Disney’s Jollywood Nights Review -What’s Different? It’s the holiday season across Disney Parks and there are decorations and festivities everywhere. Christmas time is my favorite time at Walt Disney World, including their parties: Jollywood Nights and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Very Merry over at Magic Kingdom is a yearly favorite for so many, it’s truly Christmas magic! Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios is a newer party, year 3, which boasts the theme of an old fashioned Christmas with some glitz and glam mixed in. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is just about sold out this year. Jollywood Nights is not. Why is that? Let’s talk about it!
We attended opening night for Jollywood Nights, and honestly we were excited. The whole vibe for Jollywood is like a date night or and evening out with friends. Getting dressed up is always a fun part of this event, I don’t do it very often so I look forward to that. Hollywood Studios is all decked out with decor and it’s beautiful as always. Everyone speaks on Magic Kingdom being the most festive place during the holidays, but don’t count out Hollywood Studios, the park looks amazing! Once we got the party map, it was time to figure out what was on our must do list for the evening. There’s a lot of food offered at Jollywood Nights, so checking the map is important so you can plan what foodie fun you want to get into! “What’s This?” is a must for us, that’s the Nightmare Before Christmas singalong which replaces the Frozen version during Jollywood Nights. It’s so good, the Jack Skellington puppet is always impressive. We saw that show first!
Also, character meet and greets are a huge part of this party. There are a few new ones this year like Bing Bong and Partysaurus Rex. Lotso is back too!
The skating show, Glisten, is back for its second year with a bigger stage. You can also see Disney Holidays in Hollywood which happens in the Beauty and the Beast theater. If you’re a Muppets fan, you’ll want to see it!
Let’s talk food! The popovers are back this year, as is the fan favorite Sugar Cookie Martini. The Martini is fabulous, add that to your list for sure!
There are a lot of photo ops at Jollywood Nights, with a few new ones this year. Sunset Seasons Greetings is festive (more about that later), you can see Jingle Bell Jingle Bam at 10:00, and on your way out you get a nice holiday ornament! The ornament idea was a great, being that they gave out champagne marshmallows last year. All in all, it was a nice evening… but it was so different. Let me try to explain why.
Jollywood Nights was our favorite party for so many reasons, but after this year, our views may have changed a little bit. Gone were the glitzy outfits that made this party unique. For whatever reason, I’d say maybe 25 percent of party goers dressed up. Most just wore tees and shorts. I have no idea why that is. I feel like this party wasn’t pushed as much this year, maybe that’s how things got a bit lost in translation so to speak. Did they miss the memo on what to wear or did we? Did it change? I hope that’s not the case as it is such a fun part of attending this party, finding festive outfits to wear.
This year was also very quiet. It’s hard to explain, but in previous years there was always something going on, music everywhere. One of my favorites at the Studios is Sunset Seasons Greetings with the projections up on the Tower of Terror. I was so excited to head over and see the show, to hear the fun music and of course see the laser snow! To my dismay, when we headed that way, the Tower of Terror looked the same as it always does. Ominous. No projections of presents or gingerbread, no Christmas music, no laser snow. So quiet, I thought they were having technical difficulties truthfully. So, we checked the map and it was changed, the show only happens on the hour I believe. It used to run on and off the entire evening. Disappointing for sure, I feel that taking that part of the party away wasn’t the best idea. There was a band back by Rock N Rollercoaster but you couldn’t hear them.
Keep in mind, two areas of the park are closed, Muppets Courtyard and Animation Courtyard. The past two years, those areas had the best photo and video opportunities. I didn’t see any video ops this year, those were really fun. Glisten was changed this year as well. Last year there were candy canes, Mickey and Minnie etc. For some reason, there was none of that this time. The show doesn’t have holiday music, just Disney movie tunes. Nothing says Christmas like “Be Our Guest” or “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin, right? I love ice skating shows, I used to skate as a kid, I’d just love it if they’d add more festive music and such. They do have a cute Jollywood Nights number though and the skaters did a fantastic job, it’s worth checking out if you haven’t yet, to form your own opinion.
The dance parties are in various places across the park, including Pixar Place with characters.
I believe there were three of them, don’t quote me on that. Those are always a good time plus you can get some great photos and videos. Speaking of Pixar Place, I think that area would have been perfect for the new Bing Bong meet and greet. They had him across the park outside Galaxy’s Edge, near the construction walls where the new Monstropolis is going. The lines to meet characters are very long, and people aren’t always self aware about said long lines and how much time they spend with the characters. Pack your patience for sure!
I honestly wish I could put my finger on it: what made Jollywood Nights so different this year? When I say it was quiet, I mean that there wasn’t enough happening, hardly any holiday music. Jingle Bell Jingle Bam was moved to 10 like I said, instead of closing out the night. It’s the same show, which used to be free during the holidays. I think the biggest difference was Sunset Seasons Greetings, or the lack thereof. It was just so silent, we need some music or at least the projections. The group I was with felt the same. There wasn’t enough Christmas, and that’s obviously important for a holiday party one would think. Also, not seeing people dress up was kind of a letdown, as it was a huge part of Jollywood Nights. What happened?
Jollywood Nights is something we look forward to every year since its debut. The old fashioned Hollywood glam holiday party… the best! I don’t want to see this event go away, I really hope that’s not the case. They just need to somehow get back to the original concept that launched this party. I think people are in need of some Christmas magic, that feeling in your heart that can happen during the season. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party definitely brings that, Jollywood Nights used to. The construction could be a big part of why things felt off this year. I’m not giving up, I think that Jollywood Nights has been a wonderful idea and special offering for guests. Again, I’m perplexed as to why the vibe was a bit peculiar… Or, why the parties aren’t selling out. I guess we shall see what happens or if any changes are made going forward.
In conclusion, I’d still give Jollywood Nights a try, I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on the party for 2025. Don’t forget to try the sugar cookie martini, which is at various locations across the park. You’ll thank me later! Merry Christmas everyone!
You may also enjoy- Walt Disney Presents- Props and Costumes from The Muppets Christmas Carol and The Santa Clause
For Jollywood Nights tickets, click here!
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/hollywood-studios/jollywood-nights/
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