food IS a theme park
If you want to be entertained for five hours straight, you need to go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!
It’s beautiful all lit up!
This holiday offering at Magic Kingdom is a hard-ticketed event with a TON of exclusive entertainment. From stage shows to parades to fireworks, there’s plenty to add to your schedule if you’re going this year. And now that the party has kicked off, we’re breaking down ALL the entertainment offerings.
If you’re heading to Universal Orlando’s newest park, Epic Universe, you probably want to experience all it has to offer, right? You want every ride, every restaurant, and every experience from this brand-new third gate, especially since tickets aren’t cheap.
Ygor in Dark Universe
We track all closures at Epic Universe so you know when to plan your trip and what to expect when you get there. A very popular ride has been added to the refurbishment list, and this is one you don’t want to miss.
You know the Disney World hotels that we recommended for 2026? Scrub those from your mind.
We’ve got a FRESH lineup of Disney resort recommendations (as well as NEW warnings about which ones to avoid) that should help you make your 2027 home-away-from-home decision.
It’s no secret that we at DFB have a little bit of obsession with cheese, so when Disney World announced that a cheese experience would be coming to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, we were ECSTATIC!
Cheers to Cheese at CommuniCore Hall
Well, that cheese experience called Cheers to Cheese opened at the festival on September 18th (a little later than the rest of the festival), and we finally got to visit it and celebrate our love for all things cheesy. Well, if you’ve been wanting to visit Cheers to Cheese and haven’t had a chance to yet, we’ve got some bad news: it’s now permanently closed.
Here’s a fun math problem: if you’re in your 50s right now, you were somewhere between kindergarten and high school when EPCOT Center opened in October 1982. That means you probably remember riding Horizons, hearing the Dreamfinder sing about one little spark, and thinking a ride through a giant golf ball was the most futuristic thing on the planet. And that history shapes how you see EPCOT today, for better and for worse.
EPCOT
Disney World offers a wide variety of attractions over its four theme parks, with rides for everyone from young children to thrill seekers to grandparents. EPCOT alone covers all of those bases. But just because Disney has a ride for every guest doesn’t mean every ride is for every guest. In my 30+ years visiting EPCOT, my own body has started reacting differently to certain rides, to the point where I’ve had to edit my every-visit list (apologies to my chiropractor for skipping Mission: SPACE). [Read more…]
It’s no secret that Disney is CONSTANTLY making major announcements — you should see our company Slack threads during busier days — and sometimes some can fall through the cracks. However, that’s where we come in!
Cinderella Castle
We keep track of EVERY SINGLE DISNEY announcement, from the large to the minuscule and everything in between, and we’ve rounded up everything notable from October!
I just spent a whole lot of money on tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but it’s totally worth it for all the free cookies and hot chocolate I got in Magic Kingdom. No, really, we walked around Magic Kingdom collecting different cookies, plus hot chocolate and apple cider, and we loved every minute.
Snowman Shaped Pretzel
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is officially back in Magic Kingdom on select nights from November 8th to December 22nd, and with your after-hours ticket, you can access the park from 4 PM to midnight for all your Christmas fun. From exclusive entertainment, snacks, and characters, we’re breaking it all down right here at Disney Food Blog, but right now, we’re telling you EVERYTHING you need to know to get your free cookies.
It’s finally time to celebrate the holidays in Magic Kingdom, and YES, we will be waiting in line to meet some of our favorite characters while eating party-exclusive snacks — thanks for asking!
Mickey & Minnie!
Today kicks off Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which takes place on select nights November 8th through December 22nd, 2026 this year, and we’re here on opening night to show you all there is to experience. While we love the party-exclusive entertainment and merchandise just as much as the next person, one of our favorite parts of the night is getting to meet some of our favorite rare characters. Don’t worry, we’ve got a full list of everyone you can meet right here so you can find all your favorites easily!
We love Disney World rides, but we love them even more when there’s a special holiday overlay. They make the rides even more special and take our favorites to another level.
Space Mountain
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party runs on select nights till December 22nd in Magic Kingdom and requires a special after-hours ticket. With that magical ticket, you get access to exclusive entertainment, snacks, characters, and of course, rides! While tons of rides open during the party usually have low wait times, a select few have a Christmas overlay that makes them extra special. Some are only available during the party, so if ride overlays are your jam, prioritize certain rides.
It’s officially time to celebrate the holiday season, and we couldn’t be more excited! Disney officially kicked off their Christmas season celebration tonight with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and you know we were front and center to bring you all the news from tonight.
Delicious, new treats are here!
Not only can you ride lots of your favorite rides at much lower wait times, but you can also experience snow (in the form of snoap) on Main Street, U.S.A., check out exclusive entertainment, as well as eat lots of party-exclusive snacks you can’t get anywhere else. Don’t know which of those snacks will be worth your time and money? Don’t worry, we’re here to help — we tried ALL the new snacks to let you know which ones you’ll definitely want to make time for!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
