After surprising ourselves and getting annual passes to Disney again, we quickly realized how much of a game-changer it was with multiple trips. We went to Animal Kingdom for our first trip and then, a day or two later, visited Hollywood Studios, essentially for our wedding anniversary. The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater is special to us. Now, we love both Hollywood Studios and visiting Disney in the cold. While the day was perfect, we definitely didn’t plan to go to Jollywood Nights that evening. 

After Hours Christmas Party

We had heard about the separate ticketed event having many issues and complaints last year when it debuted. Guests couldn’t find enough to do, faced long lines, or didn’t see the value in what they had paid for. We also were used to visiting Hollywood Studios during the holidays and having the seasonal shows, decor, and treats available to regular-day guests and passholders. So we weren’t excited about the extra money to visit the event at the expense of losing the free version, especially when it seemed to be a refund-worthy waste last year. 

On select nights, November 9 to December 21, tickets cost around $170 each, and the event goes from 7:30p-12:30a officially, but you can enter the park after 6p with your event ticket. The event is limited-access, so there are lighter crowds, and this year, all the rides were open, which is an update from last year, creating much lighter lines. There are also multiple shows and live entertainment only available during Jollywood hours, special snacks and drinks around the park, and many rare character meet and greets. 

Holiday Magic?

As the park transitioned into the event and we could see the meet-and-greets, shows, and snack menus, we became very interested. It was also dropping into the 40s by this time, and everything just sort of fell into place and happened fast. We took the plunge and made the tickets a Christmas gift(Thank You). We got a slightly late start as we had to move the car from the Epcot to the Studios parking lot, but it worked out for the best.

We were a little worried about being dressed up(remember we had been there for the day) as many of the guests that night were, but it’s not required. I think the 40-degree weather encouraged many to wear their formal 1930s attire to be comfortable and fit the party vibe. 

Too Much To Do

There is a lot to do, especially if you like riding the rides. I’ll start with what we didn’t do. We didn’t go to Jazzy Holidays at the Brown Derby experience. Reservations were recommended, and when we passed by, there were lines to get into the restaurant and lines at the outside lounge. This experience entails a full special snack and drinks menu and live jazz entertainment inside the restaurant. 

We didn’t visit The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along show in the Frozen Sing-Along theater. We wanted to do this as Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie make live appearances on stage and lead you through the movie’s songs, but we just couldn’t fit it in.

We also didn’t choose to ride all the rides or do all the meet-and-greets. We generally got to do every ride and meet-and-greet we wanted, but with everything else going on, we wouldn’t have had time for them all anyway.

New Experiences

We went on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway for the first time and Rise of the Resistance about ⅔ of the way through for the first time. There was no wait for either ride. Rise was having issues on and off, and by the time we went and were escorted off, there was no getting back on, hence the ⅔ . It was still neat to go through the line queue and most of the experience essentially alone. 

We went to the main holiday show, Disney Holidays in Hollywood, hosted by Kermit and Miss Piggy, with several special guests, including the “leader of the club”. This is a song and dance holiday variety show where the Beauty and the Beast show normally is held. 

There is Glisten!, a live skate show on stage in front of the Chinese theater, and they also have Jingle Bell Jingle Bam, which takes place around the theater and Hollywood areas. Over by the Launch Bay, where you meet Jose and Panchito, there is another live street show with a full Latin band and dancers encouraging crowd participation. We mostly experienced this while waiting for the meet and greets, which passed the time. 

Embrace the Meet and Greets

The character meet and greets were unique, and we got to take some pictures with characters we hadn’t seen since we were little kids or that little kid versions of us would go nuts over. There are probably about 25 characters out throughout the night, some wearing exclusive holiday gear, from Phineas and Ferb to Mary Poppins to Dr. Strange. 

A few highlights for us were Max dressed as Powerline, Chip & Dale as the Rescue Rangers in front of a Rescue Rangers Christmas tree at the Indiana Jones stunt show entrance, Jose and Panchito from the Three Caballeros, and Mando and Grogu. The ticket for Jollywood includes the Photopass, and photographers are everywhere. You just have to wait in a short line for every picture you want, and it’ll be added to your Photopass to take home. 

Stepped-Up Snacks

There were quite a few food options you couldn’t get during the day. Think food and wine in Hollywood Studios and tailored to the holidays. There’s so much that I don’t think getting everything would be probable or a wise choice. It would just be too much food and a lot of sweets. We enjoyed enough and were pleasantly surprised by the size, pricing, and quality. A few highlights we tried were the Macaroni and Cheese Croquettes and the mini Italian Beef sandwich.

A Ghostly Soiree

I think our favorite thing was the Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club. The courtyard area behind the Tower of Terror is decorated and transformed into a fancy 1930s holiday party. There are special food and drinks with an emphasis on champagne. There are ghostly ballroom dancers and a three-piece band and singer performing holiday classics as fog rolls across the area.

Overall, the party was well worth it for us. We don’t generally put much into character meet-and-greets, but it seemed right. Even if you don’t do a single one, there are still plenty of other photo spots and things to do. We were busy from start to finish and excited about everything we were doing. We would go again and could still do a whole other set of different things this year. The only downsides we experienced were Rise of the Resistance going down with no recourse and the limited number of Jollywood Nights cups and merchandise selling out before the night was over. 

The event is strange, though, in that it’s for adults. There were not many kids there, but plenty of adults having fun. It’s a fancy 1930s Disney-kid holiday party. Think about it: we took pictures with the Rescue Rangers, saw the Muppets live on stage, and then watched a 1930s band play Santa Baby while sipping champagne. Pretty odd but perfect for us and a great way to enjoy the holiday if you’re into any of that stuff. I give Jollywood Nights 4 out of 5 formal holiday vests.