Walt Disney Global has up to date its leisure agenda, quietly including daylight hours performances of Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade the day after Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday party season begins. This submit stocks the agenda replace, why it’s most probably taking place, and the overall dates you’ll be able to be expecting to look MOUACP for “unfastened” in November and December 2024.
After Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday party kicks off on November 8 for particular match visitors who acquire the $189 according to individual arduous tickets, Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade will as soon as once more be proven all over Magic Kingdom’s common park hours on Saturday November 9, 2024 and Sunday, November 10, 2024.
Which means that Annual Passholders, common price tag holders, and all different day visitors will be capable of benefit from the vacation parade, integrated within the common worth in their admission. It’s no longer actually unfastened–everybody can pay to go into the park, a technique or some other–however you aren’t paying anything else further (therefore the air quotes round “unfastened”). In case you’ve already purchased an AP or park tickets, no double-dipping–which is more or less a large deal for visitors attending the parks this time of yr!
In the case of making plans information, Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade (MOUACP) will happen at 2 p.m. on each November 9 and November 10, 2024. To be able to accommodate the agenda trade, Pageant of Myth Parade has been cancelled on each days.
For individuals who pass over the mid-November performances, Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade will nonetheless be carried out two times nightly all over Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday party. Following the belief of that, it’ll virtually surely be proven all over common Magic Kingdom park hours from December 21 thru December 31, 2024.
Whilst MOUACP may also be “unfastened” all over the house stretch of the vacation season, there’s inarguably extra of a catch then. That’s the most costly time to consult with Walt Disney Global from the standpoint of inns, park tickets, Lightning Lanes, and more than likely airfare.
Including insult to damage, it’s the busiest week-plus of all of the yr, each and every unmarried yr. And by way of a large margin. We’ve “joked” that the group calendar will have to pass to 11/10 in particular for the week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve, as a result of that duration is to this point above a standard 10/10 that it skews the dimensions.
This marks the second one consecutive yr that MOUACP has been carried out all over common running hours over Veterans Day weekend. When the trade was once first made remaining yr to the leisure lineup, a large number of lovers speculated that it was once merely a scheduling error. In truth, no longer probably the most outlandish idea, as that form of factor has been recognized to occur.
In reality, it was once in order that ABC may just movie the “Glorious Global of Disney: Magical Vacation Birthday celebration” and “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” at Walt Disney Global, which air over Thanksgiving weekend and (as you almost certainly collected from the latter’s title) December 25.
I believed that will be the case–no longer that it was once a scheduling error–so I spent all of the day of those tv specials being filmed in Magic Kingdom, from park opening till virtually 2 a.m. remaining yr. In case you’re questioning whether or not to do or skip Magic Kingdom on at the present time, I’ll quilt that right here…
Through the years, we’ve stuck a large number of bits and items of parade filming. A part of that is purely unintentional, as we’ve been in the appropriate (or incorrect) position on the proper/incorrect time. The opposite section is…neatly, additionally coincidental. Prior to Disney began doing the Thanksgiving weekend particular in 2016, the Christmas Day parade filming typically came about the primary week of December.
As we’ve discussed numerous occasions, that’s been our favourite week to consult with Walt Disney Global for the remaining ~15 years. So we knew that there’d be overlap with the parade filming and didn’t keep away from the parks. The ones had been more effective occasions, and the way in which the parade was once filmed–particularly again when it was once a real parade–was once a long way much less intrusive.
We’ve by no means meant to observe the parade filming, it’s all the time been a question of excellent/dangerous good fortune. Final yr was once the primary time ever that I’ve in particular sought out the filming of the ABC vacation tv specials. And I’m satisfied that I did!
Prior to now, we’ve beneficial keeping off the parks the place the Disney Christmas Day Parade is being recorded. It’s dull to observe in individual and creates congestion. What you’re seeing on tv would possibly glance in point of fact a laugh to look in individual, however that’s the ‘magic’ of meticulous paintings in capturing, re-shooting, and cautious modifying.
This isn’t to mention it’s no longer relaxing to observe, however there’s a large number of preventing, pausing, and restarting. The songs you spot carried out on level don’t seem to be like a conventional live performance with the performer making a song numerous other vacation hits. It’s the similar track a number of occasions, after which the following performer shifting directly to their track…additionally carried out a number of occasions.
It additionally doesn’t lend a hand that the specials at the moment are filmed over Veterans Day weekend, which makes the ‘worst’ facet of our checklist of the 10 Perfect and 10 Worst Weeks to Consult with Walt Disney Global in 2024 & 2025. Specifically, November 4-11, 2024 are anticipated to be very busy dates, albeit no longer just about as dangerous because the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New 12 months’s Eve.
Towards my higher judgment, I arrived at Magic Kingdom simply after opening. After I first approached safety, I right away idea, “what have I gotten myself into?!” There have been large traces to go into the park, and the parade direction was once already packed.
Some moron had given everybody a heads up that parade filming can be going on, and roughly part of the Sunshine State descended upon Major Side road. Even supposing the primary parade wasn’t for a couple of hours, the entrance row of the sidewalks was once already full of visitors. In doing a snappy scan of the group, maximum had been simple to clock as Annual Passholders. (If you realize, you realize.)
And who may just blame them? It was once a unprecedented alternative to look Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade with out losing $150+ according to individual for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday party or visiting the weeks of Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve (when maximum Annual Passholders are blocked out, anyway). That surely sounded excellent to me, so I joined the gang!
It were a few years since I’d noticed the daylight hours model of Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade, in order that was once relaxing. There have been a couple of changes for the ABC Christmas Day Parade, however not anything primary–a gap banner, added characters, plus each Santa and Mrs. Claus.
It was once additionally neat to look the cameras swooping up and down in the course of Major Side road to seize photos of the parade. Apart from a few occasions when it gave the look of the parade bogged down and lingered just a little in that house, Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade was once introduced as a standard parade.
Not like the stops and begins of musical numbers, this implies there’s just one take of MOUACP (more than likely why they do it on two other days). It was once possibly 1-2 mins longer than standard, which isn’t dangerous.
Past this, there have been professionals and cons to the ABC Vacation Specials being filmed in Magic Kingdom.
The nice was once that wait occasions had been not up to they might’ve been another way. Crowd ranges, as measured by way of wait occasions, had been handiest 3/10 with the common wait over the process the day being handiest 29 mins. It will have to pass with out pronouncing, however that is beautiful a long way from “worst” week checklist subject material.
This may be beautiful excellent on a standard day, nevertheless it was once implausible on a vacation weekend when Magic Kingdom. There’s no ensure of a repeat of this in November 2024, however crowds this low in Magic Kingdom on a weekend with longer hours in November or December is astounding. I’d extremely suggest visiting on an afternoon like this.
One reason why that historical past would possibly not repeat itself is park reservations. Or slightly, the shortage thereof.
Even supposing Annual Passholders nonetheless want to make park reservations, the majority of different visitors don’t. Additionally, Park Hopping restrictions are not in position, which necessarily obviate the reservation barrier for APs, anyway.
Level being, park reservations artificially restricted attendance remaining yr at Magic Kingdom all over Veterans Day weekend as Walt Disney Global sought to stay crowds manageable all over parade filming. Disney received’t have that very same “test” on crowds in 2024.
The dangerous of the filming was once that Major Side road, Cinderella Fortress Forecourt, and the parade direction had been packed all day. Navigating MK was once a problem from time to time. More than a few thoroughfares had been closed and site visitors changed into one-way in different portions of the park. I needed to back off round virtually part the park as a result of a chief direction was once blocked in Fantasyland/Liberty Sq..
Because of restricted viewing area, Major Side road stuffed up about 45 mins upfront of Luckily Ever After, and bulletins had been performed encouraging visitors to view it from in different places. I stuck it from the Rivers of The united states as a result of Fantasyland was once closed, or even the waterfront prom was once reasonably complete.
The added leisure for sure pulled crowds clear of sights, and the longer hours diluted the attendance during the day as other folks opted to reach past due, take noon breaks, and go back for the night time. It additionally helped that it were given unusually chilly and windy when the solar went down, which cleared out the group a little bit. Clearly, chilly climate protecting crowds down isn’t one thing we will forecast for 2024 at this level.
The item is, each had been proper. The Magic Kingdom was once each jam-packed and lifeless…all of it depended upon the place you had been. As measured by way of trip wait occasions, crowd ranges had been low. As measured by way of congestion within the core of the park, it was once a unconditionally other tale.
The entrance of Magic Kingdom was once loopy and chaotic. Similar is going for spaces of Fantasyland and different portions of the park impacted by way of the filming. Then there have been massive swaths of Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and extra faraway spaces of the park–utterly clear of all filming–that felt downright lifeless.
My day was once beautiful neatly balanced.
I watched the parade filming when that came about, however unnoticed all the level display stuff all over the center of the day. As famous above, this house of the park was once packed, and I didn’t have any want to be a part of that.
Accordingly, as soon as Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade was once over, I most commonly have shyed away from Major Side road. I crossed throughout the hub a few occasions simply to test issues out, however left right away. The majority of the center of my day was once spent doing rides within the more than a few lands.
This means paid off, and is the tactic I’d suggest. The visitors who arrived early and attempted to observe no matter was once taking place all over the daylight hours hours in large part weren’t using sights noon, after which were given burnt out and left their Cinderella Fortress spots by way of dusk.
That’s when I used to be beckoned by way of the nice and cozy glow of lasers and lighting at round nightfall, and was once stunned by way of how few visitors had been nonetheless round. As a result of Disney sought after a bigger crowd for the hole dance series, so in addition they gave visitors within the overflow house little finger lighting.
It nonetheless wasn’t a really perfect view of the celebs and musicians, nevertheless it was once excellent sufficient for me. It additionally helped that the searchlights and lasers themselves had been entrancing, and that Walt Disney Global stored capturing off fireworks all over the more than a few performances.
Gazing the musical opening, specifically, was once a in point of fact a laugh revel in. It is a long musical medley with fast transitions and, to this clumsy and uncoordinated guy’s eye, a large number of fancy and hard dance strikes. However as it’s fancy and hard, the performers stored messing up about halfway thru and having to do it all over the place once more.
This was once completely high quality by way of me and everybody else within the target market, as a result of attending to a definite level within the regimen brought on pyro. So we stored seeing fireworks, then they’d goof up, and it’d all should be accomplished once more. If the pyro was once brought on (and it steadily was once), there can be an extended extend between takes, as they’d need to look ahead to the fireworks to be reset and the smoke to transparent.
In mixture, this was once probably the most pyro I’ve ever noticed in one day at Walt Disney Global. That’s in point of fact pronouncing one thing, since we’ve accomplished New 12 months’s Eve and Fourth of July at each Magic Kingdom and EPCOT numerous occasions! The fireworks had been clearly a laugh, however there was once additionally an unbelievable communal power as everybody was once cheering for the performers to get it proper. It felt like being at an basic faculty pageant stuffed with certain oldsters, however with a lot, a lot better performers. (Sorry other people, however your children aren’t as gifted because the Hough siblings!)
I additionally watched a number of musical performances during the evening, maximum of them after Magic Kingdom’s legitimate middle of the night ultimate time.
I’m no longer going to call all the names since I don’t know lots of the performers, however I’d say I say about part of the checklist for the Thanksgiving particular. That for sure integrated the Smashing Pumpkins, Robin Thicke, and Chris Janson. I do know who all of the ones dudes are!
Seeing the Smashing Pumpkins was once like a youth dream come true, and in Magic Kingdom of all puts. By no means would’ve guessed that sooner or later Billy Corgan would do Disney.
In the end, spending all day in Magic Kingdom for the ABC vacation particular filming was once for sure a singular revel in, and one I’m more than happy to have had! According to how a lot a laugh I had remaining yr, and the main points kind of lining up for Veterans Day Weekend 2024, I might suggest different Walt Disney Global lovers do that.
For an much more granular advice, I’d go for looking at Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade on November 10 over November 9, 2024. There are a large number of bloggers, vloggers, influencers, and Florida lovers who need to be “first” at the whole lot. Those teams will disproportionately consult with on November 9. That’s additionally a Saturday, and trend-wise, Saturdays are busier than Sundays in Magic Kingdom. That is my rationale, no less than, and why I’ll be doing Magic Kingdom on Sunday as an alternative of Saturday. (If I’m incorrect, no less than I’m placing my cash the place my mouth is!)
The very massive caveat I’d upload is to mood your expectancies. It’s solely imaginable that I were given (insanely) fortunate. Many/lots of the prior occasions we’ve been within the parks for level display filming weren’t as certain or memorable (except for because of the crowds and congestion). It’s solely imaginable that “phrase gets out” this yr and extra other folks will consult with Magic Kingdom than will keep away from it, that Walt Disney Global will building up the collection of park reservations, the elements received’t be as favorable–the checklist is going on and on. Level being, I would like you to be cognizant of what you’re getting your self into–it may well be superior, terrible, or someplace in between.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be seeking to catch Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade for “unfastened” on November 9-10, 2024? Had been you in Magic Kingdom all over the day or at evening when the Vacation Specials had been filmed remaining yr? What was once your revel in? Have you ever been in Walt Disney Global or Disneyland all over previous filmings? Any questions we will allow you to solution? Listening to your comments is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas under within the feedback!
