How to Throw a Countdown to Disney Party #NowMoreThanEver

I received free products in order to host a #NowMoreThanEver playdate party. As always, the opinions expressed here are my own.

Last month I was ecstatic to open my inbox to see that I was selected to host a #NowMoreThanEver Disney Playdate Party! And what better time for us to throw a Disney themed party than right before we head to the Most Magical Place on Earth! 10 days to be exact and we will be walking down Main Street and flying high on Dumbo. Eek! We’ve been keeping our trip a secret from the kids – until today (more on how we revealed the big surprise to them later)! If you’re planning an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, add a little Pixie Dust into the mix and make the occasion an even bigger celebration with a countdown to Disney party!

Some of you may know that I was a wedding planner in my past life (pre-kiddos), so party planning is something that I thrive on. And y’all already know that I love a good themed party. Especially a Disney party. So, we went with a Mickey Mouse + Magic Kingdom inspired theme.

Here’s everything you need to know about throwing a Countdown to Disney party!

The food – Mickey Shaped Snacks

Every party needs good food, right?! Get creative with your menu – think about your favorite Disney park and what your favorite snacks are there. Is it the amazing smelling popcorn? A treat inside the Magic Kingdom Bakery? Or a Mickey ice cream bar? Use that as your inspiration to guide your menu.

Personally, we can never get enough Mickey waffles, popcorn, or corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner. Instead of the nuggets, we opted for good ole’ corn dogs (Noah’s request) and I added a simple, yet fun Mickey shaped liner – made out of parchment paper – to our baskets.

I had a lot of fun putting these Oreo Mickey cupcakes together, too! They are so easy to make and added such a fun themed element to our Countdown to Disney party! Tip: Use Oreo Thins instead of the regular size. They aren’t as heavy and will stand up better in the icing.

The decor – Magic Kingdom Inspiration

Clearly, we couldn’t throw a Magic Kingdom inspired party without Cinderella’s Castle! Luckily, we happen to have one of those on hand. This play castle just so happened to be my daughter’s birthday gift a few years ago and it worked perfect as the centerpiece for our party table. We gathered up Mickey & his pals to hang out in the Castle, as well as the mini parking tram & Disney bus (we seem to collect a Disney transportation vehicle each time we visit the parks 😉 ). The rest of the Mickey decor + paper products were kindly sent to us by Disney, so luckily we didn’t need to worry about those items!

When planning your party decor, think about items that you may already have on hand. Use toys, stuffed animals, or even creations made by your own kids! Noah is completely LEGO obsessed so when I told him we were throwing a Mickey themed party, he immediately ran to his LEGO table and built this cute little Mickey. And don’t forget about letter boards, too. We love thinking of cute little sayings + quotes to display here! I decided to use one of my all-time favorite quotes by Walt Disney as inspiration – “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.”

Finally, add some balloons (or even a pinata) in coordinating colors and you’re all set!

I admit I couldn’t say no to this huge floating Mickey balloon, so he came home from the party store with us, too!

Oh, and you might be wondering what Mickey is holding. That is our Mickey paper chain we made to count down the days ’til our trip!

Activities – Disney Crafts & Games

We also had fun planning several different themed activities for our party guests – a coloring station, “Pin the Nose on Mickey” party game and a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse board game (perfect for preschoolers). One of our party guests even came up with the idea of having a coloring contest! Naturally, my little artist took the contest pretty seriously 😉

Noah & London had fun playing Mickey board games before our friends arrived. This kept them occupied while I put the finishing touches on the party!

Are your kids as obsessed with Tic Tac Toe as mine are?! I decided to put a twist on the traditional pen + paper game and create an edible Tic Tac Toe board on a graham cracker. We used red licorice strings, Fruit Loops and then icing to make everything stick. You could also use Skittles or M&Ms, too! These were easy peasy to put together and my kids loved them!

The Guest List

Disney magic is meant to be shared, so gather up your fellow Disney loving friends & family and invite them to join the fun! To avoid any hurt feelings from friends who aren’t necessarily planning a future Disney trip, it’s best to save the big announcement until after your guests have left.

The BIG reveal – announcing your Disney World trip!

We had our party on a weekday in the late afternoon while my husband was at work. This worked better for our party guests and also made it feel more like a true playdate with our friends. After we handed out our Mickey goodie bags and our friends had left, my husband came home with “2 extra goodie bags we had forgotten about – just for the kids”. Inside their goodie bags were their Magic Bands! It only took them a minute to figure out what those meant, haha! They were SO excited, and luckily we caught the whole thing on video. Head over to my IG stories to watch their excitement!

#NowMoreThanEver is the perfect time to visit Walt Disney World

2019 is far from over, which means there’s still plenty of time to experience the magic at Walt Disney World! 2019 has brought so many amazing new character experiences and shows to the parks such as Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration (Magic Kingdom), Party with Pixar Pals (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), the Festival of the Lion King (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) and more! Get started planning your trip today and then throw a Countdown to Disney party to celebrate!

A Thank You to Our #NowMoreThanEver Party Sponsors

Lastly, we are so thankful for our wonderful sponsors that helped bring a little extra Disney magic to our party!

JAKKS Pacific – for our adorable Cinderella doll & costume! We awarded our sweet neighbor with the Cinderella dress for winning the “Pin the Nose on Mickey” game.

Michael Angelo’s – for providing us with a quick & easy Italian dinner the night of our party! We can’t wait to stock up on more of these delicious frozen meals for the busy school nights ahead.

Pillow Pets – for our super cute & comfy Mickey Pillow Pet! My kids might love their new Pillow Pet a little too much because they can never seem to share it! 😉

Popped Passion – for our fabulous popcorn cake, which made a great addition to our Mickey themed party menu!

Our Countdown to Disney party was truly something we will never forget! Noah has thanked me about a hundred times and woke up absolutely beaming the next morning from all of the excitement! Now that our party is over, let the packing begin! See ya real soon, Disney World!

xo,

Sumer

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