People Keep Comparing Disney’s Exclusive Holiday Parties. Here’s How They Actually Stack Up.

It’s the holiday season in Disney World, and there are dozens of ways to celebrate around the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs!

From Christmas trees and gingerbread displays to limited-time events, you could fill up your entire vacation schedule with holiday happenings. But for those who don’t want to pay the big bucks to go to BOTH of Disney World’s holiday parties, we’re breaking down the differences for you.

The Two Holiday Parties

For the November and December season, there are two hard-ticketed holiday parties you can attend in Disney World. The first is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP), which happens multiple times a week at Magic Kingdom.

The other option is Disney Jollywood Nights, which happens slightly less frequently at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The two parties have different dates, hours, dining offerings, entertainment, characters, and more.

So which one should you choose?

For Families With Children

If you’re traveling with little ones in your party, there’s probably going to be more for them to enjoy at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration are great entertainment offerings for your little ones, and they’ll probably love running around the park and collecting the complimentary cookies and beverages.

On top of that, Magic Kingdom has more kid-friendly rides than Hollywood Studios does, and you can even take them to meet Santa Claus during the party. MVMCP also allows ticket holders to get into the parks at 4PM, so you get an earlier start than you do at Jollywood Nights.

For Adults

Conversely, if you’re traveling with a group of adults, we’d probably recommend Jollywood Nights. It starts a little later, letting ticket holders into the park at 6PM, and the offerings tend to be geared more towards grown-ups, with lots of specialty food and beverage options around the park. Jazzy Holidays at the Brown Derby or the Tip Top Club by Tower of Terror are big picks for those who want that adult vibe.

This party also offers more throwback characters, or characters that adults would appreciate, like Powerline Max, Santa Duffy, and Doctor Strange. Photo ops and dressing up are particular highlights of Jollywood Nights, and they’re definitely something geared more toward the crowd that’s old enough for social media.

For Foodies

If you’re a lover of good food, then you might want to check out Jollywood Nights this year. The event really focuses hard on its exclusive dining options, and though you’ll have to pay for them, some were quite worth the money, in our opinion.

From the bites offered at places like ABC Commissary and Dockside Diner to the exclusive meal you could reserve at the Hollywood Brown Derby, we spent the night eating pretty well, if we do say so ourselves. And don’t even get us started on the plethora of beverage options — there were SO many to choose from! While MVMCP also offers exclusive eats, we just felt that Jollywood was a step above.

For Fans of Classic Disney Christmas

If you have fond memories of Christmas on Main Street, U.S.A. and Mickey Mouse decked out in red and green, then Very Merry is probably the choice for you! There’s nothing quite as classic as watching it snoap in Magic Kingdom, enjoying the holiday parade, snacking on free cookies, or watching holiday fireworks light up the sky above Cinderella Castle.

When people think about Christmas in Disney World, Magic Kingdom’s decorations are likely what first comes to mind. And if this is your first time doing the holidays in Disney World, MVMCP is a great place to start.

For People Who Want Something New

However, if you’ve been to Disney World during the holiday season countless times and you just want something new, Jollywood Nights is the obvious choice. They have excellent entertainment offerings like a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed sing-along, the Glisten! ice-skating spectacular, or a variety show hosted by none other than Kermit and Miss Piggy.

Jollywood also offers unique characters that you won’t find elsewhere (hello Santa Duffy), as well as several different dance parties and special photo ops. It’s a really great change of pace if you’ve done MVMCP in the past.

For Ride Fanatics

Last but not least, we’ve got to talk about the people who are going to the holiday parties to knock out a bunch of rides with low wait times. This was a hard category to decide, but we’ve got to hand it to MVMCP. Partially because Magic Kingdom has more rides than Hollywood Studios, but also because Very Merry has ride overlays, and Jollywood Nights does not.

At Very Merry, you can catch special overlays at Space Mountain, Mad Tea Party, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Not to mention the classic Jingle Cruise overlay is available as well! At Hollywood Studios, the closest you’ll get is some holiday music on Alien Swirling Saucers.

So there you have it — our breakdown of who should go to each holiday party! Let us know which one you’re choosing this year, and stay tuned to AllEars for more holiday news.