Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016 Character Locations, Schedules, and Strategy

For a lot of people, meeting and greeting the characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is going to be near the top of their priorities list. There are several characters at the Party, including Nick/Judy, Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws, Scrooge McDuck, and the 7 Dwarfs that don’t ordinarily meet outside of Party hours.

Unfortunately, rarity increases popularity and several of the character lines will see the longest waits of the night. This is Zootopia at 6:40pm – 20 minutes before the Party starts and 25 minutes after the characters first appeared. This is easily a 90-minute wait, which would eat up more than 20% of your Party time for one picture/interaction.

And because waits are so long, people typically take half way to forever taking pictures of their group in all kinds of configurations. If you see a group of four college age kids in front of you, you can be reasonably certain that they’re going to take four individual photos and then one or two group shots, all the while using their phone to document the meet. This is “fine” of course, but it’s going to increase wait times considerably.

On the first Party night, I got in line for Nick and Judy at 4:55pm and the characters came out at 6:15pm. With about 15 groups in front of me, I didn’t take my picture until 6:40pm. So you can approximate how long the wait is going to be by counting the number of groups ahead of you and multiplying that by 1.67.

But getting in line for a priority character well before the Party starts guarantees that you at least won’t waste a lot of Party time. Even if my wait was just shy of an hour and a half, I didn’t waste any precious Party time in line and was on my way elsewhere before the clock struck 7pm. Remember that you can enter Magic Kingdom between 3:45pm and 4pm with your Mickey’s Party ticket even if the official literature says that the Party starts at 7pm. This has been protocol for years and years and nothing has changed.

But with lines as long as they are, there is not necessarily a magical way to move through the popular characters with any particular efficiency. You can get in line for a character 90+ minutes before the Party starts. And another during Holiday Wishes if characters are more important than fireworks. And a third at the end of the night. And you might be able to time one or two well by getting in line after one of their lengthy breaks.

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports13/mickeys_christmas_party_characters_map.jpg

The image above notes the character meet and greet locations and their scheduled times according to My Disney Experience – they can change a bit over the course of the season. And unlike the attractions, the lines typically close earlier than the end of the meet and greet, so there may be 30 minutes worth of people waiting for the 10:45pm Winnie the Pooh and Friends meet in Fantasyland. And if that happens, the line can be closed to any more guests. So you don’t really want to plan on visiting a priority at the very, very end of their last set like you might be planning on getting in line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 11:59pm. In the Mine Train scenario, Disney would let you ride as long as you’re in line before close. For characters. anyone allowed into the line will meet the characters, but the lines are often cut early.

So we’ll go over where the characters meet, how long the wait will probably be in the middle of the Party, and the best time to meet. Keep in mind that the “best time to meet” is almost always going to be by getting in line before the characters first appear. You obviously can’t be in every line at 5pm. I suggest limiting yourself to two or three priority characters unless those pictures really are of the utmost importance. Remember that seeing the fireworks, Cinderella Castle stage show, and parade will likely take over two hours, which leaves just three hours for everything else the Party offers, including rides, other shows, treats, shopping, etc. Time flies by.

These characters are listed by priority rather than by location.

Nick and Judy from Zootopia – Tomorrowland in Buzz Lightyear’s regular spot to the left of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

Disney World guests have been clamoring for Nick and Judy since before Zootopia was released and this is basically the first time that they’ve greeted guests on this coast, though they have appeared for various special events.

Priority: Highest.

Times: Should arrive between 6pm and 6:30pm and meet continuously through the end of the Party.

Prepare to Wait: 60 to 90 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Get in line by 5pm, around 9:30pm, or 11pm.

Other Places to Meet: None, currently. We may see them added to Epcot in the future.

Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws – Liberty Square Gazebo behind the Christmas Store where Tiana Used to Meet

Remember when I said my camera battery died…

Priority: Highest.

Times: Should arrive between 6pm and 6:30pm and meet continuously through the end of the Party.

Prepare to Wait: 60 to 90 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Get in line by 5pm or around 9:30pm. Avoid 6pm-7pm as the wait will be over 90 minutes with all of the people that arrived earlier. You could also try immediately after the fireworks, but the line will only get longer as more people head over.

Other Places to Meet: None.

The Seven Dwarfs – Back of Storybook Circus Underneath the Tent

The Dwarfs have been Party favorites for years though their move to Storybook Circus has helped ease lines a bit. Still, they are a very high priority.

Priority: Highest.

Times: Should arrive between 6pm and 6:30pm and meet continuously through the end of the Party.

Prepare to Wait: 60 to 90 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Get in line by 5pm or around 9:30pm. Their line could be cut off as early as 11pm.

Other Places to Meet: Just the Halloween Party.

Prince Philip/Princess Aurora and Snow White/Prince – Fantasyland Wall Near the Back of Old Fantasyland and to the Right of Pinocchio Village Haus

Guests have the opportunity to meet two sets of princes/princesses back here with just the one line for both.

Because of all the interaction and the fact that the characters are visible in the middle of a busy intersection, waits are long. It’s also one of the more boring lines because the character interaction for other people is mostly blocked by the wall.

Priority: High.

Times:

• 7pm – 7:45pm
• 8pm – 8:45pm
• 9:15pm – 10pm
• 10:30pm – 11pm
• 11:15pm to 12am

Prepare to Wait: 60 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: This is a good one to save for either 9:30pm or shortly after 11pm. Holiday Wishes will be somewhat visible overhead so you are not missing the entire show while waiting in line.

Other Places to Meet: Snow White and Princess Aurora are all over, but they do not ordinarily meet with their Princes.

Rapunzel/Flynn and Tiana/Naveen

Rapunzel and Tiana normally meet inside Princess Fairytale Hall, but this is a rare opportunity to see Eugene and Naveen.

Halloween Party 2012. Never forget.

Priority: High.

Times:

• 7pm – 12am

Prepare to Wait: 45-60 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Between 9:15pm and 9:30pm. Because of fallout from the fireworks, Disney ropes off the back of the Castle, but guests can still squeeze through on the far left side to meet the characters. Because it looks like this area is closed and because so many people are interested in the fireworks, meeting them before they start is your best choice. If you want to see the fireworks and don’t mind the backside of Castle view, watch the fireworks at the rope then head into the Rapunzel line immediately after. There will be virtually no wait.

Other Places to Meet: This is it for Princess Naveen and Flynn.

Scrooge McDuck and Donald – Storybook Circus at Casey’s Water Play Area

The long, winding line runs around the entire perimeter of the Splash area. Just hope they don’t turn on the water.

Priority: High moderate.

Times: 7pm to 11:30pm.

Prepare to Wait: 45 to 60 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Unless they are your only planned meet, getting in line later in the evening is smart. You might shoot for 10:30pm. There are a lot of characters in the area, including the Dwarfs, Santa Goofy, and Minnie/Daisy, so if you are after more than one of those then you may elect to meet these characters one after the other. The Dwarfs will have much longer waits followed by Scrooge and then Santa Goofy and Daisy/Minnie.

Other Places to Meet: Donald is common, though he is not in his lumberjack outfit. This is it for Scrooge.

Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger – Fantasyland to the Left of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Ride

These characters can be a struggle to meet due to the 30-minute duration of their sets and how often they take breaks, but it can be to your advantage if you arrive about ten minutes before a set starts.

Priority: High moderate.

Times: 

• 7pm – 730pm
• 8pm – 830pm
• 9pm – 920pm
• 9:45pm – 10:15pm
• 10:45pm to 11:15pm

Prepare to Wait: 30 to 45 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Arrive about ten minutes before one of their sets and you should get into the next meet, for a total wait of 30 to 40 minutes.

Other Places to Meet: The characters meet at Crystal Palace and Winnie the Pooh/Tigger normally meet here during the day in different outfits. Piglet and Eeyore are rarer now than they would have been a few years ago when they met at Hollywood Studios.

Jack Sparrow – Adventureland Near the Stage Where He Performs Sort of Across from Pirates of the Caribbean on the Jungle Cruise Side

Jack benefits a bit by the fact that he is sort of out on his own island in Adventureland though the Aladdin characters are down the way.

Priority: Moderate.

Times: 

• 7:15pm-7:45pm
• 8pm-8:45pm
• 9pm-9:45pm
• 10:05pm-10:45pm
• 11pm-11:30pm

Prepare to Wait: 30 to 45 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: You might key in on the 9pm slot with plans to head to Holiday Wishes after. If you’re there at 8:45pm then you should be on your way in plenty of time.

Other Places to Meet: While he performs on stage, Jack does not ordinarily greet guests at Walt Disney World.

Santa Claus – Whatever They Are Calling Tour Guide Gardens These Days In Between City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce Just Inside The Entrance on the Left

Santa (not pictured) greets in a location that is glossed over by many, in turn reducing waits to somewhat reasonable levels.

Priority: Moderate.

Times: 

• 7pm – 8:30pm
• 9pm – 10:45pm

Prepare to Wait: 25 to 40 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: If you can get over here around 8:45pm you’re in the best shape. Otherwise this is not a terrible place to be at 7:30pm.

Other Places to Meet: Disney Springs, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and your local mall.

Santa Goofy – Storybook Circus In Between The Barnstormer and Dumbo

You may want to meet Santa Goofy along with Holiday Pluto over at Animal Kingdom.

Priority: Moderate low.

Times: 7pm to 11:30pm

Prepare to Wait: 30 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: This is a relatively low wait for the Party, so you may just want to get in line when it’s convenient.

Other Places to Meet: Animal Kingdom.

Aladdin with Abu and Jasmine with Genie

Aladdin/Abu and Jasmine/Genie trade off meeting in 30 minute sets throughout the night.

Priority: Moderate low.

Times: 

Abu/Aladdin:

• 7pm-7:30pm
• 8pm-8:30pm
• 9pm-9:30pm
• 10pm-10:30pm
• 11pm-11:30pm

Jasmine/Genie:

• 730pm-8pm
• 830pm-9pm
• 930pm-10pm
• 1030pm-11pm

Prepare to Wait: 20 to 30 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: You probably want to get in line about 15 minutes before the characters that you want to meet are scheduled. That gives you 45 minutes to make it to the front of the line. Cast may or may not let you step aside and wait for the characters that you want to meet.

Other Places to Meet: Aladdin and Jasmine meet here and in Morocco at Epcot but this is it for Abu/Genie.

Bert and Mary Poppins – Next to Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Fingers crossed that they’ll be wearing their cold weather apparel, which is a bit more precious than the usual white dress.

Priority: Moderate low.

Times:

• 7pm – 730pm
• 7:45pm – 8:30pm
• 10:30pm – 11pm
• 11:15pm to 11:45pm

Prepare to Wait: 20 minutes

Best Time to Meet: If you can get in line at 10:15pm after Holiday Wishes then you’ll be in the best shape. Otherwise sometime after 10:30pm is best as that’s when the characters are most present. You could meet them earlier in the evening if it’s convenient, but that’s a big block of time when they don’t meet at all.

Other Places to Meet: Bert does not ordinarily meet, but Mary meets at Magic Kingdom and Epcot in the UK Pavilion.

Belle – Outside to the Right of Gaston’s Tavern

Belle meets in the same blue cloak as the France Pavilion in Epcot in the very back of New Fantasyland to the right of Gaston’s Tavern.

Priority: Moderate low.

Times:

• 7pm – 730pm
• 7:45pm – 8:30pm
• 8:45pm – 9:15pm
• 10:30pm-11:15pm
• 11:30pm-12am

Expect to Wait: 20 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: After 10:30pm.

Other Places to Meet: Epcot at the UK Pavilion.

Minnie and Daisy – Very Back of Storybook Circus to the Right of the Circus Tent and to the Left of the Bathrooms

Priority: Moderate low.

Times: 7pm – 11:30pm.

Expect to Wait: 20 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: After 10:30pm is best.

Other Places to Meet: Pete’s Silly Sideshow, among others, though these outfits are unique.

Mickey – Town Square Theater in His Usual Spot

Mickey meets by himself in his holiday getup in his usual location.

Priority: Low.

Times: 7pm – 11:30pm.

Expect to Wait: 20 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: In the 30 minutes before a Parade steps off is best if you can swing it. Otherwise, waits are under 20 minutes for the most part after 10pm.

Other Places to Meet: He meets in a Christmas sweater alongside Minnie during this time of year at Animal Kingdom’s Adventurers Outpost.

Cinderella/Prince Charming and Elena – Princess Fairytale Hall

Cinderella and her prince and Princess Elena meet on the other side of Princess Fairytale Hall. Waits are much shorter than Rapunzel/Tiana.

Priority: Low.

Times: 7pm – 11:30pm.

Expect to Wait: 20 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: At your leisure. It’s a rare indoor meet and greet and not the worst place to spend a few minutes. Try to visit as late as is reasonable for a low priority meet.

Other Places to Meet: Prince Charming does not ordinarily meet with Cinderella, but Cinderella and Elena meet here during the day.

Ariel – Ariel’s Grotto in Her Usual Spot to the Right of the Ride

Priority: Low.

Times: 7pm – 11:30pm.

Expect to Wait: 15 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: At your leisure if you can’t meet during a regular day. She doesn’t have a holiday bikini or anything.

Other Places to Meet: Here during the day.

Tinker Bell – Town Square Theater in Her Usual Spot

She should be in her winter jacket during the Party.

Priority: Low.

Times: 7pm – 11:15pm.

Expect to Wait: 10 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: Before or after Mickey or at your leisure.

Other Places to Meet: Here during the day.

Country Bears – Frontierland Outside Country Bear Jamboree

Four of the Country Bears offer impromptu meet and greets while meandering around Frontierland throughout the evening. Waits are typically short to nonexistent.

Priority: Lowest.

Times: 7pm – 11:30pm except during Parades.

Expect to Wait: 5 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: At your leisure.

Other Places to Meet: They do the Hoedown, which the picture above is from, during the early evening most days when the Park is open past 7pm.

Peter Pan – Roaming Adventureland

Priority: Lowest.

Times:

• 7pm to 730pm
• 745pm – 8:25pm
• 9:45pm – 10:30pm
• 11pm to 1130pm

Expect to Wait: 5 minutes.

Best Time to Meet: At your leisure.

Other Places to Meet: He will be wearing a scarf during the Party, but he is typically easier to find to the right of the entrance to Peter Pan’s Flight during the day.

Overall, characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are doable with an intelligent strategy and those that plan just one or two or three priority meets will find the least frustration. Good luck out there.