What a wonderful day to celebrate the start of the holiday season at Disney World!
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
Weāve been enjoying the holiday decorations at the parks AND the holiday foods, and we are SO ready for the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays later this month. But tonight, weāre LIVE at the very first Disney Very Merriest After Hours Party!
Disney Very Merriest After Hours and Pricing
This special Magic KingdomĀ event requires a separate ticket for entry and will be happening on select nights TONIGHT (November 8th) through December 21st. The party runs for four hours after the park closes (from 9PM to 1AM), but guests with tickets can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 7PM.Ā
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
Tickets range fromĀ $169 to $249 depending on the date, and include access to Magic Kingdom AFTER HOURS, special eats, holiday entertainment, and more! So, letās see EVERYTHING there is to see. Weāll be updating this post throughout the event, so keep checking back to follow along!
Getting Started
We arrived in Disneyās Magic Kingdom around 7PM to check out some of the decorations and more ahead of the eventās official start at 9PM.
šWe are HERE and ready for the first Very Merriest After Hours! āØ pic.twitter.com/GO5CyonoUO
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Disney Very Merriest After Hours
There are some neat projections on the ground to welcome guests as well.
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
We snagged a guide to Disney Very Merriest After HoursĀ and headed inside.
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
Letās goooooo!
šā¤ļø Weāve got our Very Merriest map and off we go! #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/z5EA8MABvP
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Disney Very Merriest After Hours
Remember, tonightās event is SOLD OUT. There was some signage to note this as well.
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
Arriving early means you get a chance to watch Disney Enchantment before the park closes.
Disney Enchantment š#verymerriest pic.twitter.com/8rchFHkJKU
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Crowds
There was a solid crowd heading to the entrance around 7PM!
Crowds
Keep in mind that crowds do tend to disperse once youāre past the front gates.
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
The party was certainly a happeninā event and crowds were heavier in some places.
Crowds
But the pinch points, especially around entertainment, could be very crowded!
Crowds
Still, with around 20 attractions open, the longest wait was 25 minutes as of 10:30PM (for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Panās Flight).
Click here to see more about crowds at the event!
Entertainment
Prior to the event, we noticed some entertainment getting set like the Club Tinsel Dance Party in Tomorrowland.
š¶ Soundcheck for the Club Tinsel Dance Party! šŗ pic.twitter.com/UieU5RSWWw
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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š Get ready to DANCEā¼ļø #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/yOhXT89gzo
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Aināt no party like a SNOW party! āļø #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/kXrL2UAgiz
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Stitch got the moves! šŗ pic.twitter.com/sYaLeh5EfG
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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āØNEW SHOWāØ āMickey & Minnieās Very Merry Memoriesā š pic.twitter.com/SJVEV1V9MI
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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ā¼ļøDIVA in the houuuuse! š#verymerriest pic.twitter.com/7XvFoI3Y1Q
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Want to see more of the stage show? Click here!
Later, we were overjoyed to spot the return of Mickeyās Once Upon a Christmastime Parade!
Parades are BACK! š #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/7xYf6WGiqG
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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š¶ Once Upon A Christmastime š¶ pic.twitter.com/cN0dE8HMnJ
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Click here to see more of the return of parades!
Looking for some more tunes? Look no further than a performance by the talented Reindeer Wranglers!
Sound on š for the Reindeer Wranglers š¦ #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/0DxMLqR5M7
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Just 10 minutes to go before fireworks š„ (sound on for the announcement) pic.twitter.com/j3Wubua7J3
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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š„ Minnieās Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks! (sound ON for a delightful dose of holiday cheer!)š„ #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/Pf90hYmFcT
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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šššš pic.twitter.com/sfoP7SNZAr
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Cast Members are truly the Magic ā¤ļøš #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/WfBcEiYB9Z
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Want to see all the entertainment at the event? Click here!
Characters
The first familiar face that we spotted at the party was perhaps the most iconic of them all. Itās Santa Claus!
šØ Look who we found! #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/KoFgmQ3fEF
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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SANTAAAA! š #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/TzZDmpsRDT
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Click here to see more of Santa in Magic Kingdom!
Outside of Crystal Palace, we spotted Winnie the Pooh and Tigger all bundled up!
Pooh and Tigger looking cozy and warm in their winter scarvesš§£! #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/MeldNo6Q9W
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Eeyore and Piglet joininā in on the party! š #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/rjLGNylrCC
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Howdy folks! šš¼ Itās the Country Bears! #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/wBoPRArr75
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Captain Hook and Mr. Smee! š“āā ļø #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/CIX5IMmVbG
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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šš¼ Tweedledee & Tweedledum! pic.twitter.com/ry4iVDAnd0
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Food
Letās talk exclusive party eats! Our first snack of the night was the Orange Bird Churro at one of the hub Churro Carts!
The Orange Bird Churro! #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/ivTLiGgiSQ
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Want to see our review of this churro? Click here!
Our next stop, Sleepy Hollow Refreshments brought us the Ginger Apple Funnel Cake!
Ginger Apple Funnel Cake from Sleepy Hollow Refreshments! pic.twitter.com/UPAOaoFKjp
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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To see our full review of this funnel cake, click here!
We also tried out some pretty stellar options at Golden Oak Outpost.
Gingerbread Almond Cake Pop
Letās just say that gingerbread was a theme in the treats at this event!
Want to see our review of the Golden Oak treats? Click here!
Your ticket to the event also nets you some free snacks and drinks.
Get all the Mickeyās Premium Bars your heart desires!
We hope youāre in the mood for ice cream and popcorn!
Want to see everything you can get for free at the event? Click here!
Decorations
Disney Very Merriest After Hours features all of the beautiful Magic Kingdom decorations you can see all day long ā but lit up to glow in the nighttime!
Magic Kingdom
Later, it even started SNOWING on Main Street! Florida snow is made with soap so we affectionally call it, āsnoap.ā
āļø Itās SNOWING on Main Street, U.S.A! š¤ pic.twitter.com/f0j4UK2Iw0
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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šāItās the most wonderful time of the year!ā š¶ #verymerriest pic.twitter.com/ocs4zR2K8p
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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āļø š š pic.twitter.com/oCiq5Fy3A0
ā Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 9, 2021
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Click here to learn more about Disney Very Merriest After Hours!
DON'T MISS A MOMENT
OF HOLIDAY MAGIC
Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World.
It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including:
- The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season
- How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)
- ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.
- And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat!
Save 20% on theĀ Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT.
MORE Disney World Holiday INFO!
Learn About Mickeyās Very Merry Christmas Party
Get All the Details About Disney Jollywood Nights
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
Will you be attending one of the Very Merriest After Hours parties? Let us know in the comments!
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The parades look like festive Covid super-spreader events. Shame on Disney for being part of the problem.
Weāre the country bears in the Holiday setting.? The holiday show was so much better than the summer show.
Overall, was it worth the price for 4 hours of MK at double the day priceā¦?
AJ and the rest of the DFG gang are to be congratulated for this wonderful peek into the Christmas Event. I watched every video clip and āfeel like I was thereā. You guys are so great.
Lee, that means the world. Sharing your compliment with the team. š
I have to agree with Lee! Iām a travel agent and I watch all of your videos and read lots of your valuable information! I canāt tell you how helpful it is to keep me totally abreast of all things Disney! You all are beyond AWESOME and your hard work is deeply appreciated! It has helped me multiple times while sending clients off on their Disney trips! Kudos for all you do! It makes my job a piece of cake!
Thanks so much, Terri! Iām going to share your comments with the team. š