by Disney Magic Diva
One of the most popular holiday activities at Walt Disney World Resort is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. With the special character appearances, dance parties, fireworks shows, yummy treats, and spectacular parade, it’s a magical way to make your holiday visit even more jolly. (For more info on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, check out these articles by Pixie Dusted Diva and Pink Diva.)
Like everything at Walt Disney World Resort, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has new and exciting changes each year. New for 2018 is Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party. Similar to a dessert party, this event requires a special ticket IN ADDITION to your Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ticket. At $99 plus tax, (no discounts available) it is an extravagance, but since I’ve been extra good this year, my husband decided to splurge and buy us tickets.
As you might surmise, Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party takes place at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. You can check in as early as 2:00pm and pick up your wrist band, although I’m not sure what advantage this serves. The event itself takes place from 9:30pm-12:30am, and you are free to come and go as you please during this time. That flexibility was one of the biggest draws for us to purchase tickets for this event – we liked the idea of having a “home-base” while we enjoyed Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We could stop in and munch on some treats, leave and enjoy some attractions or shows, then come back for more goodies.
Your ticket to Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party also entitles you to reserved viewing of the 11:00pm performance of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. This was another HUGE factor in deciding to buy tickets – we wouldn’t need to spend precious time staking out a spot to watch the parade.
Diva Tip: Given the price of this ticket, and the late time of the event, it is probably best suited to adults or families with older children.
Check in for the party is at the regular check-in desk for the restaurant. We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 4:00, and checked in right away. Once we had our wristbands, we were able to use our scheduled FastPass+ to visit our favorite attractions, and, when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party officially began at 7:00, some of the other special shows and character interactions. Since we knew we had reserved space for the late parade, we were able to take advantage of the lower wait times and do more attractions during the first parade.
When it was time for Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party to begin, we were ready to just relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere of Magic Kingdom. We made our way back to Tony’s and found a feast! Each table was decorated with holiday themed centerpieces, and we were welcome to choose whichever table we preferred. We were happy to see some tables outside on the porch and felt fortunate to be able to secure one of those.
In the center of the restaurant the hot hors d’oeuvres featured Tony’s famous meatballs, calamari, Boursin cheese stuffed artichokes, smoked chicken and leek stuffed puff pastry, and flatbread pizzas.You could also choose from a wide variety of cured meats and domestic and imported cheeses on the charcuterie table. We filled our plates and headed to our table so we could really soak in the magical atmosphere. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant has a reputation for less than wonderful food, but Soarin’ Diva has found it’s worth a try. Until this visit, we had never dined at Tony’s, so we were anxious to taste for ourselves. The food was enjoyable – not a signature restaurant, but certainly tasty enough for an evening of hors d’doeuvres, sweets, and adult beverages. We especially loved the stuffed artichokes and selection of cheeses.
Of course, what would an Italian celebration be without a glass of wine?! We had our choice of several alcoholic beverages – several wine and beer choices along with coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Enjoying the beautiful view of Town Square as we dined was just as magical as we had hoped!
And what’s a party without a few sweets? We could select from mini cannoli, tiramisu, pumpkin tartlets, Yule logs, and chocolate cupcakes. Choosing was maybe the hardest part, but I’d highly recommend the Yule log! It was a deep chocolate, and not too sweet.
Perhaps because the event is new, the cast members were extremely attentive and friendly. Several times they would come around and chatted to see if everything was satisfactory. A PhotoPass photographer came by to take pictures as well.
One of the biggest surprises of the evening was when the host of the restaurant, Tony himself, came by to say hello! He chatted with each table, posed for photos, and did a wonderful job of really making it a bella notte for everyone! He even serenaded several guests! To meet a rare character like this, especially when it was so unexpected, was a real treat!
The best part of the evening, though, had to be our reserved viewing area for Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade. We were able to be right in the middle of Town Square with the perfect view of the parade coming down Main Street, U.S.A as Cinderella Castle gleamed in the background. It was perfection!
Diva Tip: If you prefer to watch the parade from Tony’s porch, you are welcome to do that too! Sipping a glass of wine while watching the parade from the comfort of your table certainly makes for a magical evening.
So, was it worth it? Obviously, everyone will need to make that judgment call for themselves. If you prefer to squeeze out every minute of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you may not want to spend time “relaxing” at Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party. On the other hand, if having a perfect parade spot reserved for you so you don’t have to spend an hour or more saving a space, you may want to consider it. Everyone has different priorities at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. For us, it was definitely a way to make our evening more merry.
It’s not too late to make your reservation to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Just contact Patricia at All for Dreams Travel for a FREE quote.
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