Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party vs. Jollywood Nights: Which One Is Worth Your Money in Disney World?

If you’re anything like me, you’re savvy with how you budget to spend on experiences at Disney World, so why would comparing Disney’s holiday events be any different?

Disney’s holiday events for Disney’s Jollywood Nights and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties have finally held their first rounds of parties leaving us with lots of questions. Which one has the best treats? Which has the best entertainment and fireworks? Which is the best to see characters? I hope you’re ready because we’re about to break it all down for BOTH!

The holiday season at Disney World swooped in on us hard this year yielding not one but TWO completely different special-event parties to attend. if you’re finding it hard to decide which one is worth your time (and money), take it from someone who was able to attend BOTH, because I have thoughts.

Before we can get into comparing each of these parties you’ll need to understand they couldn’t be more opposite of each other in terms of holiday feel.

Overview

Disney’s Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a bit more mature vibe with a particular penchant for the glory days of Hollywood and exclusive experiences to boot.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has a much more whimsical atmosphere in Magic Kingdom where you’ll be caroling down Main Street, U.S.A. sipping on hot chocolate in your festive pajamas.

Now that you have a general overview of the vibe of both, let’s get to comparing!

Food

For the most part, our team and I noticed more savory options offered during Disney’s Jollywood Nights compared to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party which was a huge plus against a ton of sweet treats and desserts like we’ve come to expect at a holiday party.

Where it fell short for nearly all of us here is that the savory options didn’t feel very “festive” or bright and took on more of a general Autumn tone.

The treats we had at Disney’s Jollywood Nights tasted great and didn’t break the bank for us either, which was a nice take because we’re used to a bit pricer desserts offered during MVMCP.

Ultimately though, MVMCP has more elaborate treats and sweets that are adorably themed and tasty.

Read EVERY snack review from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party here!

While there is less balance between sweet and savory, there is more festivity here.

The complimentary cookies and drinks around the park that I personally made my entire night’s mission to try out deserve some very high points.

These treats felt beyond just a free snack and I could tell that Disney did try to bring something different to this year’s cookie offerings when I noticed that they had swapped one of the sugar cookies with icing flavors out for a red velvet cookie (which was absolutely delicious by the way)!

Read EVERY snack review from Jollywood Nights here!

Entertainment

Ok, this one may be comparing apples to oranges but allow us to try.

The shows and live entertainment stationed throughout the park at Disney’s Jollywood Nights stole the whole night. It’s all anyone could talk about and our team is STILL talking about Disney Holidays in Hollywood and What’s This: The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along?

Did we fall head over heels with some of the entertainment here? Yes, hard… BUT, when you compare them to entertainment heavy hitters like Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show in front of Cinderella Castle those are some BIG shoes to compete against.

For their respective parks, each of these entertainment offerings worked their magic in their intended theming. Disney’s Jollywood Nights focused on more of an old Hollywood glitz and glam feel along with popular movie IPs. At the same time, MVMCP leaned more into the nostalgic traditional comforts of cozy PJs, warm treats, and Christmas carols.

I was so excited to see the epic return of the popular Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! fireworks, and projection display on the Chinese theater in the main courtyard. However, you really want to consider the biggest genetic makeup of this show is your ability to follow the storyline within the full show, otherwise, you may find yourself a bit lost on what’s going on.

There are flares and fireworks but they pale in comparison to Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks display.

This display blasts a full spectacle of projections, lights, and fireworks at Cinderella Castle AND the perimeter around the Magic Kingdom. With the majority of its soundtrack made of traditional caroling tunes, it’s not nearly as pertinent to keep up with what’s currently going on in the display aside from being wowed by what’s right in front of your eyes from scene to scene.

When I think about comparing characters, obviously MVMCP takes the cake for quantity. But if you’ve ever attended this event before (or even attended a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party), you’ve likely seen most of the same characters at each of these Magic Kingdom parties, just in different outfits.

This is where Disney’s Jollywood Nights really shined for us with more RARE characters like Phineas, Ferb…

…and the throwback of Powerline Max.

Crowds

You’ve heard us say this over and over and I can tell you from first-hand experience, it was even WORSE in person — we’ve gotta talk about the wristband situation at Disney’s Jollywood Nights.

I get it, it was a new experience like we’ve never seen before and I think Disney would be willing to say there were a few kinks to work out. However, the wristband distribution could not have gone any less smoothly. Our team found themselves in line for the better part of 45+ minutes AFTER they were let into the park which significantly cut into the “early” entry time before the party officially subsided.

It wasn’t all bad here though because that wristband line did eventually subside, but it could put a damper on your plans if you were planning to make good use of that time early on. MVMCP takes the win here because you’re able to enter multiple hours earlier than the party’s official start time and there were multiple wristband stops inside the park for those who were already enjoying the park on a regular day ticket versus one location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

We’ve got whole posts dedicated to the lines for food and experiences here but again, we’re hoping that was just due to the newness of the event for Disney’s Jollywood Nights.

However, both parties were pretty crowded but I think the lines for the exclusive experiences and food at Disney’s Jollywood Nights left a lingering impression that’s hard to ignore.

MVMCP is held at a larger park with more to do between entertainment and rides so there’s just more room to spread out except for the crowds for fireworks and parades.

Overall

Overall I think for the similar price tag, you’re going to get more “value” in quantity for your money by opting for a ticket to MVMCP.

But, if you’re looking for something new, exciting, and different then you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by the entertainment and atmosphere like we did at Disney’s Jollywood Nights.

Be sure to check back with us at AllEars.net for the latest in Disney holiday happenings.

Go HERE for a Good Time During Disney’s NEW Jollywood Nights Holiday Party

Which of the Disney World holiday-ticketed events do you enjoy the most? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

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