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Here I am once again to review the information from last year and give you an even better projection for the least crowded Micky’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016. Make sure you check out our dedicated page for a complete list of dates as well as a thorough description of what the Christmas party is.

In short, if you’re looking for the best Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016, we recommend Tuesday, November 15, 2015. The equivalent date was the party last year with the lowest wait times and has been very low in the past. It’s a Tuesday, early in November, yet far enough away from the first party for the rush to subside.

Since I’m sure you’re wondering how we did with our recommendations last year, the answer is…pretty darn good. There were several predictions that we nailed, but we had a few that were a little off that we have fixed for this year’s recommendations. Here are the top 5 from last year’s recommendations:

Party Date Projected Wait Time Rank Actual Measured Wait Time Rank Tuesday, November 10, 2015 Lowest Wait Times 3 Tuesday, December 8, 2015 2 6 Thursday, November 12, 2015 3 4 Tuesday, November 17, 2015 4 7 Tuesday, December 1, 2015 5 5

[As a quick aside, it’s interesting to note that the average wait times had gone down each year that we had monitored them–until 2015. We had no reason to believe that the parties’ attendance is declining, so we always assumed that people are increasingly focusing on all of the non-ride entertainment. The increased wait times in 2015 indicate that maybe people are heading back to the rides. Aside over, back to the best Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016.]

As you can see, our predictions performed pretty closely to what we thought they would. The average peak wait time during the Christmas parties is around 11 minutes, while the average wait for the 2015 party was 11.7. What we have noticed is that much of the Christmas party crowds can be boiled down to a simple two-step generalization: go either a) on a Tuesday or b) before Thanksgiving. You’ll notice that many of our top parties to attend are following these rules. If you are considering other dates, here are our predicted rankings of attraction wait times at each of the 2016 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties.

One important note is that we rank these based on attraction wait times. You will see that some of the higher-ranked parties sold out well in advance meaning that they were crowded. There are some parties–especially the later-December ones–where a large percentage of visitors chooses to enjoy the parades and character meets rather than the rides. We present the chart below in order to give you as much information as we have so that you can make an informed decision.

[Note: Prices are not available for the 2016 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Once they are they will be added to this chart.]

Party Date Attraction Wait Times Rank Notes Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Lowest Wait Times Tuesday, November 8, 2016 2 Thursday, November 10, 2016 3 Tuesday, December 6, 2016 4 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2015. Monday, November 7, 2016 5 First party of the year. Sunday, November 13, 2016 5 Tuesday, November 29, 2016 6 Thursday, December 1, 2016 7 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2013 and 2014. Tuesday, December 13, 2016 8 Sold out on the day of the party in 2015. Friday, November 11, 2016 9 Thursday, December 8, 2016 10 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2013. Friday, November 18, 2016 11 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2014. Friday, December 2, 2016 12 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2013 and 2014. Friday, December 9, 2016 13 Sold out 1 day in advance in 2013 and 2 days in 2014 and 2015. Sunday, December 4, 2016 14 Thursday, December 15, 2016 15 Sold out 2 days in advance in 2014 and 1 day in advance in 2015. Sunday, November 27, 2016 16 1st Party after Thanksgiving break. Sold out 1 day in advance in 2013 Friday, December 16, 2016 17 Sold out 2 days in advance in 2014. Sunday, December 11, 2016 18 Sold out 1 day in advance in both 2014 and 2015. Sunday, December 18, 2016 19 Thursday, December 22, 2016 Highest Wait Times Final Party of the year. Sold out 7 days in advance in 2013, 20 days in 2014, and 29 days in 2015. Lines for character greetings and parade viewing spots will be long.

Our wait times only include attractions−not character meet and greets, special shows, or parades. The characters, in particular, often have long lines, especially for rare characters like the Seven Dwarfs. Regardless of which party you attend, some of the character lines will be long. If those are a must do, do them as early in the evening as possible.To determine all of the above, we looked at posted wait times from key attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, and The Barnstormer. We narrowed it down to times between 7pm and midnight, which is when the park is limited to party guests. Some quick notes about our research:

In general the wait times during the Christmas parties are quite low, averaging only 10.9 minutes. If there are any attractions that you have really been wanting to do, experiencing them during the Christmas party might just be the time.

Looking for more information? Good, because we have a lot for you. Savannah Sanders wrote a post full of savvy tips that will help you whether this is your first trip or your 100th (and if it’s your 100th, you might have a problem…being too awesome).

If meeting characters is your main priority, the bossman himself, Len Testa, wrote a fantastic (yes, I’m kissing up) piece about strategy for character meets during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party. If you haven’t decided if the cost is worth it you should read Kristina Murphy’s post about that very subject.

Now that you are armed with the most powerful weapon…knowledge, you can plan your trip to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016. This site will help you find all of the party info.

Hopefully this analysis will help you choose the best Christmas Party to attend. Merry Christmas (a little early)!

Thanks!