Reviewed: Disneyland Merriest Nites After-Hours Party

My mom and I went to Merriest Nites After-Hours Party at Disneyland and had the most magical, fun-filled, obviously merriest time! Neither of us had ever been to an after hours event at @disneyland before, and we went in just hoping for a fun night with new experiences. Well, we got that in spades! We donned our matching Hot Topic Minnie Mouse sweatshirts and ShopDisney Mickey Christmas Cookie ears, and away we went! From exclusive food options to character meet and greets, this was a night like no other. In all my times at Disneyland, I’ve never had one like this! Read on for a look at what we did — and what you can expect if Merriest Nites comes back!

1. DO THE CHARACTER MEET AND GREETS!

I will admit that I'm not always a character meet and greet kind of person. It depends on who the characters are, honestly. But for Merriest Nites, it was definitely worth it — because they had special, rare character sightings who are NEVER out in the parks! Plus, you get unlimited PhotoPass downloads with your ticket, so it's really easy to get the pics. They take somewhere between 2-4 of you with each character and they come out pretty well!

My mom and I HAD to wait in line to meet Goofy Marley and Scrooge McDuck from Mickey's Christmas Carol — my family's favorite Christmas movie ever since I was a kid! This was our #1 character meet and greet of the entire night, and I'm so glad we did it. We lined up right after the parade (more on that later), so our wait was only about 15 minutes.

With Goofy Marley and Scrooge McDuck!

We actually didn't even have time to see every single character who was out that night, so we prioritized based on the ones we cared about most. Our other must-meets were Oaken from Frozen and Pluto with his Christmas tree — that short is another must watch every holiday season.

Posing with Oaken from Frozen.

Having a moment with Pluto and his Christmas tree!

2. EAT ALL THE TREATS!

There were so many special treats available during the night. Many of the restaurants had exclusive food and drinks that you could only get during the event! My mom and I actually pre-ordered the ones we wanted very early in the day — because there was no way we weren't getting either of these goodies! We decided to go for sweet stuff over savory, and I think we made the best choices. FYI: Dipping the Mickey Gingerbread Cookie in the sipping chocolate was SO GOOD.

The Mickey Gingerbread Cookie! This treat has been selling out immediately every day, so you KNOW we had to pre-order it. I get at least one every year, and I have to say, I think they outdid themselves on the recipe this year!

The sipping chocolate with dipping waffle. Basically heaven.

Enjoying a moment with my Mickey Gingerbread Cookie. Sans ears and legs.

3. WATCH THE PARADE!

One of our must-dos during Merriest Nites was to watch the Christmas Fantasy Parade. We both saw this parade for the first time in 2019 and it was just MAGICAL. Seriously, how can you go wrong with dancing reindeer, cuddly snowmen and fun-loving gingerbread men? We snagged a spot on Main Street right where the parade started and got the best view! This was such a highlight of the night. I actually didn't take too many photos during it because I just wanted to enjoy it, but here are a few I snapped!

The adorable gingerbread men during the Christmas Fantasy Parade!

Mickey Mouse came out to say hello, dressed in his festive best!

The Toy Soldiers! I always love seeing them — Babes in Toyland is one of my very favorite movies.

4. SEE THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROLING COACH!

So this is definitely a must of the night, but a word to the wise — where you stand matters! We had no idea where we needed to be, and I'm not going to lie, we were NOT in the idal location. We stood on one side of Main Street, but the coach came by with all the characters on the other side so we couldn't see them! Then it was stationed right in front of the Walt and Mickey statue, but there were too many people in front of us for us shorties to get a good view. So we did our best to enjoy it! If you happen to want to catch them, be sure you're on the right side of Main Street as you walk toward the castle and be as close to the statue as possible.

Also, I know that many people said this was their #1 activity of the night, but even if I'd gotten a better spot, I honestly don't think I would say that. The meet and greets and the parade were much higher on my list!

Checking out the Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach on Main Street. This is the best shot I got.

THE WRAP-UP

Our tickets were $165 each. This included a mix-in starting at 5pm, and the park was open until midnight (everyone not going to Merriest Nites had to leave between 7-8pm). I know some people complained about the amount of hours available, or thought there wasn't enough to do. But we LOVED it and didn't have a moment of downtime from when we arrived around 5:15 until we left at 12am! We definitely thought we got our money's worth and we had a blast.

So, what are your must-sees, must-dos and must-eats at Merriest Nites? Do you think you would go? Let me know in the comments!