Crowds at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

by Amy
(Wadsworth, OH)

Hey Dad,
We are going to Walt Disney World from Nov 28th-Dec4th. I was very excited to get tickets to Mickeys Christmas Party. I took your advice and got the tickets for Sunday night November 28th the day we arrive as not to double pay for the day.

My question is regarding crowds. I have been reading some reviews and many complain about crowds being a problem. I wasn't expecting that considering there are limited tickets available. So I am wondering what you think the crowds at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will be like that night, and what have your experiences been? I am worried because it is the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend. Also read some review that many "non-payers" sneak into the party. is this accurate?

We are really looking forward to this even and I am hoping you can ease my fears about the crowds that night.

Amy

Dad's here we go again Answer

Hi, Amy, Thanks for taking the time to send Dad a great question.

Let me say right off the bat Amy, that I'm going to say some things that are kinda unkind about those people who post in some of the Disney forums. Let me assure you, I am not talking about you. You are just trying to get the best information you can for your family. That's a great thing, and you've come to the right source for that.

Now about those (insert unkind word here) people that write stuff in forums. People in forums sometimes post things that are a bit exaggerated. I know, I used to be one of those people. When you post in a forum, the idea is to generate conversation and controversy. So what is a small to medium crowd becomes a huge mass of people that keeps you from riding all the rides. So all of the sudden you are talking about a wild mob, when really things were only as busy as a typical February day.

Dad has talked about this "so-called" expert phenomenon before ...

Dad's Walt Disney World crowd rant

So, now that I have that out of my system, here is the answer to your question about Crowds at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I just checked, there are tickets remaining for your Party. So what does that mean? That means that there are less than (some secret number thought to be 20,000) people in the park for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

So, Dad is that a big crowd? You asked about our experience. Because of school holidays and The Princess' birthday, we've gone to the last Christmas Party of the year a couple of times. The first time, it was raining and only about 5,000 people were in the park. It was magical. The other time, Disney had added some extra tickets and probably about 30,000 people were at the party. It was busy, but not as crowded as it was the next day. In fact we had Mrs. Moms Mom and Dad with us and they thought everything was very special.

Just like any Magic Kingdom visit, if you want to ride Space Mountain at at the busiest time, you will find a crowd. But if you are smart, you'll be fine.

Will there be Party crashers? I don't know. Maybe, but not enough to make a big difference, and there is nothing you can really do about it, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Dad's Bottom Line

Amy, relax, you will have a great time if you let yourself. A Merry Christmas Party is a magical time. Make sure to walk down Main Street, enjoying the music, marvel at the castle, and scream at the top of your lungs ... I love Disney World!!!

Dad's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party page