Hi Jacqueline!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Thank you so much for visiting us hEAR and asking this great Walt Disney World Resort vacation planning question. Stepping on to Main Street U.S.A. is already magical and memorable on its own, but visiting during the
Holidays with everything decorated like a winter wonderland is that much more special! I don't blame you one bit for wanting to soak up every ounce of joy on this one perfect
Magic Kingdom Park day.
This is a tricky one. I do think that guests can accomplish a lot at Magic Kingdom Park during the day when a separately ticketed party is scheduled
if they show up at the park's opening. I also think that you can accomplish a lot of party-exclusive offerings during
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. And I do think that you definitely could enjoy both in the same day. However, to fully get the most out of both tickets would make for a very, very long day. There's so much to see and do and characters to meet and great food to eat that I would want to be at the park as soon as it opened (usually around 8:00 A.M.) and stay until the party ended (around Midnight) to make sure that I could squeeze it all in. If you're game for that, then I say go for it! I definitely recommend that you
resEARch some tips on how to best strategize your day; for example, some attractions receive bonus "party exclusive holiday overlays", which might mean experiencing that attraction twice, once during the day and again during the party. And
some Disney Dining Locations roll out special treats just for the Holiday Party, so just like Santa, make a list of what you can't miss! The especially
festive fun tends to change a bit every yEAR, so definitely keep up with the
Disney Parks Blog to stay on top of what's new.
If you think that the above super-full, super-fun day might be too much, could you move your park days around a bit? I find that it's much easier to accomplish everything my family has their hearts set on at Disney's Hollywood Studios or EPCOT in the same day that we plan to party with Mickey and his pals, that you could then have a full non-party Magic Kingdom day elsewhere in your vacation. Another point to think about is that Magic Kingdom Park closes to guests without a ticket to Mickey's Very Merry Party around 6:00 P.M., so non-party guests won't be able to view fireworks at Magic Kingdom Park on a party day as that show is usually around 9:00 P.M.
I hope that this helped to plan your Holiday Disney Days a bit, Jacqueline, and if you have any more Walt Disney World Resort vacation planning or Holiday Time questions, We're All Ears!
~Kristen