For many families, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a yearly Christmas tradition. It just wouldn't be the holidays without experiencing all the magical, festive fun!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a separate ticketed event.  A regular one-park base ticket or park hopper ticket will not get you into the party! 

The Christmas merriment begins at 7 pm, but you may enter the Magic Kingdom at 4 pm.  You will receive a special, Very Merry wristband to identify you as a party guest.  From 4 to 7 pm, you may enjoy all the Magic Kingdom has to offer and at 7 pm the park flips to Christmas party mode! 

Don't forget to pick up a Very Merry guide so you can plan your evening.  You do not want to miss -Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration at Castle Forecourt Stage,
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, and Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show!

Cinderella Castle is always gorgeous during the holiday season; especially when Elsa works her Frozen magic on it!

All your favorite characters join in on the fun and holiday spirit in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade!  

The attention to detail comes out, throughout the park, in the Christmas decorations.  Be sure to notice the changes from one area to the next! I love the Mickey shaped wreaths on Main Street, U.S.A.

​Spy the giant candy cane stick and you know you have found a special holiday treat location! Peppermint, ginger molasses and snickerdoodle cookies are handed out throughout the park at specific locations.  You might also find a snowman pretzel and don't forget your special Welcome Holiday Treat on Market Street! Dancing when you find the candy cane stick is optional!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is on select dates through December 22.  Make sure you buy tickets in advance because some dates are sold out!

I would love to hear your thoughts - have you attended a party this season?  What did you think?  #verymerry #waltdisneyworld #magickingdom #mickeysverymerrychristmasparty

Let's be honest here.  Who among us doesn't like a frightfully, good scare? Ummm, me! I'm more of a Mickey's Not So Scary than a Halloween Horror or Howl-O-Scream kind of a gal so I sent Bill (hubs) and Emily (daughter) to check these ghoulish events out for me!

At first glance, you might think that both events are the same but Howl-O-Scream and Halloween Horror Nights offer vastly different experiences! 

Busch Gardens Insomnia House was a favorite!  Emily says, "there is a room inside this house that the walls move and the characters within the house interact with the guests!" A totally different experience than what you might expect.

At Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Night there were a couple of stand-out houses!  The Trick 'r Treat house was a favorite because it felt most like Halloween, if that makes sense. I think you need to experience it to fully understand!  The Horrors of Blumhouse was interesting because it combines two hit films, Happy Death Days and The First Purge, which makes a nice contrast. It's like you get two houses in one!

Both Halloween Horror Nights and Howl-O-Scream have Scare Zones, but they are slightly different in how they operate.  Halloween Horror Nights has specific areas throughout the park as Scare Zones.  The borders of these Scare Zones are defined.  You walk in and out of them.  At Howl-O-Scream, the entire park is a Scare Zone! There are roaming hordes, character interactions and engagement and characters "stalking" you in queue lines and on the rides.  Don't be scared when you see your coaster riding buddy is a ghoulish monster!