Disney Breaks $200 Barrier for After Hours Christmas Party

August 14, 2021, 12:54 PM · Tickets for Walt Disney World's "Disney Very Merriest After Hours" event will start at $169 and range up to $249, the resort announced.

Disney Very Merriest After Hours replaces the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party as Magic Kingdom's hard-ticket holiday event this year. Despite the name change, several elements from the old Christmas party will carry over to the new After Hours event, including Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

The four-hour event begins at 9pm on 24 select nights starting November 8 and running through December 21. Event admission also includes two hours of early admission to the Magic Kingdom, starting at 7pm. During that time, ticket holders will be able to see both the new Disney Enchantment fireworks show as well as the "Beacon of Magic" moment on Cinderella Castle for the resort's 50th anniversary "The World’s Most Magical Celebration." No theme park reservation is necessary to take advantage of the 7pm early entry.

Once the event starts at 9pm, guests will have access to complimentary snacks including ice cream novelties, popcorn, seasonal treats, and select bottled beverages. More than 20 attractions will be open, including the Jingle Cruise holiday overlay of Jungle Cruise and a holiday-themed Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. Disney characters in holiday dress will be available for photos, with Disney PhotoPass included. And there's the aforementioned special holiday fireworks and parade, too.

Prices for this event are $40-50 higher than for the Halloween-themed "Disney After Hours Boo Bash" which started this week and is replacing the old Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party when it last ran in 2019 ranged from $99-139, but that event did not have the limited capacity of Disney's After Hours events, which are sold as an opportunity to experience park attractions with little or no wait.

Walt Disney World annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members can get $10 off admission to Disney Very Merriest After Hours for evenings through November 19. Tickets will go on sale August 20 on Disney's website.

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Replies (10)

August 14, 2021 at 3:57 PM

Yikes!!!

I remember when paying for the party meant getting in at 4 PM with still little to no wait for only $49.

Those prices are outrageous!

August 14, 2021 at 5:59 PM

Yeah, but these events do sell-out. So I guess we kind of do it to ourselves.

August 14, 2021 at 8:02 PM

We can all say that the prices are outrageous but many people are gullible enough to pay for it.

August 14, 2021 at 9:47 PM

Robert would it be safe to assume you meant $10 off admission for Passholders and DVC members?

August 15, 2021 at 5:02 AM

A starved society will always pay more to be fed. Disney seizing the opportunity to capitalise on the last 18 months of hunger........but they will all sell-out.

August 15, 2021 at 11:03 AM

There’s no doubt that most dates will sell out just as the Boo Bash dates have. However, the word is quickly spreading that guests are being charged more for less when it comes to the Boo Bash, and Disney will not be able to maintain these prices and lack of value beyond this year.

The fact of the matter is that even Disney fans will only spend blindly for so long, and park managers are already having to perform damage control for guests upset at the lack of unique offerings during Boo Bash that they will either need to reevaluate pricing for next year or bring back more event-specific offerings to compensate for costs that are higher than a single day high season admission.

August 15, 2021 at 6:58 PM

I do belive that James trexen got the rigth point. If we start to go to national parks or something else in our vacation and reconozing that we do not need a Disney vacation in this terms to be happy. Disney ( and others )would be forced to adjust. But this is just a Pipe dream of mine and people is just reacting with guts...not reason

August 16, 2021 at 9:23 AM

I remember the discussions about “the $50 cookie” when Disney started doing MVMCP so many years ago. Well, Disney’s decided they can give guests a smaller cookie and charge them $250 for it! I’m not sure how much longer Disney’s going to be able to get away with this, no matter how desperate people are to have some fun right now.

August 16, 2021 at 11:14 AM

I am more interested in going to Disney than the rest of my family. I think this will become more of a problem over time. Most of the Disney fanatics I know are in their 40s or 50s.

My kids are happy to go along when I am paying to visit Disney, but you can be assured they would never spend their own cash to go at those prices. However, they are happy to pay to a six flags or similar park.

I think Disney gets away with asking more and more for less and less. They have built a lot of new rides and lands over the last few years (certainly as compared to the 10-15 years before that). But they are still far behind what Universal is doing and plans on doing.

I think eventually the high prices, combined with the tastes of the younger generations will backfire on them.

August 16, 2021 at 2:45 PM

Disney has become the epitome of a phony Woke and hyper-greedy company. The last 2 CEO's were considered the most overpaid corporate executives relative to disney's growth and earnings.

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