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After having just gotten back from the Walt Disney World Resort, my family can happily report that we absolutely loved the new after-hours Disney World Christmas event. That event, of course, is Jollywood Nights, which takes place on select nights at Hollywood Studios. We go into full detail of the event in our Jollywood Nights guide here.
So having attended ourselves, we wanted to share with you some tips before you go. We hope it can make your event even more magical and fun!
1. Buy Your Ticket ASAP
Tickets for Jollywood Nights are selling out very quickly, so buy your ticket now before tickets are sold out!
2. Expect Long Lines When You Enter – And Plan Accordingly
Even though the event starts at 7:30 PM, you can arrive a couple of hours early. The line can get really long during those hours.
If you already have a ticket for the rest of the day, you can avoid this long line by getting in the regular line for Hollywood Studios.
But if your only ticket for that day is for the Jollywood Nights event, make sure you take into account during your planning that it will take awhile for you to get into the park.
3. Start Eating (and Drinking) Early
While Jollywood Nights doesn’t officially start until 7:30 PM, you should be able to purchase event-exclusive food and drink items earlier than that.
Every year I have attended Jollywood Nights, I’ve been able to eat earlier than that. For example, this year, I was able to get a Miss Piggy Strawberry Glam at Hollywood Scoops this year at around 7:00 PM.
This is great, because it will give you more time during the rest of the event for all the fun entertainment and character meet and greets!
If you want a full list of what you can eat and drink during the event and where check out our Jollywood Nights Food & Drink Guide.
4. Later Shows are Less Crowded
We’ve always found the later the show, the less attendance. The last couple of years, we’ve attended the first and last showing of Disney Holidays in Hollywood (our favorite show). The first show gets packed, but the last showing always has multiple seats available. Also, the line before they let people in (generally about thirty minutes before the show starts) is much shorter during the last show versus the first show. So if you want a really great seat, you need to show up earlier for early shows.
So if you don’t want to spend too much time waiting for shows but want to make sure you get a good seat, then opt for the later performances instead of the earlier ones.
5. Eat While You Wait (Or Watch)
Before the shows (Disney Holidays in Hollywood or the Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-a-long), purchase a Christmas treat or drink to enjoy as you wait for the show to start (or as you watch). For example, I’ve enjoyed Sandy Claws Hot Cocoa from Dockside Diner as I watched Disney Holidays in Hollywood. And as an added bonus, the delicious hot cocoa helped warm us up as the night started to get a little colder!
Now, you will need to factor in waiting in line for the food or drink. But in our experience, the lines moved fairly quickly (sometimes surprisingly so). And some dining locations are close to shows. Fairfax Fare, for example, is located right across from Disney Holidays in Hollywood.
6. Relax at Jazzy Holidays
Want to kick back and relax during the night? Then reserve a spot at Jazzy Holidays! This event takes place at the Hollywood Brown Derby.
Here are some reasons why it can be a nice break to your night:
- They have great drinks
- They have great food (which can even serve as a light dinner)
- There’s live music playing
- You’ll be seated and off your feet
- You are indoors, which can be good depending on the weather
There are a few things to note, though:
- You’ll need a reservation for this experience, so I would make one earlier in the night because they tend to book up quickly. You can make the reservation on your My Disney app.
- It is a bit pricey, so if you are looking for a relaxing experience that’s already included in the price of the event, this isn’t it.
To get a better idea of what you can expect at Jazzy Holidays, check out our Jazzy Holidays review.
7. Wear Touchscreen Gloves
Weather can be all over the place during the winter in Orlando. I’ve been there before in November and December and have worn everything from a tank top and shorts to a thick winter coat and gloves.
But to be on the safe side, you need to plan as if it could be cold. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to an event with a lot of outdoor fun in the winter, but your hands can get cold. At the same, though, you’ll still want your phone handy. I mean, what happens if characters like Phineas and Ferb walk by? You’ll want to quickly access your phone to take a picture.
But as you may be aware, gloves don’t always work well with a touchscreen phone. The exception is if you buy touchscreen gloves. Then you can wear gloves that are specifically made so that you can still use your phone. You could purchase these gloves for women or these gloves for men.
If you’re unsure you want gloves that work with touchscreen phones you could also consider fingerless gloves, so that way at least the rest of your hand would be warm while you use your phone, such as these Nightmare Before Christmas gloves.
8. Bring a Poncho
Speaking of weather, Florida can also be very rainy any time of the year. I know there have been multiple Jollywood Nights events where it has rained.
Moral of the story? Come prepared. A great way to do that is to bring a poncho. You can buy one at the parks, but it’s a lot cheaper if you purchase one ahead of time like this affordable family pack of ponchos.
9. Consider Dressing Up
Speaking of what to wear, consider dressing up for the party. Consider wearing an Old Hollywood dress, a 1940s or 1930s-era suit, a 1920s costume, or a Christmas sequin dress.
When I went, there was a bit of everything. I wore a green sequin Santa dress, and fit in perfectly!
And if you don’t want to dress up, you could consider going in comfort but fitting the theme of a Disney Christmas event with one of these Disney Christmas spirit jerseys.
10. Bring a Portable Charger
Oh, and as I mentioned earlier, you’re going to want to take pictures and videos of this event. There are a lot of great things going you’ll want to remember forever, or at least for a day on an Instagram Story.
So the last thing you want is your phone to die. So make sure you bring a portable charger like this one so that doesn’t happen.
