan that starts at 4 pm, you’ll spend the first couple of hours visiting characters such as Mickey Mouse, who are available throughout the day. That will leave the rest of the evening to see characters that are only available during the Party.

One of the longest lines at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is one to meet the Seven Dwarfs in Fantasyland. The line to meet the Seven Dwarfs can start forming as early as 5:30 or 6 pm, when most families start thinking about dinner. You’ve got a couple of options:

• Eat a late lunch and bring packaged snacks and drinks to nosh on while you’re meeting characters
• Have one member of your group stand in line for the Seven Dwarfs while another person takes kids for food

Step 1 Start the plan by entering the Magic Kingdom at 4 pm. Once you pass through the tunnels of the Walt Disney World Railroad’s Main Street station, you’ll see Santa Claus meeting guests near the flagpole in the middle of Main Street. The wait to see Santa should be less than 20 minutes, so see him now.

Step 2 Next, see Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater on Main Street. Waits should be under 15 minutes. It should be around 4:30 pm when you get in line.

Step 3 Head to Adventureland to meet the characters from Aladdin. They’re usually available throughout the day until around 5:15 or 5:30 pm on Party days. The characters set up at the Agrabah Bazar, between the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Frontierland’s Country Bear Jamboree. You’ll either see Aladdin and Abu or Jasmine and Genie. You should be in line for the Aladdin characters around 4:30 pm, and done by 4:55 pm.

Step 4 We’re headed to Storybook Circus in Fantasyland to see Minnie and Daisy. You can either take the train from Frontierland (above the entrance to Splash Mountain) or walk.  If you walk, take the path that goes by the Merida meet-and-greet at Fairytale Garden, between Cinderella Castle and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. You should be there a little after 5 pm, with plenty of time to see Merida – the wait should be under 20 minutes.

Step 5 After Merida, meet Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck at Pete’s Silly Sideshow in Storybook Circus. Scrooge McDuck will be near here once the party starts, too, in case you want to come back. You should arrive at Pete’s Silly Sideshow around 5:30 pm and be done around 6 pm.

Check Lines to see the wait to meet the Princesses at Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland. Unless the wait is under 30 minutes (it rarely is), wait until after Holiday Wishes to see the princesses.

Step 6 Head to Liberty Square to meet Tiana. From Storybook Circus, take the walkway to the right of Cinderella Castle leading to Liberty Square, which cuts in front of the Sleepy Hollow snack stand. Just past Sleepy Hollow and behind the Christmas shop is Tiana’s meeting spot. If Tiana is out and the line is short, stop by for a photo. The wait to meet Tiana should be under 15 minutes.

Step 7 If you’ve not already done so, grab a snack from one of the snack carts (or -better yet – send someone from your group) on the way to get in line for the Seven Dwarfs, near the new castle walls separating old and new Fantasyland. The nearest counter-service restaurants are the Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland and the Columbia Harbour House in Liberty Square. The line to see the Seven Dwarfs can reach an hour or more once the party starts, so try to be in line by 6:30 pm.

Step 8 You should be done seeing the Seven Dwarfs by 7:30 pm. You’ve got a couple of options at that point:

• If you plan to stay in the park past the 9:30 Holiday Wishes fireworks, then grab a snack and a drink and find a spot on Main Street for the 8:15 pm Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.
• If you’re not staying past Holiday Wishes, go see the 7:45 pm Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show in Tomorrowland, and then get a last-minute spot for the 8:15 pm parade on Main Street. The parade starts in Frontierland at 8:15 pm, so you’ve got a few minutes to hit the restrooms before the parade floats start to appear on Main Street.

Step 9 Immediately after the parade is a good time to meet the Disney princesses over at Princess Fairytale Hall. If you’re there by 8:50 pm the lines should be under 30 minutes, giving you enough time to see Holiday Wishes at 9:30. If the wait is more than 30 minutes, you can always stay on Main Street USA and catch the Celebrate the Magic castle show at 9:15 pm.

Step 10 See the 9:30 pm Holiday Wishes from Main Street USA.

Step 11 If you’ve not already done so, see the Disney princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland. The waits should be under 30 minutes and you should be done just before 10:30 pm.

Step 12 See Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet across from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasyland.

Step 13 Check to see if Minnie Mouse is out wearing her Christmas outfit along the wall between Pooh and Pinocchio Village Haus. You’re headed through Frontierland and Adventureland on your way back toward the front of the park, and along the way we’ll stop for a couple more character meets.

Step 14 Meet the Country Bears out in front of Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland. You should arrive around 11:20 pm and there should be little or no wait. You may also see Woody, Jessie or Bullseye at Woody’s Hootin’ Holiday Open House at the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon in Liberty Square.

Step 15 Round Frontierland and walk into Adventureland near Pirates of the Caribbean. Keep a weather eye open for Captain Jack Sparrow, who meets guests in front of Pirates. You should have enough time to get in line to meet Captain Jack before the party ends at midnight.

Step 16 If it’s not yet midnight, take the new holiday-themed Jingle Cruise in Adventureland after you meet Jack Sparrow. Video of the new Christmas-themed Jingle Cruise overlay is here.

 

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Touring Plan – 7 PM Start

Includes character experiences for Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, characters from Aladdin (either Aladdin and Abu or Jasmine and Genie), a couple of Disney princesses, and the Seven Dwarfs. With a little luck you’ll also see some Disney princesses, the Seven Dwarfs, and Santa Claus.

This plan focuses on popular characters and exclusive Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party events, including the Once Upon a Christmastime parade, Holiday Wishes fireworks, the Club Tinsel Dance Party.

Step 1 Start the plan by entering the Magic Kingdom at 7 pm. Once you pass through the tunnels of the Walt Disney World Railroad’s Main Street station, visit Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater on Main Street. Waits should be under 20 minutes.

Step 2 Make your way to Tomorrowland and see the first performance of the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show at 7:45. The first performance is usually the least crowded.

Step 3 See Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale at the Club Tinsel Dance Party at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. It should be around 8:10 pm and you should be able to see all of the characters in about 25 minutes or so.

Step 4 Around 8:35 pm, head for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasyland by walking through Tomorrowland, keeping the Tomorrowland Speedway on your right. Make a left turn just past the Mad Tea Party, and look for Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet across from Pooh’s ride. The waits for these characters should be 15 minutes or less. If these characters are more important to your family, though, you can leave the Club Tinsel party a little earlier just to be safe.

Step 6 Around 9 pm, it’s time to find a spot on Main Street in front of Cinderella Castle, for the Celebrate the Magic Christmas Show. You’ll be on Main Street until just before 10 pm, because the Holiday Wishes fireworks will kick off just after Celebrate the Magic. If you need to, grab a snack or hit the restrooms on the way to Celebrate the Magic.

Step 7 You’ve got enough time before the second parade to hop over to Adventureland and see the characters from Aladdin, between the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Frontierland’s Country Bear Jamboree. You’ll either see Aladdin and Abu or Jasmine and Genie. You should be in line for the Aladdin characters around 10 pm, and done by 10:25.

Step 8 It’s time to find a spot for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. If you’re running early, you might be able to find a good spot along the storefront side of Frontierland (the parade starts in Frontierland). If you need a little more time, head for Main Street – it takes the parade floats 7 to 10 minutes to get to the beginning of Main Street from Frontierland.

Step 9 Once the parade is over, make a quick trip over to Fantasyland to see the Disney princesses at Princess Fairytale Hall. Waits should be around 30 minutes, and you should be done around 11:30 pm.

Step 10 The most difficult-to-see character greeting may be the Seven Dwarfs, and the line to see them isn’t going to be any shorter than it is now, about 25 minutes before the Party ends. Get in line to see the Seven Dwarfs. It may be past midnight when you’re done.

Step 11 On the way out, check to see if Santa Claus is still available for photos, at the flagpole on Main Street. If he is, tell him how good you’ve been all year and get a picture with the big guy.

 

Entertainment Schedule For Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Event	Location	Time
Celebrate the Magic Christmas Show	Main Street Castle Forecourt; display on Cinderella Castle	9:15 pm
Celebrate the Season (stage show)	Main Street Castle Forecourt	7:45, 10:05, and 11:20 pm
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade	Starts in Frontierland, ends on Main Street	8:15, 10:30 pm
Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show	Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland	7:45, 8:45, 9:55, 10:50 and 11:45 pm
Holiday Wishes fireworks	Main Street, USA	9:30 pm
Woody’s Hootin’ Holiday Open House (a dance party)	Diamond Horseshoe Saloon in Liberty Square	Runs continuously, characters are Woody, Jessie and Bullseye
Club Tinsel Dance Party	Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland	Runs continuously; characters include Goofy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale

 

Need a snack during the party? Here’s where to find free holiday treats!

Where to Find Holiday Treats for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Healthy options are available by request

Restaurant	Location	Party Hours
Crystal Palace (buffet)	Main Street USA	9 pm – 11 pm
Sunshine Tree Terrace (counter service)	Adventureland	7 pm – 11 pm
Tortuga Tavern (counter service)	Adventureland	7 pm – 11 pm
Columbia Harbour House (counter service)	Liberty Square	7 pm – 12 midnight
Pinocchio Village Haus (counter service)	Fantasyland	7 pm – 10:30 pm
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (counter service)	Tomorrowland	8 pm – 12 midnight
Tomorrowland Terrace (counter service)	Tomorrowland	7 pm – 12 midnight