Price Increases for 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Make Most Dates $200 or More!
Tickets are now on sale for on-site guests, and Walt Disney World has revealed pricing for all dates of the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This lists the cost for every hard ticket night in November and December, price increases for MVMCP, when we’re expecting special event admission to sell out, and more.
Aside from higher prices (pretty much a given), the most interesting wrinkle to the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is that the special event is starting earlier than the official holiday season. This isn’t totally unprecedented, as MVMCP often begins before Christmas kicks off.
The difference this year is that there’s nearly a full week gap (November 8 for the first MVMCP versus November 13, 2026 for Christmas as a whole), meaning that you could take a weeklong trip and manage to miss Christmas if you visit during Jersey Week or weekend before Veterans Day. Thankfully, Our Favorite Week to Visit Walt Disney World is still “safe” for a complete Christmas, but the #2 week is not. This also partially explains the timing of the cheapest 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates.
As a reminder, guests of Walt Disney World Resort hotels can begin purchasing Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets as early as today (July 9, 2026) for event dates during their stay. All other Guests may purchase tickets beginning on July 16, 2026. In addition to Disney-owned resorts, this advance purchase window is available to guests of the Swolphin resorts and Shades of Green.
The ‘select’ hotels line trips some planners up, but all it means is that the lineup doesn’t include many of the third party hotels eligible for Early Entry (e.g. Bonnet Creek and Disney Springs). If you’re staying at one of the two-dozen-odd hotels with “Disney’s” in the name, you’re eligible.
Ticket prices for the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party range from $189 to $229 depending upon the date.
Tickets are $10 less expensive for kids ages 3 to 9 years old, something that’s on our radar for the first time since our toddler will turn three before the start of the holiday season. Given how much of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party our toddler slept through last year, that pricing is absolutely brutal. This further reinforces for me that Walt Disney World needs lower pricing for children, and separate pricing for juniors.
Note that this is the same peak price as last year ($229 vs. $229), along with a $20 increase to the starting price ($169 vs. $189). Last year, prices increased by $10 on the high end and $0 on the low end, so this is essentially the opposite of that, and with a bigger jump for the cheapest dates. I still remember when tickets were under $50 per night!
For those keeping score at home, the range in 2024 was $169 to $219, and that was the first time that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party broke the $200 barrier. Disney had refrained from doing that for a couple of years–even though Disney Very Merriest After Hours smashed through it with tickets as expensive as $249 back in 2021, but in fairness, that was also a fundamentally low capacity event, meaning Walt Disney World sold far fewer tickets to it. The price range for the 2023 MVMCP was $159 to $199.
Frankly, Walt Disney World could have pushed prices even higher for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party last year and still sold out. They didn’t due to optics, not a lack of demand. It’s likely that prices could’ve started at $199 and peaked at $249 and still sold out all dates. Again, look at what we just saw with the 10/31 MNSSHP–and that’s not even a busy week at Walt Disney World.
The parties in the lead-up to Christmas week could sell out with ease at $249, and probably at $299. We’ve seen this play out again and again over the last decade-plus. I remember thinking Disney was greedy back when they raised MVMCP prices to $79. Ah, how I now long for those levels of “greed” by Walt Disney World!
After seeing the popularity of Disney Very Merriest After Hours despite those $249 tickets and the fact that it occurred at a time during the COVID era when crowds were otherwise low, I’ve been disabused of my wishful thinking about guests hitting their balking point on prices.
I wanted Walt Disney World to get a “reality check” on astronomical costs so badly back then, but instead, the exact opposite happened. I’ve since come to accept that the FOMO machine is a powerful motivator, and anything limited-capacity has enough demand that it can be priced above what most fans would consider reasonable. It’s honestly surprising that no date has hit $249 again since 2021. But I digress.
As always, the cheapest dates are earlier on. The first half of November 2026 is less expensive than the dates closer to Thanksgiving. Parties on weekends and peak season are most expensive, and there isn’t a single date in December 2026 that’s $199 or less. Closer to Christmas, all of the parties charge peak prices. Once you account for tax, every single night will cost $200 out of pocket.
Here’s a rundown of the date by date prices for the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…
November 2026 Dates & Prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
- November 8, 2026 – $199
- November 9, 2026 – $189
- November 12, 2026 – $189
- November 13, 2026 – $194
- November 15, 2026 – $194
- November 17, 2026 – $189
- November 19, 2026 – $199
- November 20, 2026 – $199
- November 24, 2026 – $204
- November 25, 2026 – $209
- November 27, 2026 – $219
- November 29, 2026 – $214
December 2026 Dates & Prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
- December 1, 2026 – $209
- December 3, 2026 – $214
- December 4, 2026 – $219
- December 6, 2026 – $214
- December 8, 2026 – $219
- December 10, 2026 – $219
- December 11, 2026 – $224
- December 13, 2026 – $224
- December 15, 2026 – $224
- December 17, 2026 – $229
- December 18, 2026 – $229
- December 20, 2026 – $229
- December 22, 2026 – $229
For reference, here are last year’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ticket prices by date:
- November 7th – $199
- November 10th – $169
- November 11th – $169
- November 13th – $179
- November 14th – $189
- November 16th – $179
- November 18th – $179
- November 20th – $179
- November 21st – $189
- November 25th – $199
- November 26th – $199
- November 28th – $209
- November 30th – $199
- December 2nd – $199
- December 4th – $199
- December 5th – $209
- December 7th – $209
- December 9th – $209
- December 11th – $209
- December 12th – $219
- December 14th – $219
- December 16th – $219
- December 18th – $219
- December 19th – $229
- December 21st – $229
As a reminder, Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can save $10 per ticket to this event on select party nights from November 8 to 20, 2026; and November 29 to December 3, 2026. This means the discount excludes a few dates around Thanksgiving, which is atypical.
When it comes to pricing analysis for the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the distribution of dates skews towards the higher end of the spectrum. There are only a few $189 dates, tickets hit the $199 mark earlier, and there isn’t a single date below $200 once Thanksgiving rolls around.
There were only two $169 dates last year, before prices climbed to $179-$199 for dates in mid-November to early December. Now, those same dates are mostly $199 to $219. At the lower end of the spectrum, you’re typically looking at price increases of $20 across the board.
Since there was no increase to the top of the range, those increases decelerate to $5-10 in mid-December and there are unchanged towards the tail end of the event. Small victory for those visiting Walt Disney World closer to Christmas and paying peak season prices for everything, I suppose.
Just as is the case with hotel availability (or lack thereof), some of you are likely to jump to the conclusion that early to mid-December is going to be busy and our favorite week will actually be bad. That the secret has gotten out. We’ve been sharing it too much, and loose lips sink ships.
I’ve been hearing that for over a decade. That this is finally the year things change. Trust me, it isn’t. Not to belabor the (off-topic) occupancy point, but the majority of guests come from off-site. Disney Vacation Club occupancy is always high, and never indicative of anything.
As for regular on-site hotels, it is true that fans disproportionately visit during those ‘ideal’ weeks in November and December. That part of the secret getting out is accurate, and it might be more pronounced than used to be the case. But it’s been offset by the loss of Pop Warner, and even so, off-site occupancy remains the outcome-determinative factor in crowds. That remains a non-issue.
It will remain a non-issue, because a critical mass of families can’t or won’t travel during those weeks due to school schedules. Perhaps that’ll change over time, but it’ll happen gradually. This will not be the year that those weeks go from awesome to awful. The not-so-secret is safe.
Another safe prediction is that every single date of the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will sell out again.
The reasons for this are simple. Fans love special events and have nostalgia for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. So they revisit their sentimental seasonal event, take a stroll down memory lane, etc. Then there’s everyone else staying on-site, where the average nightly rate of accommodations is higher than off-site.
Then there are locals. We’ve discussed elsewhere (at length) how an increasing number of locals who have been priced out of Annual Passes (or otherwise let them lapse) are using special event tickets to get their Disney “fix.” There are others who are still APs, but attend annually, anyway.
These demographics, aside from the most cost-conscious ones, are probably more likely to attend a party after Thanksgiving, for the simple reason that it’s more “Christmasy.” Turkey before tree, and all that. This also explains why December dates are more expensive across the board, despite some weeks in November being busier than early to mid-December.
If you’re wondering whether demand might be soft due to more $200+ dates, we doubt it. You don’t need to worry about tickets selling out during the pre-sale or initial days they go on sale to the general public. But it’s still a best practice to buy as early as possible, especially if you’re not flexible on dates and only have one MVMCP during your vacation.
There are no signs of softness for Christmas 2026 visits among diehard fans. To the contrary, the recent release of October through December discounts, which had limited availability, reinforced the strong demand. Whatever pressures consumers might be facing, the ones visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season are not cutting back.
There was a significant amount of unsatisfied demand for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in each of the last four years. As noted above, Walt Disney World could’ve priced party tickets higher given demand, but has opted for more gradual increases for the sake of selling out the event. It’s a savvy approach to ensure the FOMO machine keeps going strong.
Unlike Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, there is no MVMCP on Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve (or Festivus before that). This means that there’s no event on the holiday itself and no “obvious” date that everyone will want to attend. There’s no similar dynamic for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as with MNSSHP, which sold out October 31 on the day that tickets went on sale.
To the contrary, the dates that usually sell out earliest are at the start of the season, during Jersey Week and around Veterans Day. This year, it wouldn’t be surprising if dates closer to Christmas sell slightly faster due to the price range narrowing and not increasing on the high end.
Here’s a rundown of the fastest selling dates last year:
- November 7th MVMCP (sold out on 9/10)
- November 10th MVMCP (sold out on 9/24)
- November 11th MVMCP (sold out on 10/11)
- November 21st MVMCP (sold out on 10/24)
- November 25th MVMCP (sold out on 10/7)
- November 26th MVMCP (sold out on 10/26)
- November 28th MVMCP (sold out on 10/28)
- December 2nd MVMCP (sold out on 10/17)
- December 4th MVMCP (sold out on 10/14)
- December 21st MVMCP (sold out on 9/25)
Regardless, the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is not going to sell out within days of tickets going on sale. That applies to both the presale window and the general public window. We honestly have no idea whether the 2026 MVMCP will sell slower or faster than last year, but either way, you don’t need to book a resort reservation for the early access window.
With there being a less significant difference between the high end and the low end of the spectrum this year, frugal fans who live locally might not have much of an incentive to buy tickets for the cheapest dates ASAP. After all, the difference between $189 and $229 is a lot less extreme than it is between $169 and $229. We shall see, though.
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see whether the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party sells out the entire season again, as has been the case in each of the last several years since the event returned. While we would like to see fewer sold out dates to force Walt Disney World to reevaluate the entertainment slate or pump the brakes on pricing, that’s wishful thinking. Our expectation is that every single night will sell out with ease once again.
These hard ticket events are more popular than ever, and as with Lightning Lanes, guests are making sacrifices elsewhere in their vacation budgets in order to attend (sorry, Coral Reef!). The best we can realistically hope for is probably that tickets sell out slower than last year–but I’d be ecstatic to be wrong, and have multiple nights not sell out at all. That would be good for guests and for the long-term health of the event, as it’s gotten stale and Walt Disney World has no incentive to do anything about that. If you want an event with lower crowds and some dates that potentially won’t sell out, check out Jollywood Nights!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of pricing for the 2026 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? How much have your dates increased in price? Will your family be attending or sitting out MVMCP? What are your thoughts on ticket prices, demand, crowd levels, etc? Do you agree or disagree with our perspective on this? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We are going for a short weekend trip and the price with the dvc discount for this and the jollywood party is basically a the same as a 2 day ticket the same weekend. When you consider that ride wait times are often lower at the party, we are saving money compared to buying tickets plus lightning lanes, plus getting to enjoy a festive atmosphere. And since we stay on our dvc points, we get to enjoy a nice hotel before the party begins. I guess this makes us part of the problem, but in our shoes, I don’t see the pricing as particularly problematic. Everything is just more expensive these days.
Went to the party last November (2025). After years and years of seeing special holiday fireworks, Christmas parades, etc, I was especially disappointed by this “special” event. To get one small ornament and some over-rated cookies, to see a stage show that was no better than the daily show, to see a parade that used to be the daily show during the holiday season–well, it was just not worth it to me. The years of free hot chocolate at DAK, candy-filled Christmas stockings hung on our Caribbean Beach hotel room doors, candy canes given out at the gate, Osbourne family lights…the list is endless…all attest to the once magical feelings and memories that Disney created. Now, it feels as if the company is deliberately pricing out the middle-class, making everything (including the ubiquitous lightning lanes) available only with more money spent. 40 years of going to Disney, 7 years of being a Cast member (and proud of it)…I’m feeling that the magic is gone unless you want to pay even more for it.
Hey Tom, I have been waiting for this post to come out 🙂 thank you!! I was hopeful you may make mention of which party days would be your top picks. I know based on your previous posts you recommend midweek parties earlier in the season feel less crowded. I have the option to do either Thurs 12th or Tues 17th Nov… which one would you choose based on those two dates? Also if it’s not too much to ask how long do you stake out that prime end of Main st xmas tree spot for the second parade? Im going to try my hardest to get that magic shot with the snap and castle and parade coming down Main Street (one of my fav photos of yours!!!)
In terms of crowds, there should be no material difference between the two.
Since you mentioned that spot at the end of MSUSA, though, I’d lean towards 11/17. That’s because there are times when media events or filming for the ABC Christmas Day Parade takes over that location during the earlier parties. It probably wouldn’t happen on 11/12, but just to be safe, I’d give the slight edge to 11/17.
How early you need to arrive to that location is really all over the place. I’ve gotten a decent spot there 15 minutes in advance, and I’ve also camped out for 60+ minutes. It really depends on whether photographers in the know are attending your event. And it only takes like a dozen people to make a difference since that spot is small.
We went November 2025. Before that, our first party was December 2022. 2022’s was decent crowd-wise, but last year’s was far too packed to be a special event. I realized that I wasn’t a big fan of the rushed feeling I had during the party either. It made it seem too quick. For me, I think I’m done with the parties.
Interesting the discounts don’t keep up with inflation… finally broke down and got 3 for December 15th. Special trip with wife and her sister.
Any thoughts on which of the first 4 days to pick? I’m leaning toward either #2 or #3. I want to focus on the seasonal items at the party (we have plenty of days for rides and park hoppers so we will do Magic Kingdom on party days).
In that case, I’d go with 2 or 3–just not the first night.
You mention discounts for annual passholders and DVC members, but as a public service, I’d also like to point out that Shades of Green offers slightly discounted tickets as well, for those eligible.
Thanks for the heads up on that–I actually wasn’t aware whether it was still the case!
Plus no taxes as always on all tickets purchased through Shades.
Tom, as you’ve noted here (and elsewhere) it’s absolutely baffling that the most in-demand days (Thanksgiving week and Christmas week) aren’t priced higher, and that kids’ admission isn’t priced lower.
I haven’t done the math but Disney would likely come out ahead by increasing prices for the 5-7 highest demand days by about 25-30% and taking kids’ admission down by 10-15% across ALL dates. And it would be a welcome move for most guests!
“And it would be a welcome move for most guests!”
You had me until this point.
I think the big reasons why WDW doesn’t charge market clearing prices at the high end is the fan backlash that would accompany those (undoubtedly massive) price increases, and because of the longer-tail risk to their FOMO machine if dates didn’t sell out.
Basically, they have a good thing going right now, and if they can maintain that momentum with ~7% price increases per year, they’re happy. But I otherwise agree with you!
Yeah, the FOMO machine is certainly an interesting dynamic.
But as far as “most guests” I guess I just meant by percentage, the majority of party attendees across all of Nov/Dec would see a benefit from market clearing prices as their cost of entry would be the same or cheaper (especially if they had kids). But to thread that PR needle (“prices spike like crazy for some but will be cheaper for most!”) would be tricky and the brass obviously sees it as a PR minefield they’d be laying out for themselves.
Anyone have any opinions on whether it’s better to book the first night or the second night or if it makes no difference between the 2 at all?
I moved my return flight so I could go lol
Hi Dix,
In my opinion (Based completely on DTB) although they will both sell out, the first night might have more aggressive bloggers, vloggers and whatever other media groups are out there. Also, the first night, they’re still working out the kinks.
Second night the performers, CM’s etc should be more relaxed and have a better handle on their roles and how things should go.
PLUS it’s $10 less. Buy a pretzel!
Adding to what micket1928 said, the lines for food & beverages tend to be longer at the first event (because influencers, etc. try everything new) whereas rides tend to be shorter (because they/we don’t do those things).
I’d likewise recommend the second night on balance.