Hi Joe,
Thanks for your excellent question! As guests with tickets to
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party enter the park, they are given a wristband that shows they are party guests. (If you are already in the park before party time, you will find wristband stations inside). Once the party starts at 7 p.m., all guests without Very Merry wristbands are asked to leave. Only those with wristbands are then allowed to enter rides and attractions or to participate in special party activities, such as the free cookies and cocoa.
The system works very well.
As a guest with a ticket to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, you can enter
Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. I recommend going in as early as possible and getting something to eat before the party begins so that you can spend the entire party time taking in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, special holiday fireworks, stage shows, character greetings, snow on Main Street and more.
Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel, Joe. Please check back with us if you have any more questions about planning a holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. Enjoy!
Wilma