There are two enormous vacation season onerous ticket occasions at Walt Disney World: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion 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 might be a superb time to make this comparability so you may decide which is likely to be best for you. With that stated, 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 reasonably than the start.
Second, Jollywood Nights is making much more adjustments and additions for Christmas 2024. We’re assuming it’ll be higher because of this, however that actually doesn’t issue into the classes that every occasion “wins” and even the final word verdict. However, it’s an incomplete or imperfect comparability, which is nearly as good as you’re going to get if you need one thing sensible that can assist you determine which tickets to buy. In the event you look forward to our precise evaluations of the 2024 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion and Jollywood Nights, there’s an opportunity your dates will already be bought out.
One closing factor we wish to warn in opposition to is baked in biases of Walt Disney World diehards. This cuts each methods. On the one hand, plenty of followers maintain large nostalgia for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, 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 recollections on the occasion and maintain a lot sentimentality in direction of it that I can not think about not doing MVMCP…whilst ticket costs explode and never a lot adjustments.
Alternatively, there are those that are, primarily, the precise reverse. They’ve been across the block with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, and are prepared for one thing new. Disney Jollywood Nights is new. It is extremely, very totally different from MVMCP. In consequence, plenty of longtime followers who really feel that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is drained or stale is likely to be predisposed to preferring Jollywood Nights on the idea of it being recent and new-to-them.
However that’s the perspective of a blogger, vlogger, or Walt Disney World diehard fan. It’s not consultant of the typical 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 Occasion and Disney Jollywood Nights: which ought to an rare or first-time Walt Disney World visitor attend?
Time: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion – Walt Disney World is transferring in the correct route with Disney Jollywood Nights, making it a 5-hour vacation occasion 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 Occasion. The occasion period 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 provides company time to knock out favourite points of interest 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 Occasion – No refreshments are included with the worth of your occasion ticket to Disney Jollywood Nights. That is in sharp distinction to After Hours, a serious 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 Occasion, which presents “free” limitless Christmas cookies, sizzling chocolate, and different vacation refreshments. MVMCP additionally presents particular menus at varied 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 wish to promote you extra meals when you’re on the occasion. We discovered a few of that meals to be positive, however truthfully, we’re not paying over $100 or utilizing our restricted occasion time to spend much more cash on meals. We doubt many company are. The free cookies and sizzling cocoa at MVMCP are the way in which to go–and what Disney Jollywood Nights must be doing, too.
Parade: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion – That is a simple one since solely Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion has a parade within the first place, so it wins by default. In the event you love parades, MVMCP is the Christmas occasion you need to select.
However let’s fake, for no matter motive, that you just’re on the fence in regards to the ‘significance’ of this class. Possibly you’re not essentially a parade individual, however are open to watching one if it’s actually good.
Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade (MOUACP) is absolutely 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 superb, making for a parade that by no means overstays its welcome and truly leaves you wanting extra. About the one “weak spot” 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 among the finest 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 Occasion – It is a nearer name than it must 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 among the definitive experiences at Walt Disney World, and as long as the music is sweet sufficient, the vast majority of company will take pleasure in it. That’s how Disney Enchantment managed respectable visitor satisfaction scores total regardless of being very low relative to previous Magic Kingdom fireworks reveals.
Comparable story right here. Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks are a current addition, and showcase pyro plus projections. Whereas longtime followers would possibly argue that this present is inferior to Vacation Needs in some methods, it’s ok. Just like the music “Great Christmastime,” it’s schmaltzy and foolish. (My unpopular opinion about each the fireworks and the music is that they’re good, truly. However I do know there are many haters on the market.)
It’s an analogous 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 Great Christmastime Fireworks much more–however by no means say no to both of those reveals.
It additionally helps that Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks has much more pyro–together with perimeter bursts that encompass Cinderella Fortress. On steadiness, not solely is Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks the superior present, however in a contest between two nighttime spectaculars that garner combined evaluations, 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 Occasion. In relation to DJN, the third of those stage reveals is described by Walt Disney World as a stunning 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.
It is a wild card, with its high quality, scale and scope all being unknowns. However it 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 superb to nice.
The spotlight of the stage reveals throughout DJN is Holidays in Hollywood, a vignette selection displaying that includes appearances from particular visitor stars, together with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Tiana, Belle, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse—accompanied by a gifted solid of singers, dancers and jazz musicians. Holidays in Hollywood is improbable. Nice choreography, music, staging–the whole lot. It’s one of many high 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 would possibly anticipate. The silent performers are excellent, 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 Occasion, 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 one of the best stage present on this listing (and #2 total after Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular) and it rises to that spot due to a superb combination of sentimentality and custom plus popular culture and wonderful music choices. It’s without delay precisely what you’d anticipate and delightfully surprising with one thing for everybody, from youngsters to adults.
Though Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is #1 total, the truth that Disney Jollywood Nights has (at the least) two superb to nice stage reveals to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion’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 plenty of what provides DJN its extra subtle 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 all of that at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion.
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 assume any of those choices are nearly as good as Twilight Soirée on the Tip High Membership, however the audiences are completely totally 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 – It is a robust one. At the same time as a longtime Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion attendee with plenty of fond recollections 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 Occasion. 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 Occasion are additionally obtainable throughout an everyday day at Magic Kingdom (generally they’re merely “enhanced” with the addition of scarves). MVMCP has a few dozen uncommon characters–which means characters who seldom seem throughout the day or have distinct costumes (for instance, we’d depend Belle in her winter costume) for the occasion.
That’s roughly the identical quantity as at Disney Jollywood Nights. And whereas it’s virtually unattainable for me to be goal about this, I’m personally extra excited in regards to the uncommon character lineup at DJN. There’s Santa Duffy, Phineas and Ferb, Three Caballeros, Toy Story buddies who don’t usually seem, Disney Afternoon characters, Mickey & Buddies in distinctive outfits, and extra. Most first-timers may not care about this eclectic lineup of deep cuts, although, and thus would possibly favor Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. It’s a extremely robust name.
Environment: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion – Just by advantage of being within the fort park as a substitute of the studios park, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion has the rapid edge to win this. There’s simply one thing about seeing Principal Road reworked for the vacations, with an additional layer of lighting and music on high of the tree, lights, and day by day decor.
One of many issues we routinely discuss up about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is the distinctive ambiance–our favourite factor in regards to the occasion is just being there. Seeing the snowstorm on Principal Road, listening to Jolly Outdated 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 Occasion has mastered its temper, and that’s a giant motive why so many individuals love that occasion. Even the lands that aren’t very Christmassy–like Adventureland and Tomorrowland–get into the temper through projections, music and extra.
The largest 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 just about nothing occurring for Disney Jollywood Nights. The 2 hottest components of the park supplied nothing.
Even lands that ostensibly had been collaborating in Disney Jollywood Nights had 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 lifeless mall making an attempt to reinvent itself by including a Spirit Halloween Christmas.
Echo Lake was a vivid 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 just about all the substantive choices had been on this space of the park. Hollywood Boulevard was additionally completely nice, however nothing like Principal Road.
Solely small pockets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like they had been open for enterprise, a lot much less actively celebrating Christmas. Once more, this can be a common ole DHS downside, nevertheless it’s amplified whenever you cut back the park capability and fake there’s a celebration occurring. It simply didn’t have the power. A few of this seems it’ll be fastened for the 2024 Disney Jollywood Nights, nevertheless it’s onerous to fathom it’ll be sufficient to tip the scales.
Crowds: Disney Jollywood Nights – It’s exceeding tough for the typical attendee of both of those events to do the whole lot in a single night time. Chances are high, you gained’t be capable 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 might need very particular priorities that make Disney Jollywood Nights the more severe of the 2 occasions for crowds. This may probably be the case if consuming or particular meals are your high precedence, because the worst traces final 12 months throughout DJN had been for the bars. I don’t assume that’s the typical first-timer, although. (Particularly the typical first-timer debating between the 2, since MVMCP doesn’t actually have a consuming part.)
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, trip wait instances are minimal, and there are not any areas of the park which have wherever close to the extent of congestion as Principal Road at Magic Kingdom between the primary and final parade.
Even MVMCP isn’t as dangerous as its notion, which is predicated on 2018-2019 when events had been arguably oversold (see final 12 months’s submit, Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion Much less Crowded?!). Regardless, Disney Jollywood Nights is usually decrease stress and decrease stakes, extra like an After Hours occasion with a Christmas twist.
General: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion – In the end, our ‘verdict’ can be that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion 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 Occasion is the quintessential vacation time expertise at Walt Disney World.
A lot in regards to the occasion is iconic, and the idea for advertising and marketing supplies for Christmas at WDW. There’s a motive the occasion 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 in the event you’re studying this and are on the fence about which to attend, that most likely doesn’t describe you!
To make certain, Disney Jollywood Nights has its promoting factors. It’s a extra refined and complex occasion, in some methods, that will attraction to sure segments of parkgoers, even rare ones. In the event you’re in search of an Outdated Hollywood occasion with the glitz and glamor of Tinseltown throughout the holidays–full with extra grownup choices and consuming, then a powerful case could possibly be made for Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s additionally one thing to be stated for its upstart nature, and the chance that it’ll be markedly improved in 2024 as Disney appears to be like to enhance perceptions (and ticket gross sales). There’s no resting on its laurels in the case of Disney Jollywood Nights, that’s for certain!
It’s not simply doubtlessly greater upside, although. As we realized final 12 months, there’s additionally extra draw back danger to Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s quite a bit about it that’s taste-specific that will sound nice on paper, however might not resonate with you in individual. Not solely that, however in solely its sophomore season, there are additionally a ton of unknowns. Amongst these are precise attendance, potential good & dangerous adjustments, traces for the characters and stage reveals, and possibly extra I haven’t even thought-about.
Possibly Disney Jollywood Nights is value it to you from a risk-reward perspective. It definitely is to us, and we’re actually wanting ahead to making an attempt this Christmas occasion 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 had been a Walt Disney World first-timer and had thus by no means attended both occasion, the one that will be proper for us would, unquestionably, be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. It’s not even a remotely shut name. MVMCP is so clearly the secure and proper selection for first-timers that this whole submit 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 resolution about which to attend.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion or Disney Jollywood Nights? Which did you assume had the higher environment, characters, fireworks, meals, leisure, and so on? Would you reasonably 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 under within the feedback!