There are two vacation arduous ticket occasions at Walt Disney World for 2025: 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 healthier for characters, fireworks, leisure, crowds, and extra. (Up to date August 12, 2025.)
Now that tickets to each Christmas events at Walt Disney World are on sale for 2025, we thought it will be an excellent time to make this comparability so you may decide which is perhaps best for you. With that stated, it does include a few asterisks. First, Jollywood Nights developed and improved final 12 months by leaps and bounds as in comparison with the inaugural occasion. To this point, solely minor tweaks have been introduced for Christmas 2025, so we’re assuming there aren’t main surprises and are evaluating each events as they existed final 12 months.
It’s unlikely the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion will change a lot in any respect. It’s offered out each single night time for the final a number of years, so there’s no incentive to vary. On prime of that, the similarly-situated Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion isn’t altering a lot. Jollywood Nights has the potential for extra surprises on the upside because it didn’t promote out most dates final 12 months, nevertheless it looks as if any materials enhancements would’ve been introduced by now.
Nonetheless, that is an incomplete or imperfect comparability, which is nearly as good as you’re going to get if you would like one thing sensible that can assist you determine which tickets to buy. Should you anticipate our precise opinions of the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion and Jollywood Nights, there’s an opportunity your dates will already be offered out. We’ll be attending the primary occasions on November 7-8, 2025, however by that time final 12 months, a number of MVMCP nights had been already offered out.
One remaining factor we wish to warn towards is baked in biases of Walt Disney World diehards. This cuts each methods. On the one hand, a whole lot of followers maintain super nostalgia for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, having skilled it over the course of a long time. This consists of us–it’s been annual custom since 2007. We’ve made so many nice reminiscences on the occasion and maintain a lot sentimentality in direction of it that I can’t think about not doing MVMCP…whilst ticket costs explode and never a lot modifications.
Then again, 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 vitally, very completely different from MVMCP. In consequence, a whole lot of longtime followers who really feel that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is drained or stale is perhaps predisposed to preferring Jollywood Nights on the idea of it being recent and new-to-them.
However that’s the viewpoint 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 shifting in the correct course with Disney Jollywood Nights, making it a 5-hour vacation occasion from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am, with the mix-in permitting occasion ticket holders to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as 5:30 pm in 2025 (that’s half-hour sooner than final 12 months).
That’s nonetheless inferior to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. The occasion period is similar 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 friends time to knock out favourite sights with brief 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 (However Debatable)
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 gives “free” limitless Christmas cookies, scorching chocolate, and different vacation refreshments. MVMCP additionally gives particular menus at numerous counter service eating places and snack stands, though that is hardly one of many fundamental options of the occasion. We’ve discovered that there’s normally ‘simply sufficient’ on the particular menu entrance to take pleasure in a singular dinner and snack throughout mix-in.
One of many fundamental promoting factors of Disney Jollywood Nights is “shimmering sips and sensational sweets.” The issue is that it is a promoting level, fairly actually, for Disney. They wish to promote you extra meals when you’re on the occasion. We’ve discovered a few of that meals to be effective, however actually, we’re not paying over $100 or utilizing our restricted occasion time to spend much more cash on meals. We doubt many friends are.
The free cookies and scorching cocoa at MVMCP are the way in which to go–and what Disney Jollywood Nights needs to be doing, too. Accordingly, we’d award this win to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, however we all know different followers who strongly favor DJN on this entrance. That’s very true of these desirous to imbibe, which isn’t an possibility (for essentially the most half) at MVMCP.
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. Should you love parades, MVMCP is the Christmas occasion it is best to select.
However let’s faux, for no matter purpose, that you simply’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 admittedly 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 really 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 substitute. To that, I say don’t repair what isn’t damaged. What number of Walt Disney World followers imagine the substitute for Vacation Needs is an precise improve? In brief, watch out what you would like for.
Mickey’s As soon as Upon A Christmastime Parade is likely one of 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 (However Debatable)
9 instances out of 10, fireworks at Magic Kingdom will win over these at Hollywood Studios as a result of the easy actuality is that explosions over Cinderella Fortress have baseline attraction. It’s one among the definitive experiences at Walt Disney World, and as long as the music is sweet sufficient, nearly all of friends will love fireworks from Primary Road.
Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks are a latest addition, and showcase pyro plus projections. Whereas longtime followers may argue that this present is inferior to Vacation Needs in some methods, it’s ok. Just like the tune “Great Christmastime,” it’s schmaltzy and foolish. (My unpopular opinion about each the fireworks and the tune is that they’re good, really. However I do know there are many haters on the market.)
It’s the same story with the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! fireworks at Disney Jollywood Nights. This nighttime spectacular based mostly 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 exhibits.
It additionally helps that Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks has much more pyro–together with perimeter bursts that encompass Cinderella Fortress. On stability, not solely is Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks the superior present, however in a contest between two nighttime spectaculars that garner combined opinions, the Magic Kingdom fireworks will at all times beat the Disney’s Hollywood Studios fireworks.
It’s maybe price noting that Disney Jollywood Nights attendees are additionally in a position to take pleasure in Fantasmic throughout mix-in, whereas MVMCP friends usually are not in a position to see Starlight Evening Parade or Fortunately Ever After. If the comparability is expanded to Fantasmic plus Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM vs. Minnie’s Great Christmastime Fireworks, this win goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s not apples to apples, although.
Stage Reveals: Disney Jollywood Nights
Now we flip to the simple win for Disney Jollywood Nights, which has three stage exhibits to the one at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. The latest present at DJN is Glisten, which is a determine skating presentation on the entrance of the park that’s a pleasant value-add you may take pleasure in at your leisure. It’s above an atmospheric act however under a marquee manufacturing.
The spotlight of the stage exhibits 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 proficient forged of singers, dancers and jazz musicians. Holidays in Hollywood is unbelievable. Nice choreography, music, staging–every thing. It’s one of many prime 3 seasonal stage exhibits 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 approach higher than you may anticipate. The silent performers are very good, 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 checklist (and #2 total after Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular) and it rises to that spot due to an excellent combination of sentimentality and custom plus popular culture and glorious tune alternatives. It’s directly precisely what you’d anticipate and delightfully surprising with one thing for everybody, from youngsters to adults.
Regardless that Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is #1 total, the truth that Disney Jollywood Nights has (no less than) two excellent to nice stage exhibits plus one ‘bonus’ efficiency 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 a wide range 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 a whole lot of what provides DJN its extra refined and refined vacation vibe. I may think about spending a whole 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.
Against this, 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. None of those choices are nearly as good as Twilight Soirée on the Tip High Membership, however the audiences are completely completely different. The target edge goes to Disney Jollywood Nights, however loads of households will favor 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 a whole lot of fond reminiscences 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 absolutely overhauled–it. However, once more, I’m attempting 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 complete. Against this, 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. Quite a lot of the characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion are additionally obtainable throughout a daily day at Magic Kingdom (generally they’re merely “enhanced” with the addition of scarves). MVMCP has a few dozen uncommon characters–that means characters who seldom seem through the day or have distinct costumes (for instance, we’d rely 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 friends who don’t usually seem, Disney Afternoon characters, Mickey & Mates in distinctive outfits, and extra. Most first-timers won’t care about this eclectic lineup of deep cuts, although, and thus may favor Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. It’s a very robust name.
Environment: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion
Just by advantage of being within the fortress park as an alternative of the studios park, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion has the instant edge to win this. There’s simply one thing about seeing Primary Road reworked for the vacations, with an additional layer of lighting and music on prime of the tree, lights, and day by day decor.
One of many issues we routinely speak up about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is the distinctive ambiance–our favourite factor in regards to the occasion is solely being there. Seeing the snowfall on Primary 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 purpose why so many individuals love that occasion. Even the lands that aren’t very Christmassy–like Adventureland and Tomorrowland–get into the temper by way of projections, music and extra.
The most important misfire of Disney Jollywood Nights for me is the vibe. Even with the enhancements final 12 months, a number of areas of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like full ghost cities. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was a barren planet. Toy Story Land had just about nothing happening for Disney Jollywood Nights. The 2 hottest components of the park supplied nothing.
Echo Lake was a shiny spot, however not due to Disney Jollywood Nights–it’s at all times a sleeper through the vacation season. Identical 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 Primary 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, it is a common ole DHS drawback, nevertheless it’s amplified while you scale back the park capability and faux there’s a celebration taking place. It simply didn’t have the power. A few of this seems it’ll be mounted for the 2025 Disney Jollywood Nights, nevertheless it’s arduous 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 every thing in a single night time. Chances are high, you received’t have the ability to meet each single character, see the stage exhibits, 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. It will seemingly be the case if ingesting or particular meals are your prime precedence, because the worst traces final 12 months throughout DJN had been for the bars. I don’t suppose that’s the typical first-timer, although. (Particularly the typical first-timer debating between the 2, since MVMCP doesn’t actually have a ingesting element.)
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, journey wait instances are minimal, and there aren’t any areas of the park which have wherever close to the extent of congestion as Primary Road at Magic Kingdom between the primary and final parade.
Even MVMCP isn’t as dangerous as its notion, which relies on 2018-2019 when events had been arguably oversold (see Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion Much less Crowded?!). Regardless, Disney Jollywood Nights is mostly decrease stress and decrease stakes, extra like an After Hours occasion with a Christmas twist.
Total: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion
Finally, our ‘verdict’ could 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 actually 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 purpose the occasion hasn’t modified all that a lot within the final decade–since you don’t mess with perfection. Certain, this has resulted in some WDW diehards who’ve gone repeatedly to turn out to be burnt out and need one thing recent–however should you’re studying this and are on the fence about which to attend, that in all probability doesn’t describe you!
To make sure, 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. Should you’re searching for an Outdated Hollywood occasion with the glitz and glamor of Tinseltown through the holidays–full with extra grownup choices and ingesting, then a robust case may very well 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 for Christmas 2025 as Disney seems to enhance perceptions. There’s no resting on its laurels relating to Disney Jollywood Nights, that’s for certain! Walt Disney World’s occasion crew is clearly “hungrier” and extra dynamic relating to DJN, that’s for certain.
In its sophomore season, Jollywood Nights made main enhancements, rising by leaps and bounds. With out exaggeration, I might say that the enhancements made to DJN from 2023 to 2024 had been extra important than modifications made to MVMCP from 2014 to 2024. As Jollywood Nights nonetheless struggled to promote tickets final 12 months, it’s solely doable–if not possible–that the occasion will get even higher for 2025.
It’s necessary to level out that there’s additionally extra draw back danger to Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s lots 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 modifications, traces for the characters and stage exhibits, and doubtless extra I haven’t even thought of.
Possibly Disney Jollywood Nights is price it to you from a risk-reward perspective. It actually is to us, and we’re actually trying ahead to attempting this Christmas occasion once more in its second 12 months. In actual fact, 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 might be proper for us would, indubitably, be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion. It’s a crowd-pleaser with extremely excessive visitor satisfaction scores, and a splurge that only a few friends remorse.
In the long run, this isn’t even a remotely shut name for the typical Walt Disney World vacationer and rare guests. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion is so clearly the protected and proper selection for first-timers that this complete submit appears superfluous. It’s the quintessential Christmas providing in all of Walt Disney World.
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 choice about which to attend. Should you’d prefer to assess the lineups of every occasion for your self, see our complete: Information to 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion and Information to 2025 Disney Jollywood Nights.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion or Disney Jollywood Nights? Which did you suppose had the higher ambiance, characters, fireworks, meals, leisure, and so forth? Would you moderately spend the night doing an occasion in Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios through the vacation season at Walt Disney World? Do you disagree with any of our recommendation and assessments? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!