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The 2015 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties at Walt Disney World will occur in September and October. This post covers our tips and tricks for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, which is scheduled for the following dates: September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27 and October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, as well as November 1. You can now purchase tickets (ranging from $57-77 per person) on Walt Disney World's event page.
On these nights, the Magic Kingdom closes at 7 p.m. to guests who haven't not purchased tickets for the Halloween Party. So you can prepare for the Halloween Party now, here is our analysis based upon the last several years (we go to it yearly) to help you determine whether this expensive hard ticket event is worth it to you, and if so, what your "Plan of Attack" should be to efficiently conquer the various offerings. Between this party and Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival, plus improving weather, the fall months at Walt Disney World are one of our favorite times of year to visit!
Note that this guide covers Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, not Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland. For info about the latter, read our comprehensive Guide to Halloween Time at Disneyland!
So at over $60 a pop for tickets to the 2015 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, you might be trying to determine, "is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party worth it?" Our opinion, as Disney-biased tourists, is that it most definitely is worth the price at least once. Once you've experienced the party once (it doesn't change much year-to-year), you might determine that it's simply too expensive to experience again. For a one time event, it's definitely worth it if your budget allows. While we prefer Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, we do attend both every year.
There's a lot of special entertainment including one of Disney's best parades and a great fireworks show, a great ambiance to the party including special decorations and lighting, lots of unique character meet & greets, and even seeing other guests in Halloween costumes makes for a fun experience.
If you do decide to do the Halloween Party, make sure to buy your tickets in advance, and use any available discounts (Disney Vacation Club member, Annual Passholder, etc.). Tickets are more expensive on the day of the party, and several nights each year sell out completely. It would stink to wait until the last minute and have your dates sell out!
If you're a potentially returning guest to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, here's what was new last year, and what's anticipated for this year. Last year's big new thing was a hard ticket event within the hard ticket event called Villains' Sinister Soiree (we still wish they went with "Mickey's Halloween Inception"). It's essentially a dessert party in Cinderella's Royal Table with reserved seating for the Boo to You Parade and HalloWishes fireworks. This costs $99 per person on top of the ~$60 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket. So, if you've been thinking that the Halloween party is just too darn cheap, this option is for you!
Seriously though, we have absolutely no intention of doing this party. The reserved viewing area is not a good spot for viewing the fireworks, as it's too close to Cinderella Castle (for the best spots, check out our Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Locations Guide), and there are just too many other great things to do at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (it's unlikely you can do all of the regular entertainment in a single night) to justify attending a dessert party, especially at the $99 price point. In fact, we wouldn't do this dessert party even if it were "only" $25 per person. It's just not worth taking the time from the regular awesome entertainment of the Halloween party to do this. Plus, the idea of another upcharge event within an upcharge event just makes us cringe.
Fortunately, the other "significant" new thing (besides some minor changes to the Boo To You Parade and a couple of different meet & greet characters) is the Club Villain dance party in Frontierland, and it offers guests the opportunity to 'mingle' with some villains without paying the upcharge price. Beyond that, it looks to be mostly the same entertainment as last year.
As for what you should do during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, here's our guide to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!
The first important tip is to pick the best day on your trip for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Although Disney sells a "limited" number of tickets to the party, limited is mainly a marketing term. Some of the parties are as crowded as you might find the parks during an ordinary day. As a general rule, the closer you get to Halloween, the busier the parties become. School nights are less busy, with Tuesday night parties being the best options in our experience. Disney prices these parties based on historical demand, so going on the cheapest party night you can is generally the best idea from both the perspective of saving money and avoiding crowds. Win-win!
The second most important tip is to arrive early to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The Party officially starts at 7 p.m., which is when all of the entertainment actually begins, but guests can enter with their Halloween Party tickets as early as 4 p.m. This is not something Walt Disney World advertises, but it absolutely is true, and you will see plenty of other guests arriving at 4 p.m., and Cast Members in their Halloween outfits at the turnstiles.
This earlier entry offers you potential savings to offset the cost of your tickets. Before we were Annual Passholders, we'd plan on doing Downtown Disney or a water park the morning we went to the Halloween Party, which allowed us to purchase 1-day less on our park tickets. We highly recommend that you do the same! In other words, if you normally would buy a 5-day ticket for your trip, buy a 4-day ticket and do something besides one of the 4 theme parks before 4 p.m.
The additional day you're not purchasing would have only added on $10-30 in cost to your total package, so we're not talking a substantial amount here, but it makes the Halloween Party more economical. To save even more money on multi-day Walt Disney World tickets, we highly recommend buying from an authorized ticket broker selling cheaper tickets than you can buy directly from Disney. Read our Tips for Buying Discount Walt Disney World Tickets Guide for more information about saving money on park tickets. You can't buy Halloween Party tickets from these authorized ticket sellers, but the amount you save on your regular park tickets plus the savings on that extra day you're not purchasing will help offset the added cost of the party tickets.
Early in the Halloween Party is also a great time to get photos, since the artificial lighting in the Magic Kingdom during the Halloween Party can be pretty harsh once in gets dark out.
The next biggest tip is to wear a costume! At least half of the Guests who attend the party wear costumes, and it's a lot more fun if you do. You're spending a fair chunk of change to attend one of these parties, make sure you get as much value for your money as possible by wearing a costume. You don't need to buy some expensive costume from the store–make one at home from items you buy at a thrift shop. Sarah and I attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party as the following: astronauts; an elf and princess; and "Cute Minnie" and a Toy Story Alien, among other things. Most of the time, our costumes are pretty lame as compared to other guests, but we still have a lot of fun!
For costumes, go inexpensive, simple, and most importantly…LIGHTWEIGHT. We have worn heavier costumes, and let me tell you what a mistake that was. It may be cooler at nighttime in the fall, but it's still Florida, and it's still humid and hot. While you will see a lot of guests in complex and really creative costumes, unless you have a specific costume in mind that you really want to make, simpler and lighter is better as far as costumes go.
Sarah's popular "Cute Minnie" costume pictured below was inexpensive (here's more info about what she's wearing), and we try to go with inexpensive costumes as the Halloween Party already costs a lot, no sense in making it cost even more! Thrift shops are great places to find the makings of inexpensive costumes. If you do decide to go the other direction and get a nice costume, there are numerous online stores specializing in unique costumes. eBay is also a great place to hunt down what you need for a more involved costume.
If at all possible, find a way to avoid trick or treating or save it until the end of the night. It is a major time drain, and you could buy a bag of candy yourself for like $3. It may be difficult to convince kids not to trick or treat, but if you can, find a way. There is so much entertainment during the Halloween Party that you won't get everything done even if you don't trick or treat and don't do any attractions.
Arrive at 4 p.m., eat and do an attraction or two before 6:00 pm. Once 6 pm hits, it's time to get ready to party, and time to initiate your Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party attack-plan to do and see as much as you can…
Please note that we have refined this strategy guide based on our anecdotal experiences of attending the party every year before for the past several years, but it has yet to be updated with specifics about the 2015 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (as those haven't started yet, so we haven't been to one), but we will update further once more info is available about this year's party and we have a chance to go to one. This hasn't been extensively tested or anything of the sort. Just some "real world" tips from frequent visitors to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Also, this guide does not include every character at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Notably absent are Anna and Elsa (sorry, Frozen fans) among others. Anna and Elsa can be met during the day, so spending over an hour of pricey Halloween party time waiting in line for the Frozen sisters isn't exactly a good use of time. The same goes for all of the princesses, actually. Their meet & greets are better during the day due to lighting, anyway.
Line Up For First Characters No Later Than 6:30 pm – The party officially starts at 7 pm, and invariably, lines start forming before the party starts. The Seven Dwarfs meet near the New Fantasyland entrance, just outside the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (which opened earlier this year) in New Fantasyland during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Their line is going to be long for the entire party. We have found it to be already an hour long by 6:45 pm. Snow White appears separately from the Dwarfs now.
Jack Skellington and Sally (from the Nightmare Before Christmas) will be meeting in Town Square. These characters have been the most 'in demand' characters who haven't appeared at past parties (as in more guests have requested them at the Halloween Party more than any other characters), and this would make sense given the lines we've seen for them at Disneyland outside Haunted Mansion Holiday (that's where the photo below is from, if you're wondering). It seems that Nightmare Before Christmas has gained a substantial cult following over the years, and that following coupled with their location at the front of the park leads to them being really popular characters at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Along with the Seven Dwarfs, they are the most popular characters of the party.
Unless you want to burn hours of the party, you probably are going to have to choose between Nightmare Before Christmas Characters or the Seven Dwarfs. Get in line for one of these meet & greets no later than 6:30 pm (maybe even as early as 6 pm!) so that you use as little actual party time as possible on the most popular meet & greets of the night. That is, unless the prospect of waiting in an hour plus long line during the height of the party doesn't scared you.
If you can't decide between these choices, we'd recommend the Dwarfs. Not only are they a 'bigger' meet & greet, but their location also makes it easy to jump to other popular/semi-popular meet & greets afterward. Plus, while in line for the Seven Dwarfs, you may see other characters roaming the area. We have been able to meet Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum while waiting in line for the Dwarfs.
The Witch – Villains are en vogue right now, and Disney has responded by expanding the dedicated villains meet & greets at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The only one we recommend focusing on is The Witch, as the rest (Gaston, Jafar, Tremaines, etc.) can all be found during daytime hours. The big problem is that The Witch may already have a prohibitively long line by this point, in which case you should wait until after 11 pm to meet here. She will be back in New Fantasyland, making it easy to check her line after meeting the Dwarfs.
Pooh Characters – If you start with the Dwarfs and skip The Witch, it's easy to then bounce over to the Pooh line by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fantasyland. This is one of the most popular meet & greets at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All four might meet together, or they might do a rotation of Eeyore & Pooh and Tigger & Piglet. We recommend this meet & greet as it's a unique one–you won't see these characters in costume any other time. If you do The Witch, you'll probably be saving this step and Alice and Wonderland (below) for later.
Alice in Wonderland Characters – This meet & greet is nearby (at the Mad Tea Party), making it a quick one to knock out. Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, and Queen of Hearts are all in this spot, possibly on a rotation. These characters are a lot of fun and usually have a short line making them a quick option, but note that they are often here during daytime hours, so if your time is extremely limited, you might consider skipping them…
Boo To You Parade – By now, it's probably about time for getting a Boo To You Parade spot. There are two showings of this parade, and the second is always far less crowded. Get spots at least 30 minutes early for the first parade (earlier if it's a busy night). If you do elect to just go with the second parade, you may end up kicking yourself, because this is one of the best parades Disney does. We always watch the early parade AND the late parade.
You obviously can't do this if you skip the early parade, so plan wisely. If you're really into meeting characters, it's difficult to meet all of the characters, watch the fireworks, do Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, AND watch both parades. If character meet and greets aren't that important to you, we recommend watching the early parade so you at least have the ability to watch it again if you really enjoy it.
Given the excellent lighting and ambiance on Main Street, we consider this the best place to view the parade (which steps off in Frontierland). It's also the most crowded spot. The Headless Horseman comes first, followed by the rest of the Parade much later (especially to Main Street).
Following the horse, the parade takes a long time to come–almost twenty minutes later. The Boo To You Parade is awesome. The performers in this parade are amazing: the caretaker "shovel band," the Haunted Mansion dancers, the Headless Horseman, the Haunted Mansion caretaker—I'm probably forgetting someone—all were excellent. They absolutely made the parade. I now think the key to any successful parade is: headless people, scrapping shovels on the ground, proclamations of it being "good to be bad," chickens 'bawking' to the beat, and the Country Bears rocking out. Any parade organizers out there reading this, you can thank me later for my solid advice.
More information about, and photos of, the Boo To You Parade can be found on our Boo To You Parade page.
HalloWishes – HalloWishes is the fireworks spectacular shown only during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties (click here for photos of the fireworks). It runs only once per night, and is not to be missed. If you view the first Boo to You parade from Main Street, about the time it's over, it would be a good time for you to pick a viewing location for HalloWishes.
This show does have perimeter bursts, and Castle projections, so a location on Main Street USA or near Casey's and the Ice Cream parlor are good options. Don't get too close to the Castle, or you won't be able to see all of the bursts!
While the Boo to You parade exceeds the Christmas parade, HalloWishes does not trump Holiday Wishes! Not even close. Maybe from a pure pyrotechnics perspective, but the show elements of Holiday Wishes are far superior. Can't beat that "Oh Christmas Tree" portion, the wonderful score in general, and the neat juxtaposition of the bursts with various dialogue, sound effects, and the score.
Catch Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular After HalloWishes – Not much is known about Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, the new show Walt Disney World announced to replace Villains Mix & Mingle for 2015, but it should follow roughly the same schedule. That means there is a showing of this right after HalloWishes on the Castle forecourt stage. By hitting Boo to You-HalloWishes-Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular like this, you don't run all over the park wasting time. Based on the announcement, it sounds like it will be a fun show that is well worth doing!
It will show hosted by the mischievous Sanderson Sisters from Disney's "Hocus Pocus" who return to the mortal world for one night during the Halloween season. The three sisters decide to use their magic to throw the best, evil Halloween party this side of the graveyard, featuring Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, Maleficent and other Disney villains, plus dancers, projections, and special effects. Unfortunately, the villains will not do meet & greets after the show (which is fine by us since this was so chaotic), so you'll want to find them throughout the park instead.
Check Back with Fantasyland Characters – If you missed the Pooh or Alice and Wonderland characters earlier, return to the line now. It should be after 10 pm, and by this time, these lines should be starting to wane. If it doesn't look shorter, instead head to Adventureland and Frontierland and return here later.
Donald & Daisy and Minnie – Meeting back by New Fantasyland's Storybook Circus, Donald & Daisy, and Minnie Mouse wear special Halloween costumes for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. That, plus their relatively short waits later in the evening make them an absolute must-do.
Characters at Dance Parties – This tip used to include free-roaming characters (such as the Country Bears), but we didn't see them last year, and we haven't heard of them being out this year. If you do see free-roaming characters, go interact with them! They typically don't get very long waits no matter when you go and they are, and can be tons of fun. Plus, the free-roaming characters and dance party at this point allow you to "wait out" the lines for Mickey & Minnie, do that. As for dance parties, there's the Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball dance party on the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland; expect to be able to dance (and scream) with Monsters, Inc. characters there. In Frontierland, the new Club Villains will be a good location to see the ever-popular villains. Expect this location to be busy as villains-fever is strong.
Now is also a good time for the characters over in Adventureland. You should have plenty of time to play around with King Louie and Tarzan over here, as there shouldn't be any lines–this makes for great interactions.
On our recent visit, whomever was friends with King Louie that evening had some rhythm. I've never seen a primate moonwalk quite like that. I guess those big ape-feet are good for something! Tarzan and Terk are just as much fun and should have just as short of a wait. In our experiences, Tarzan is "unintentionally" hilarious. He's a lot of fun, so definitely take the time to interact with him, and not just pose with him for photos. If you need ideas for interacting, read our Disney Character Meet & Greet Tips.
If meeting with characters and having some fun are more important than just getting cool pictures of them, then these locations in Adventureland and Frontierland are the hidden gems of the parties. At both Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we've had a blast having extended interactions with the characters. This is the case because later in the evening, these characters typically have shorter lines. You won't get that kind of interaction from the "big" characters who have huge lines!
Jack Sparrow – Captain Jack Sparrow isn't lumped in with the above because he's not "less popular." He usually meets outside Pirates of the Caribbean, and his waits can be fairly long. At this point in the night, they shouldn't be too bad, though. Since you're in the area, check his line. If the wait is long, check back after the second Boo To You Parade.
Second Boo To You Parade – If you've already seen the first parade from Main Street, watch the second parade from wherever. If you find yourself with free time 15 minutes before the parade steps off, head to Frontierland. Main Street is our favorite place for viewing the parade, but unless you didn't get all of the photos you wanted during the first parade, you definitely don't want to head to Main Street and wait for it to come all the way to you again.
Main Street Theater Mickey Mouse Meet & Greet – After 11 pm is the best time to visit Mickey Mouse. I'm not sure when his line gets cut, but it's not early. If you can't do this at the very end of the party, do it as early or as late as possible, but not immediately after a parade. Your mileage may vary on this one, but we still recommend going towards the end of the Halloween Party.
Princess Fairytale Hall – Again, we want to reiterate that we think you should skip the Anna and Elsa meet & greet during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, but if you must do it, do it late. We're not sure when this line will be cut, but we expect it to see long lines throughout the party, especially as 75% of children go to the party dressed as Frozen characters and want photos with the characters in-costume. Our tip: to avoid this problem, dress your kids in Frozen costumes on a normal day visit to the Magic Kingdom and meet Anna and Elsa then, and do different costumes during the Halloween party. You really can't go wrong with a Big Bad Wolf costume! 😉
In addition to things that we think are best accomplished on a set schedule, there are other offerings during the Halloween Party of which you might want to take advantage…
Haunted Mansion – We used to recommend skipping the Haunted Mansion during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party due to its inflated lines, but that's no longer the case (partly because FastPass+ has inflated its lines more during the day). The big reasons for not skipping it are Madame Carlotta and Madame Rinata who sit on the lawn of the Haunted Mansion entertaining guests in line. Also, there is a special PhotoPass opportunity here with the Hitchhiking Ghosts.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Card – This is not something about which we care, but if you want the exclusive Halloween Party Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card, go as late as possible to the Fire Station. The line was pretty long for this throughout the entire night, but seemed to die down as the evening wore on. Another alternative would be to go while one person holds spots for the parade if you view it from Main Street.
Mayhem at the Mansion – This is an augmented reality game that guests will be (or was going to be?) able to play during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It has yet to launch, and the app needed to play the game is no longer available from the App Stores. Guests will use the app to take photos of themselves and ghosts throughout the Magic Kingdom that they find via a map. Perhaps this will launch for the second party?
Merchandise – In addition to the normal Halloween merchandise available, there is special Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party merchandise that can only be purchased during the party. This year, that includes LE pins, LE MagicBands, shirts, and more.
Food – We advised eating before, not during, the party, but that applies to full meals. The only thing you might want to eat again once the party starts is some of the special Halloween snacks exclusive to the party. We were a bit let down by the Spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae last year, but this year's Candy Corn Ice Cream looks promising.
While we also manage to spot an above-average number of "free roaming" characters during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, that number seems to be decreasing with each year. My biggest complaint, and this is entirely personal to me, is that the Country Bears are not out like they are for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Then again, I think the Country Bears should always be out. Those bears rock. I think they should actually make of subset of Frontierland and coin it "Bearland."
Overall, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is a great event that every guest should experience at least once if money allows. It's especially great for character meetings, the Boo To You Parade, and the HalloWishes Fireworks.
There is enough on the schedule that you need to have a good strategy to accomplish everything, and there is plenty to do during the Halloween Party to keep you entertained–enough that you might want to forgo doing any attractions and finding another day in the Magic Kingdom for those. Realistically, the above plan is a little overly-ambitious unless you race from character to character. We have not met The Witch, but if the lines I saw for her at Villains Unleashed are any indication, trying to meet the Dwarfs and her is going to be a real challenge unless you're willing to spend a lot of time in line. Same goes for some other characters mentioned, like Jack Sparrow. Just remember to use this as a rough guide, and if you encounter a line that is super long, go against our advice. Improvise on the fly! You wouldn't drive your car into a lake at your GPS's insistence, would you?!
When we do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we always leave plenty of things undone. Entertainment is consistent from year to year, with some minor things added each year, it seems, making it difficult to accomplish everything on the map. This is especially true if you have youngsters who may want to trick or treat, which does take some time.
We skip trick or treating entirely–if we liked candy, we could buy it at home far cheaper than the $50+ our tickets cost. It's not just the unique parade, fireworks, and rare character meet and greets that make this party special. There is an excitement in the air (maybe it's all that sugar) and the guest costumes really liven things up. On top of that, the Magic Kingdom gets decked out for the party, with cool decorations, an excellent lighting package, and even different background music. It's these little details that make the party worth the money for us.
If these photos have whetted your appetite, visit our Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Photo Page!
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Have you attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? Do you think it's worth the money? What's your own "can't miss" thing to do during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? Share your thoughts on these questions, or anything else, in the comments!
Hey Tom, what sort of settings did you use for HalloWishes? Really looking to shoot that, I was just curious what glass and such you were using, and, if any, filters.
Thanks for the info! My husband and I are heading to MNSSHP this fall for the first time, and this was helpful in figuring out what to expect. One question though – you didn't mention anything about going on the rides during the party. I would think one benefit of the $50+ ticket would be experiencing the attractions with less of a wait. Was it not worth "wasting" time on the attractions with so much else going on during the party?
We did not take many character pics. After the fireworks show, there were little to no lines! We were able to ride Dumbo with unlimited wait and several other rides as well.
My husband really does not like crowds, and this was one of the few times I could get him on board to ride the rides due to the short wait/no wait.
I always looked at the parties (both MNSSHP and MVMCP) as very expensive to do things you can already do in the park anyway. Obviously there's a lot more going on here…. Thanks for the tips!
I thought I read it on your blog, but cannot remember. I know the party hours are 7-midnight. What time can we enter the park for the party????? We're attending on 10/25/11. THANKS!!!!
You can enter the park at 4PM!!!
We are attending the same night!! It's our first time at this party and we are super excited.
Hi there
We're coming from the UK and hoping to attend on the 1st November, but I'm confused.
Is the park open as normal the rest of the day? do they throw you out at 4pm if you don't have a Halloween party ticket? I had thought that the party was something you paid to attend at a certain location and the rest of the park was normal, now i'm panicking i've booked my hotel stays for a bad date.
The party looks awesome and we'd love to go, but wanted to do the park in the day too.
any advice?
Alicia, we were just there last week, and if you don't have a Halloween party ticket, they let you stay in the Magic Kingdom until the party "officially" starts at 7pm. They let the Halloween party ticket holders in at 4pm. The Magic Kingdom operates normally until 7pm when the Halloween party offically starts.
Please explain how they get the people who were already there all day to leave at 7? I'm very annoyed that my whole life Disney has been open until midnight and now they've found a way to extort more $ so you can stay- if I buy a norm ticket and come in the morning I have to leave at 7- or I can buy a ticket to the party and come at 4- so how DO they get earlier guests to leave?
there are a couple of sites to present your MNSSHP hard ticket and they give you your special wristband.
After 7p, anyone without the wristband is to leave the park. I don't know how this is enforced, but I think Disney character members do it very respectfully.
The MNSSHP isn't every night, so if you want to stay until midnight and not buy the separate hard ticket — pick a day to go when it isn't occurring and you can stay until the park closes.
It's definitely enforced. Ask me how I know? LOL! We tried to stay for the Christmas party last year thinking there's no way someone would notice 3 people in a sea of people waiting for the parade. Ha! Right before the parade started they send workers down looking for wristbands. If you don't have one, you're asked to leave. You can't get on rides without one. You can't get in restaurants without one. They've got it all mapped out.
They close everything down to people without wristbands. You cannot enter stores, restaurants, rides, or attractions so really all you could do is walk around the streets until someone notices you and they ask you to leave.
I have to be bias because I love Halloween at WDW. 2011 at the Haunted Mansion was even more exciting because of the new cue and I loved talking to Lady Renata as she welcomed you to the mansion.
Have you attended not-so scary Halloween at WDW and DL? Are the differences substantial? We've never attended the event and are planning a first visit to DL. We are wondering if we should make plans to attend the event there or wait until we can get back to WDW.
We have attended both…….Disneyland is better!!! Tons of special things to do and see….lots of special things in the Haunted Mansion!
Hey there me and a lady friend of mine are going to the not so scary halloween party and we were curious as to whether or not we would be allowed to dress up as flyyn rider and repunzel from the recently released tangled movie, do you have any idea if this would be permitted? or are you not allowed to dress as disney characters? any help would be greatly apprecitaed thank you for your time.
Absolutely you can dress as a Disney character, just remember if you look to much like them you will get stopped for autographs. This might interfere with your enjoyment. Just have fun with it!
You can not wear a costume that covers your face and or has any type of weapon attached to it.
This may be a silly question… but since you buy the ticket for the party, and can be let in at 4pm….you don't need a theme park ticket for that day correct?
Thanks- great blog post…..researching our trip next year and have now added this to our agenda!
We are about to book a last minute trip back to Florida for the Halloween parties and I would like to thank you for this blog and the great info on MNSSHP. It's a great help and now I have some sort of idea of how to approach the night. Thanks
I am going to Disney in 3 weeks and I was happy to see this post. I was wondering what camera you used? For night pictures they turned out great. I have a dslr and hoping my night pics turn out that good.
We're going to MNSSHP the first week of October. Hoping you have insight to a couple questions. We're having dinner at GFR at 5pm and I'm wondering about the fastest way to MK (boat or monorail). Also, my kids will want to do some trick/treating. The schedule has T/T locations and also something called "trails" at a couple of ride queues. Do you know anything about these? The T/T locations seem so spread out. I don't want to waste our time and miss the events and characters finding the candy. Thanks for all the other great info.
My family goes every year and always do the trick or treat! You don't have to do the treat trails if you don't want (but it's a good way to hit 4-5 candy stops in about 5-10 minutes depending on how fast you walk). Also, the other treat spots are scattered around the park near the major attractions so you can pass through the lines very quickly. For example, there was a treat spot outside the speedway, a "trail" in the splash mountain line (where the line goes along the exit, and it had 3-4 treat spots) and one in the Pirates of the Caribbean line. All in all, it's very manageable to hit the candy while you're doing everything else in the park. The lines move fast and you get anywhere from a few pieces to a handful of candy at eat treat spot (watch the cast members for ultimate candy results). Also, there's a treat spot that's just just Werther's in fantasy land. Last year, we even got a sneak peak of the new section before it was open to the public at our party!
Monorail is much faster than ferry to the MK, unless the line for the monorail is backed up into the plaza. The ferry takes a very long time to load, but can hold more people, so may be better in very crowded conditions.
Also, you can always take the Resort monorail to MK rather than the Express. A lot of people don't realize that, so you may see a huge line for Express and virtually none for Resort monorail.
I am interested in some help figuring out how to set up my camera to take good pictures of the parade and fireworks. I have a Bridge Camera (Panasonic FZ200.) Any suggestions on manual settings?
LOVE the NASA outfits!!!
And if you don't mind…
Hi I am looking to book for 31/10/12 and was wondering 1) does the trick or treat last all day or is it just 4pm onwards.
2) How do disney make sure you have a ticket for the 4PM onwards. How do they differntiate between normal party goers in order to get them out the park. don't wanna pay $70 + tax to stay in the park if people that haven't paid get to stay in for no extra cost. that would really annoy me
Hello. Really cool breakdown of the party. We will be attending 10/18 for the first time. You really hyped me up for the 7 dwarfs. The print out of the party shows different places for character meet and greet but does not say which characters exactly. Where should I look for the 7 Dwarfs to be over by the tea cups as you indicate? Does Disney publish on the eve of the party which characters will be at which stations?
We went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party in Disneyland last week. The party and characters were fun, but we were really disappointed by the parade. My big "sell" to the family was the headless horseman. I love Disney parades, and always stake out our viewing area way in advance. At Disneyland, they had a "Costume Cavalcade"; not really a parade, and no headless horseman! Because of this, we weren't able to get a good spot to watch the amazing fireworks. It was a total letdown.
My family was at the Halloween party on Monday October 8. Our picture was taken for the newsletter by a staff member. Could you tell me where and when I can see those pictures ? Thank you!
I am taking my 18 and 21 year old to the party for the first time on Halloween night. I have two questions: one is that they are both very interested in whether or not Disney provides a treat bag or if they should bring their own? (I saw something somewhere that said they give out treat bags around Main Street somewhere, I think?) But if you can tell me if they have free bags or bags for sale, that would be great. And my second question is about the parade and fireworks. My 21 year old is in a wheelchair, are there special viewing areas for one or both of those events? I know Epcot has an area for wheelchair guests for their fireworks, so if there is one at MK, we would like to be able to plan for that. Any other tips? THANKS!
Which week is the least busy to visit Mickeys not so scary halloween party? Right now we are looking to book our trip during the first week… is that a bad idea
I am SO excited for Mickey's Not So Scary this year! I'm going in late September! I'm plotting ways to get my mother, father and brother to dress up. It's going to be difficult because we're all adults here! Lol.
As for people asking how deterring party crashers is enforced, I don't know about the entire park, but I worked on Main Street during my Disney College Program. We always crowded the doors at exactly 7:00 and did not let anyone in without a wristband. They change the appearance the wristbands for every party so there are no copycats. So you cannot get into any attractions or stores because they are heavily guarded.
As for just watching the parade and fireworks, I would assume the parade cast members would handle that, but I'm not sure. Didn't work outside the stores.
Husband and I were at Cinderella's castle for dinner during the holiday party last December. We were at the holiday party as ticketholders a few nights earlier, and I so loved the fireworks, I wanted to catch another show and wondered how they could possibly spot us in the crowd in the dark, and figured if we were on our way out anyway and saw the show, how bad could that really be? I wasn't going to try to get cookies or cocoa or ride anything… well! I was really just savoring our window-seat table in the castle, but we were the last to leave dinner, and people were lining up to watch the fireworks. They asked us at the door if we were staying for the party, and we were not, so they had us sit in the entrance hall for about 10 minutes while they called in a cast member to escort us out. I didn't mind extra time in the castle, but wondered how this escort could be possible! It was! The fantasyland cast member came, and personally escorted us not just out of the castle, but out of the entire park until we were out of the gate. It was very courteous and we made conversation on the way, but even through the crowds, she had her eye on our place behind her. Not that I would have gotten purposely lost. As it were, because the holiday show is so spectacular, we saw the whole thing outside the gate.
Hi! We are headed down to WDW and will be there for Halloween. We have been to the MNSSHP a few years ago and LOVED it. But this trip we are on more of a budget and were wondering if you knew of other events at Resorts or Parks that they offer on Halloween? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
It's not an "event" but campers at Fort Wilderness decorate their sites for Halloween. Some of them really go all out in their decorations. It's very cool to go through their and look at it all.
We stayed at the Pop Century for Halloween once and they had a party poolside for the guests. It was geared towards kids, a great alternative if you don't want to pay for the Not so Scary Halloween Party. I'm not sure what the other resorts offer. We are going to the Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. I can't wait!,
Hi, my husband and I are visiting Disneyland in September and I was wondering if they do Mickey's Halloween Party there? Or is it just WDW? Thank you!
Thanks so much for all this information! I was very lucky to stumble onto this website – which is EXACTLY what I was looking for. My husband and I will be taking our 4 & 5 year old this October for our very first WDW experience!! I just wanted to make sure that the Boo-to-You extra cost, was in fact worth it.
And given the way you've presented it – you've also answered whether or not the purchase for the Holiday Extravaganza will be worth it on our next trip (in 3 years – we live in Michigan).
Thanks again for taking time to upload all this wonderful information! Really excited!!! Going to show the kids all you great pics (now that I know we are doing it, and hubby is on board 100%)!!
What a great website. We are going to Disneyworld in October 2013 with son and his family and we are suptising the two grandaughters. This webiste and people's comments and questions have made it so easy to work out what to see and do and as it costs a lot of money for us to all get there(from Australai), I really am most appreciative of all the information I have been able to gather.
The only question I have is that we will be staying at the Sheraton Vistana Resort and wonder what it is like to get transport back there at mignight after the MNSSHP,are there cabs/taxi's or buses?
Keep up the great website!
My husband and I are taking our kids (2 girls who will be ages 4 and 6 and our toddler son, who will be 18 months) to Disney World for the first time in mid October . Right now, we have dinner reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table for Friday evening at 7:10 (the only one we could get!), which I now realize is basically when the "party" begins. Will we miss the first parade? (By the way, we don't mind missing the headless horseman because it would probably frighten them anyway; honestly, I'm wondering if some of the parade itself might be a little too "scary" for them…). What about the fireworks – will they at least be able to see those? Also, I was wondering if you knew whether the character dinners like Cinderella's Royal Table are different that night – I.e., Halloween themed. I hope not – we really want dinner with the princesses to be a "princess" experience for them! And the same as it would be any other night of the week. Thanks for your help!
Two years ago we were at MK for the Christmas Party and I also made reservations at Cinderella's castle for that night. My thinking was we'd do all this special, wonderful stuff on the same night. But we were really pressed for time and had to rush through the entire party. Didn't get to see alot of the character (that is something that was really important to me since so many are only out for the special parties) I would do the party on a different night if I were you.
We went in 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We carried out costumes with us all the way from Australia and it was worth it. We picked easy costumes and threw them away at the end. My tip is to wait until all the little kiddies get tired and then do your 'trick or treating' and hit the candy barrels (our kids are teenagers so they can go the distance). We stepped straight onto to every ride. No waiting we just meandered through the barricades and hopped on – fantastic. Worth the money if you are travelling as far as we were. Thanks for your blog I read basically all the information before we went!!!
My fiance and I went to MVMCP last December for our engagement celebration. Our favorite part of the entire night was meeting all of the rare characters and interacting with them! Especially Mickey and Minnie! They interacted with us for almost 10 min and we got THE most awesome pictures with them!!! Plus getting to see the princes WITH their princesses was great We had such a fantastic time that we decided to go a second night while we were still at Disney (That and we didn't have time for all the characters in one night)
This year we are going to Disney for our Honeymoon and we CAN'T WAIT for the MNSSHP!!! We already bought tickets for 2 different nights because we know there is going to be too much we want to see and do to fit in one night! It's expensive, but I think it's completely worth the money (at least for one night) especially if character meet and greets are something you love to do
Great article!!!
Can you please advise where do I buy these tickets. I am from Australia and will be there during Halloween which will be a real treat for my kids.
many thanks
Just call up Disney reservations. (407-939-7675 was the number I used. I don't know if there's a toll free one, you can check the Disney parks site for one.) You can buy the tickets right over the phone. That's how I purchased mine. Then they just mail them to you.
Hi! Great post– thanks for the tips! Do you know if Tony's Town Square Restaurant is open during the party? They have great parade-viewing from their patio and I wonder if that is an option during the Boo to You parade.
Has you been to the MNSSHP on Halloween.. we r going on on Halloween 2013 (Oct 30 -Nov 5) with a 7 and 9 year old… How are the crowds the week after Halloween? We were there last Augst . Had a blast but sweat the whole time!!!!
Thank you for all of this info. It is a huge help in my planning. I have just one question, though. If I have a 4 day base ticket, so no hopper, can I go to another park earlier in the day and then to MK at 4:00 for the MNSSHP?
I know the answer to this one! Yes, you can go to one park earlier in the day and then use your MNSSHP ticket to get into MK that night–we're doing that on our AK day!
THanks so much Becca! That changes our plans a bit. I had been thinking we needed to use a day on our park ticket PLUS the halloween party ticket to get in! But, now, we will have an extra day on our ticket! I am thinking the same as yoy – go to AK in the morning and then head to the halloween party at 4:00! Enjoy!
How do i buy these tickets? And when? My entire family would like to go sense itll be my grandmothers first time in america
I know normally Disney tends to be pretty strict, but during the MNSHP, does Disney have any special restrictions about the costumes the guests can wear? For example, can one dress up as a Jack Sparrow or Cinderella?
You can't have your face covered.
we are planning to attend this year, and my question is….having been there for new years eve…is the crowd to the same level on Halloween if you go on the 31st? is it better to go not on the 31?
Hey there! I tried to read all the comments to see if my question was already answered, but just can't do it. X.X sorry!
So I'm actually from California and wanted to go to the one in Disneyland (I don't know if it has the same name). Anyway, I was wondering if you've ever seen people dressed in really elaborate, convincing costumes. Or if that's not allowed…I plan on making a fancy Belle dress and wearing it (if I do actually go) but if I actually LOOKED like Belle, would they tell me I couldn't wear it? That will make me sad ): haha
Of course now I just started reading from the bottom and found one similar…lol sorry!
Hey! Love your blog! Planning a trip to the Halloween Party for 2014, will have an 8yr old and 4yr old girl at that time. When is the best time to go to park for lowest crowds, shortest lines etc?
Hi! AWESOME review! We took our kids last year to Magic Kingdom. They loved it, and we decided to go again this year. We were just going to go all day like last year and the kids stressed that they wanted to ride specific rides, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Car. Seeing this review made us completly change our plans. We will be doing this instead. So, my question is 1. Are all rides open? 2. Are there "fast pass"? 3. If not fast passes, how long of a wait do you suspect the rides are before and after the fireworks? Thank you again.
Hi! My sister and I (27 and 31 yo) are going to Disney on Halloween (oct.28 to nov. 3). If we go to MK for the day (until 7pm), are we going to see some halloween costumes and decorations (for example between 4pm and 7pm) even if we do not go to the MNSSHP? :/ Not that we don't want to spend a lot of money on our vacation, but we are actually hesitating with the Horror night that cost half price on week days while we are at Universal…
We know that these 2 events are completly different, but we wonder if we would really enjoy the MNSSHP for that much money and if visiting the MK would just be enough with decorations :/
I was there *before* MNSSHP last year. When 7pm arrives and they are herding non-ticketed members out of the park, they turn on the lighting package and music that isn't present during regular hours. So yes the park looks and sounds very different during MNSSHP versus regular hours.
I did attend the Christmas party last year and I was disappointed. You could see the same Christmas parades and fireworks during regular hours in the weeks following the party. But that's not the case with the Holloween party.
That said, my favorite place to view perimeter fireworks is from the Ferry dock at the TTC or the beach at the Polynesian, neither of which require park admission. When you are in the park, you can't take it all in because it is all around you. But, from those locations you can see everything, plus you get the water reflections.
Two other great out-of-park fireworks viewing choices are the viewing platform from the Contemporary Hotel (go up to the 3rd floor where Chef Mickeys and the gift shops are, head towards the gift shops and out the doors at the end), or if you are staying with DVC the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Towers. The only problem with those locations is that they are at a 45 degree angle to the fireworks display. They are designed for viewing along Main Street. If you watch from the Poly beach that's best for getting the full symmetry of the fireworks show design.
Hi Tom, thanks for this blog, it's GREAT! I have a question – if we are NOT going to the Halloween party in the evening, do you suggest that we avoid the MK that day (because of the early closing time and the extra crowds that will enter the park at 4:00)? Trying to work out which parks to visit on which dates of our trip. Thank you!
I would. Unless you have park hoppers and you are able to do another park on that day. You'll want to see the fireworks at the MK which you won't be able to leaving at 7. However if you can, the MNSSHP is totally worth it. We go every year and have a blast. I'm 30 and along with my sister her family and my parents we dress up and pretend we are all kids. Haha. It really is something to think about. But to answer your original question, yes plan your MK day around the party if you can. You'll get more time, get to see the fireworks, and just have a better experience over all
Thank you Jenn!
Hi, we are going to the magic kingdom on a day that the NSSHP is occurring. My question is this…can we make a dining reservation for a restaurant in the park at 6:45 if we aren't planning on staying for the party? We, of course would leave the park after eating, but it will probably be close to 8 pm at that time. Thank you.
I know this is silly but did you guys see jack and sally from nightmare before Christmas??? That's who me and my little one are hoping to see at the party this year.
We saw them at Disneyland last year, Nov 2012 for Christmas and they are AWESOME!! They stay in complete character, Jack even walks like in the movie, and Sally does the weird forlorn dead rag doll look. We can not say enough how awesome their makeup was. My girls followed them from Haunted Mansion to their meet and greet spot down by the water like they were following the pied piper…and both Jack and Sally were SO gracious. We have the most darling pictures. It was a true highlight, as was the holiday haunted mansion in general. Add in the beignets and music in the French quarter and it was in a word SUPERB.
I have not heard about WDW Jack and Sally…but our experience at Disneyland was so cool.
How early in the day could we make dinner reservations and they would let us in? I mean I know they normally let you in at four, but if we have reservations at 315 would they let us in?
Thanks for all of the information on the Halloween Party, especially what time it begins as the hours are found no where on line. We are looking to go in October and if the fireworks are listed to begin at 9:30, do I assume that the park closes for the Halloween party at 10:00?
We have gone five years in a row. We call ourselves the dead sisters. We always wear costumes. This year we break tradition and are going as couples. It is one of the most amazing parties in Disney and I have been to most of them. It's creative, imaginative and just plain fabulous. The parade and fireworks are awesome
Taking my daughter on 10/17 or 18 to our first Party. So excited to see the park at Halloween time.
i would like to know if all the guests at the party can reach 4 PM , or just the guests who are staying in hotels disney
I thank you and I await response
If you have a dinner reservation and no ticket to the event can you still go to your reservation? Liberty tree tavern 7:55.
I love the ears Sarah is wearing with the astronaut costume. Did she make those or buy them?
Hi, are you able to give me details of how trick or treating works in the Magic Kingdom? It's not something we do here in Australia and it's a part of the party that I was really looking forward to. You say not to do it, that it wastes time, but is that because it's something you've grown up with and don't consider all that special?
I'm wondering if I should do the Halloween party twice so that I don't miss anything, or if the novelty of trick or treating would wear off within half an hour?
Great info. Spot on. My family and I go every year and love it. Ant wait for this year!
Hi Tom,
Do you know if they still do Donald and Daisy in Halloween costumes??? I went last year and was disappointed that I didnt get pictures of ANYONE in Halloween costumes except for Mickey and Minnie (Im a huge fan of pictures with characters). Last year was my first year going to MNSSHP and I hadnt done any research and definitely learned from all of my mistakes last year how quickly the time goes by. Your guide is great and will definitely take advantage of it for my trip ths year! I REALLY hope I find Donald and Daisy! Do you remember where they were when you saw them?
Donald and Daisy are appearing in costume at the entrance to storybook. they are on the right just before the archway and the Dumbo ride is on the left just after you enter the archway. donald is a pumpkin and daisy is a princess in a blue dress
Tom, getting ready to head to the MNSSHP in September. We did it in 2011 and had a BLAST. My girls are five and seven and they TOTALLY agree with you that the Country Bears should be in Frontierland for meet and greets (hint, hint if Disney reads this blog.) my questions for you – do you think your above post pretty much stands for planning for 2013? Do you know if Brer Rabbit is ever out near Splash Mountain? We can't wait to see some Characters who are not out as much.
Cheers. We love your blog!
Is there a way to add the MNSSHP on to your existing tickets…like if I already have tickets for a day that party will be held, can I just add on tickets to the party for an extra fee, or would it be full-price?
Wow, this is a very happy event, I hope to joint it this Halloween.
Question, Lets say a Disney Cast Member helps to bring my family in the daytime to Magic Kingdom, can we stay for the Halloween event party or we will still need to pay for the event? I don't mind paying, but if a cast member brings us in and their ticket pass given to us allows us to stay for the whole day which does include the halloween event?
I was wondering if the trick or treating is just regular candy or something special? And do they have any special treats at the bake shop or anywhere else?
The only " special" candy my girls remember from the party in 2011 were the Mickey Mouse shaped suckers. Otherwise, we only remember typical stuff. My girls were 3 and 5 then and we only trick-or-treated if the stop was on our way to something -like when they wanted to see all the dwarfs together (which was a long wait, but an AWEsome experience, with the cutest photos of our girls giggling and the dwarfs teasing them. If you do the dwarfs, head there when they start for sure.). Te funny thing is in the car today, my daughter who was three then, now five says "I hope we get those Mickey Mouse suckers again when we go this year" so what is "special' is all a matter of perspective. But from the adults perspective, this is a not-to-be-missed, but expensive add on for those also buying a theme park ticket that day like we are. So food is very low on the experience list for the night. We staked a spot on Main Street early, because you MUST see the headless horseman gallop down Main Street, and my hubbie got food at Casey's Corner for all to eat while we waited. Tis worked superbly. Kids loved their corn dog nuggets and cheese for the fries.
I forgot to say that the mickey shaped suckers were also being handed out by cast members while the kids waited for the parade to start – so we didn't have to go to the trick-or-treat stops for them. There were cute mickey ghost and pumpkin cookies at one of the bakery places. The whole environment is just so awesome that we can't remember it all! Have a great time.
I hope they're giving those suckers to adults too! We've done Halloween events in our home state where there are a few stations, but it's been 27 years since I've been eligible to trick or treat on that scale. I can't wait, because I never grew out of going from place to place in costume and opening my bag for a treat. I probably won't even eat it all… too conscious for that — it's just collecting it that's so much fun!
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We'll be attending our very first MNSSHP this year and was thinking of just waiting for the 2nd Boo to You parade rather than trying to see the first one and see all the characters, just wondering if the headless horseman rides for both parades or just the first?
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Hey Tom
We're going down toward the end of October – I was looking at the calendar for 'Celebrate the Magic' projection show and it looks like it's only happening on nights with the halloween party? Is the projection show different than Wishes/Hallowishes? Last year they ended 'The magic the memories and you' just before we got down there, so we didn't get to see that one either.
If they're only doing 'Celebrate the magic' during the halloween party, i feel like we HAVE to go!
We are visiting Disney during our annual vacation Sept 15th-20th. We decided to do the Halloween party this year, and am wondering about the rides. We won't be at the park all day, and this will be our first visit to MK this year. Are all the fast passes gone before the party actually starts? We plan to get in about 4pm, and do rides before the party starts at 7pm, but will wanna do some rides too. Especially Peter Pan since we missed that last year~ Thanks
We are heading down for our 1st MNSSHP in October. Is there some type of brochure you get to tell you when and where you can see the different characters/dance parties/parades/fireworks/etc? Is this something you can find online prior to getting to MK or do you just have to wait until you get there?
Hello! I went to the party last year, but did not dress up. This year for Halloween I'm going all out as Merida and planned on attending the MNSSHP this year as well! I was wondering if adults were allowed to wear wigs? I was told that you are as long as you don't pretend to be the actual character performer and take photos/sign with kids, but it wasn't a very reliable source. I'd hate to get ready and have to take my wig off once I got there!
This will be our second year attending and I need some clarity on the additional parties please. I remember when we went two years ago, we all found ourselves dancing- including our then 2 yr old – with Goofy and a few of his friends. There was a stage set up and a DJ as well.
Are those the parties that you've mentioned in your posting? Or is there something else that I should be aware of? What would you recommend since we'll be with our 4yr old?
Thanks in advance!
We will be going to the NSSHP for the second time (were also there in '09). My daughters really want to see Tinkerbelle! Is she ever there for autographs? Thanks for your valuable tips! We will arrive at 4 after reading your advice!
I went to the party on 9/20/13 and Tinkerbell was greeting during party hours and signing books
Thanks! Where was Tinkerbell when you went?
On 9/13 I see the Villians party at HS as well. Are these events similar? Trying to decide which to attend. traveling with my spouse, 19 yo,12 yo, 9 yo and 7 yo
OMG I am getting so excited. This will be our first trip to
Disney World during Halloween. Going to MNSSHP. Can't wait to see all the decorations. There will be 5 ladies and 3 girls ages 4 to 9. We will be dressed up as Toy Story 3. Hurry up October 14 and get here.
Hi Tom, me and my partner are thinking of attending this event. Can I just confirm that it finishes at 12am? If so what are the benefits to staying over there that late on?
Also you earlier mentioned on transport away from this event, we are staying on I-Drive and are not renting a car. An I gather there won't be too many buses running at that hour. So I guess it'll be a taxi ride, I am just a little concerned on whether there will be taxi's available if we stay until the end and also do you have any idea on how much a taxi would cost to the Wet an Wild area of I-Drive?
Since there are rumor Fairy Tale Hall will be opened Sept. 18, what will happen with the Prince and Princess' during the party? Do you have any idea?
I am so glad I stumbled upon this info. I love Halloween. Your help is much appreciated! Thanks!
This year my boyfriend and I are going to attend MNSSHP for the first time! We're going September 27th, and I was wondering if people still dress up even though its September? And if so, how many? Don't want to stick out like a sore thumb if we do decide to dress up!
I was at the MK last Friday, and tons of people were in the park wearing costumes, especially later in the day (I assume they started letting people in for the Halloween party before 7, as it started getting a lot more crowded between 5-6). You definitely won't stick out if you are wearing costumes!
We will be getting back from a cruise and are contemplating attending that evening. We have a 9 yo and a 1 yo. Wondering f itll b worth it, or if it isnt for young ones? Also do they have fast passes during party for rides and the town hall meets? Will princesses be in their new hall? And how does trick or treating work?
The party is not-so-scary, so it should be appropriate for kids of all ages, and as Tom said, the party is worth it at least once. I don't think they have FP available during the party, and as far as I know the Princesses will be meeting in Princess Fairytale Hall after September 18th – that hasn't been confirmed but it's logical.
At the party you'll receive trick-or-treat bags (or you can bring your own) and there are treat stations throughout the park, and they will be listed on the Halloween party park map. You can visit the stations as many times as you want.
Are the candy stations located through out the park, or located in one specific area? Will they all be listed on a map?
Thank you so much for this blog. We are leaving for Florida tomorrow and want to go. Knowing what happens and that you can go from 4 – 12 realy helps. thanks! We have a 22 month old so hopefully he enjoys it!
What type of camera did you use? Your pictures came out amazing!!! I'm looking for a new one before our trip in 3 weeks.
I have question and any feedback will be greatly appreciated. A friend and I are thinking of going it would be our first time and well neither of us have kids. Is this event mainly for for kids and people that have kids? or is there enough going around for two adults that love Halloween and Disney to have plenty of fun.
Thank You,
Are the photo pass people out during the NSSHP?
I love your blog and photos! This will be our first year going to the MNSSHP and were so excited!
I just hope we get everything done that we want to see and do lol.
Your photos make me wish I had a nicer camera then my point and shoot one.
I gotta know though..how in the world did you get a photo of Main street empty? That photo is amazing!
Hi Tom.
My girlfriend and I will be going to MNSSHP on Oct, 31. We bought ticktes for MK and to the party. My gf wants to see the parade at the end of the day. Question: Will be the normal parade and fireworks at the MNSSHP? Or it will be different of a normal day? I don't know if it's better go 2 differents day to the MK (1 for the park and another to MNSSHP. What do you think? Thank you so much.
Thank you for the info! I want to be sure I understand correctly: are all of the regular rides and attractions open until midnight? I want to save money by only going to the MK from 4pm-12am with my party ticket, but I want to enjoy some of my traditional favorites (Pirates, Space Mtn, the new Fantasyland, etc) in addition to all the extra Halloween events.
I think I've read and viewed nearly everything I can online about MNSSHP and will be attending with my 14 year old daughter on 10/17.
A twofold question…Any info on finding the Cadaver Dans vocal set?
Secondly where's a great spot for viewing the second parade? I've gone back and forth with this one. Wait longer and catch it on Main St for better lighting or the hub or catch the parade as it comes thru Frontierland/Liberty Square around the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. I want to be able to get good lighting for pics/video.
Thanks! Glenn
Tom, where did Sarah get her Mrs. Potts costume! So stinkin' cute!!!
We will be there during the Halloween party (Oct 10-17) We bought the "Magic Your Way Package Plus dining." Do we have to have a special ticket for this event or do we have to leave the park at 7?
You have to have the party ticket or you be asked to leave the park.
I'm a little confused..
Do you recommend the 1st or 2nd parade??
Also, do we get any kind of information on times etc. when we get to MK?
Love all of the tips. Most helpful blog I've found!
I have a couple of questions. Are guests with MNSSHP still allowed to enter at 4pm? My costume is pants but the top is a little cropped and slightly see through. Its a princess jasmine costume! but I'm worried I might not be allowed in.
Awesome blog with the most info I've found! This is our first time going to Mickey's Halloween party and we are excited! But our costume idea involves full face paint – Day of the Dead sugar skull style. Is full face paint allowed? I am guessing it is since I read that masks are allowed if the eyes are fully visible. Thanks for your help!
Is Jack and Sally at Walt Disney World too or just Disneyland?
Can kids wear mask to the party? My son wants to be a power ranger.
Do you know when Disney usually posts the information for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We have booked a trip for 2014 and I am excited to see which dates Disney picked for the Halloween Party for our trip.
Thanks! Love all the pictures!
Do Mickey and Minnie wear costumes at the Mickeys Theatre meet and greet?
I believe Mickey and Minnie wear their special purple party attire. I think Tom and Sarah have pics with them in this blog.
Thanks to you both for the amazing research and the post about everything and anything disney. It's truly been a lifesaver trying to plan my trip!
I do have a question though.. you said that "If you do elect to just go with the second parade, you may end up kicking yourself, because this is the best parade Disney does." Are the two parades different? Why is the first better?
Thanks again!
This is an awesome article!! I am leaving in 17 days (not that I'm counting) for Disney World and I think I'm more excited than my 4 year old! We decided to go during this time because our little one, her favorite movie is Nightmare Before Christmas and since this is her first trip we wanted to make it a good one. Fingers crossed we run into Jack and Sally somewhere. We bought tickets to the Halloween Party and are really looking forward to it!
Thanks for the great tips as always Tom! After reading your recommendation to wear costumes, my sister and I dressed up as the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat and my dad was a pirate. We were so glad we followed your advice and dressed up. There were some pretty elaborate costumes out there! We also saw the second parade in Frontierland and were able to ride Big Thunder and Splash Mountain walk on right before the parade. Overall, it was a very fun night before the Tower of Terror 10 Miler the next night.
This will be our 4th year for MNSSH at WDW! My kids are now 23 and 20 and still look forward to going. The parade and fireworks are amazing. This is a FANTASTIC review site and makes me even more excited for October 18th! Please try to purchase tickets early, looks like they are selling out some nights.
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this post and all the great tips! I got a real kick out many of these great photos too. I'll admit that most of my Halloweens in Orlando have been spent at Halloween Horror Nights, but this review has helped give me a new perspective. Additionally, the lines at HHN are getting a bit old.
Attended WDW 2013 Party on 10/17/2013, cast member told us they where out of the Mickey Pin. Could only find on tee at the emporium. Checked ebay, any advice on how to get one other than ebay?
Great article.
Hi! We are hoping to attend the halloween party and Christmas party in 2014 and are hoping we can do it all in one trip, do you know if the dates are usually the same time every year and when they release them? Thanks!!!!!
Hi, we are planning on going to WDW in October but we don't want to attend the Halloween party. My concern is with so many party dates, does anyone know if this cuts into park time much? I guess I'm worried that we would be losing out on time at the parks since MK closes so early. Anyone know if there are usually extra magic hours for MK other nights so we aren't missing out? And would the other parks have the extra magic hours on nights of the parties? Thanks!
we went last year and yes the party nights did cut into the hours. park closes at 7 unless you are attending the party. there were at least 2 days that the park was open late and with no party and had extra magic hours. one night it was open to 1am! of course the times will very depending on when you go. for example i am going this sept and there is only one night that MK is open late and unfortunately its the same night we need to be in another park. we plan on getting up early this trip and being there when it opens. I spoke with a cast member yesterday and oct hours aren't available yet, but i was pleasantly surprise to learn that they get the hours and info a few weeks before it's posted online and can give it to you. i would imaging in the next 2 weeks you could call and get the hours and party dates. have fun!
Tom- love your blog. Thank you!!
We are doing to WDW this fall and had planned on going to MNSSHP. But we are also doing a disney cruise right after our WDW trip and the boat will be decked out for Halloween. Our first thought was to skip out on the Halloween party and save ourselves $300. Any thoughts on this trade off? Have you heard much about how the cruise Halloween party compares to MNSSHP? Thanks!!
Ok Dumb Question, I'm obviously missing something. The part of your article about saving on tickets by buying one less day on your park tickets-I thought you had to pay park entry, as well as, the price of the Halloween Party?? Do I have that wrong?? Thanks!
You only have to pay park admission if you want to go to the park before the MNSSHP. So if you only want to go to the party you just buy the ticket for the event.
Thanks for all the tips. I have a few questions.
We are going for the first time this October 2014. I was planning on being Rapunzel, my husband Flynn, and our boys Buzz and Woody. Are these ok? I didn't know Disney has strict rules about costumes worn by guests. I had never thought of wearing costumes at WDW before.
Also, my boys will be 3 and 5. I know we will not make it past 9pm or so. We want to do the parade and Monsters Inc party. Anything else for sure we should get in in such a short time?
I have to share an experience I had with my children at the Halloween party at DW. This has been many years ago because my daughter was 5 (now 21) and my son 2 (now 19). As we were trick or treating through Disney we went in to t or t at Mickeys house my daughter so excited to see Mickey left her bag of treats in Mickey's house and by the time we went back it was gone! She was so distraught over this. Bill a man that worked at Disney seen her crying and asked what happened and in his words said "well we will fix this" he took my daughter by the hand got her a new bag and went to every store handing out goody's telling at each place what had happened. They were all so generous she left there with MORE then what she originally had and had the experience of a life time. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life and neither will she. I so appreciated that man and everyone that participated in making it the best Halloween ever for her. The staff at Disney World is fantastic and am now planning a trip to take the next generation my granddaughter on the same trip so excited to give her the same experience her mother had at the same age. Disney and their staff ROCK!!!
When does Disney release the dates they will have the party? We are taking a trip mid October and will need to make dining reservations in a few weeks. I've noticed Disney doesn't seem to release extra magic hours as far in advance as they used to. Without knowing what day they will have the party and when all of the extra magic hours are I have no idea when to make dining reservations. Some of our reservations are hard to get so I'll want to book 180+ days out. Any advice?
Is there possibly a good restaurant to make reservations at where you have good view of one of the parades or the fireworks? What times would be best?
My family attended MNSSHP for the first time last yr. (Oct. 14, 2013) and had the BEST time. We used your tips in planning out our evening and they were very helpful. We began with meeting the Seven Dwarfs and even though we lined up early, that particular line moved very slowly, eating up a lot of party time. Passing on Pooh and friends, we made our way over to see Tarzan and Turk and lucked out and got Jane in our pictures as well. They were by far the most entertaining of all the characters we met. Afterwards we saw Captain Jack and the line was surprisingly short and went quickly. The cherry on the sundae for us was the parade. We showed up early to get good seats b/c we were skyping the parade to my parents on the iPad. Every single character and dancer that passed by stopped and waved at them thru the iPad. Some even had conversations with them. Cruella was the best. Even the characters on the floats were pointing and waving at them. it was truly and unforgettable experience. The only thing I regret is waiting until the last night of our visit to attend the party as we were all pretty wiped out after a week long trip. We now know better for next time.
Just an fyi, I called and spoke to a cast member yesterday and said I was planning my sept trip and wanted to avoid the party nights and they were able to give me all the confirmed dates in sept. not sure if they have oct yet as the park hour and info only went til the end of sept (even though online it's not released yet.) anyway, you may want to call and get the list of dates because they have a lot of them planned out and the cast members know the dates
Can you let us know what dates they gave you?
How early can I purchase tickets for Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? I plan on visiting October 24, 2014 through Nov 1,2014
Hey! how much are the tickets and can I already be in the park for that day and still go to the Halloween party if I pay for it as well? and I have to stay at a disney resort to be able to get to take my son to the Mickey's not so scary halloween party? I hope to hear from you soon thanks for your time… The McCurry family
What time do the fireworks start? I am going in the fall but not buying tickets for the Halloween party – but am thinking about trying to catch a glimpse of the fireworks outside of MK. Thanks!
I'm planning a trip middle of Oct in 2015. We will want to do as much as possible, so thinking we will only watch the parade once. Since it sounds like 2nd parade is less busy, we would do that one. If first parade is busy, would lines for mickey/minnie, or seven dwarfs, or princess/princes be shorter? Good time to catch busy activities??
Was thinking this would be good for our arrival date, since will likely only have half a day to enjoy anything. But then woundered if should wait till end so we know if we missed rides or charecters. Or is it better to see what charectors we miss here for later? Any suggestions?
Thank you. This was all very helpful information. I had no idea how this worked, will need to figure this into my schedule!
Hi! My fiancé and I will be arriving to DW on 9/23/14 for our honeymoon! We booked our room through dreams unlimited travel. They will be putting together an itinerary for us and so far they have listed that the Halloween Party will be on 9/23, 9/27 & 9/30 during our stay. I know the official dates haven't been posted but I am guessing they have the inside scoop. So slightly different than your anticipated dates for the end of September
Suggestions on attending the party and planning to have dinner as well? or should we eat a big lunch and find a snack later?
We will be going in October – I am hoping to get reservations to Be our Guest (crossing my fingers). My open window does not open for a few more weeks BUT will you still be able to get dinner reservations at MK Table seating the nights of the party? It would be great to be done with dinner before the party. We are staying at the Contemporary so walking there for dinner is not a problem (and we will have the park hopper if we do not attend MK that day or the party).
I have a question What if you are planning on being in the Magic Kingdom that day and have a Halloween ticket. Do they let you stay? Or do you have to go out and in again
Thank you Your info was awesome
Does Disneyland also do this or is it specific to WDW?
Hi! My mom, my 5 year old daughter & I are planning to visit Disney World in late October-early November. We were wondering about the crowd levels for the (projected)November 2nd MNSSHP. Does the party after Halloween tend to be extremely busy?
Can adults enter the park wearing costumes at 4, or would they have to wait to put on their costume at 7?
Hello – very helpful blog!
Do we need to have admission into the Magic Kingdom Park the day of the Not-so-Scary Halloween Party? I'm thinking that yes you do. We are attending Disney for the first time this fall and plan to spend 4 days at the various theme parks and I am trying to discern whether we need to plan our day at MK around this event as I'd love to take the kids!
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet people, its really really pleasant post on building up new website.
I have the task of convincing a 9 year old and an 11 year old that waiting in line for candy is not worth it.
What kind of candy do they give out? I'm sure they think it's fantastic DISNEY CANDY. If I knew I would have an easier time talking them out of standing in line for it.
Great tips! Any chance of a similar blog on Disneyland Mickey'sHalloween Party Tips? Chances are that is the one I will be able to go to next.
Hiya. My family are visiting from England from mid October to early November. We have the 14 day pass for Disney. I think this event sounds fab and will probably spend the extra to bring them one night (Tuesday sounds best from your comments) I know Disney do regular fireworks shows a few times a week. Do these still take place on the non-halloween-party nights? Great site by the way. Thanks. x
We're taking my son on a Disney Cruise in October and wanted to do Disney World for the day before the cruise. It's his first time and we really want to get the most out of our trip. I have doubts he could make it up past 8, especially since we'll be going when the park opens. One of my favorite memories as a child is the electric light parade. If you don't have a ticket to the Halloween party do you miss that? Is it dark enough to have one earlier?
Hi, what happens the day after Halloween 2014 at WDW parks? We'll be there through 11/4. Is everything still decorated?
Thank you!
Will the villains after the Villains Mix n Mingle sign autographs? Also, I know that all 7 dwarves will not sign, but could I just get one autograph from one dwarf? Would that be possible? Thanks!
I went to a MNSSHP last October, and it seemed WAY overbooked. The park was SO grossly overcrowded, we missed so much. I love Disney, but in my experience, the MNSSHP doesn't look the same from the inside, as it does in the blogs and on the website. They should sell half the number of tickets to keep the experience magical.
We are thinking of going to MNSSHP on Halloween night. How quickly do those tickets sell out? Do you think they will still be available in 2 weeks? We are working out some scheduling kinks and are not sure if we are going the first week of October or the last though I am leaning towards the last since they are offering the free dining.
Do I understand correctly that there are two parades? If so what time is the last parade. We can not arrive before 9:00 (an away this is not ideal) but can we still catch a parade?
About what time is HalloWishes? I am going to the Halloween party, but on another MNSSHP night I have reservations at California Grill and I am hoping my 9:00 reservation is going to line up with HalloWishes.
Hi Tom! Thank you so much for the great write up and super pics! I just purchased a ticket to this event on Oct 3, 2014. This will be my very first MNSSHP and I'm tremendously excited!! I will also be there that weekend for the ToT 10 Miler which is supposed to have an excellent Villains After Party. So I'm hoping to get my fill of Villains during my stay. Reading your blog has really helped me to know what to expect and to come up with a plan of attack. Thanks again
Oh this party looks sooo cool! We will be there for Halloween this year and we are hoping to attend. We did the Christmas Party last year and loved it. Halloween is my second favorite holiday so I hope we get to go!
Any idea if Anna and Elsa will be in Fantasyland for MNSSHP this year?
I attended the opening night for MNSSHP and can confirm both Anna and Elsa are at Princess Fairytale Hall. The wait at 9pm said 30min but we were taking pictures in under 20 minutes. Definitely worth the price of admission for my family!
We are arriving early am October 30th and want to attend the MNSSHP either the 30th or 31st. Which night would you go? My son's 8th birthday is the 30th. Thanks
We will be attending the party this year, and we are going to do as you suggest and do something else earlier in the day rather than use a park ticket. Do you know if they will allow us to book and use fastpass+ in that 4:00-7:00 window before the party starts? Thanks for the great write-up! It was super helpful and we are very excited!
First, love your blog & all your advice/tips/pics/stories
We are going to attend MNSSHP for the first time 9/16/14 (yay!!)
Can you tell me what the meet & greets with the characters (say example the 7 dwarfs) are like durning the parades?? If we skip the 1st parade will the line to meet them likely be shorter?
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HI – We are attending the halloween party and do not have park tickets to use that day. Can we book fastpass reservations for between 4-7? Thanks for all of the great info! Amanda
How do you know where you need to line up for the characters at the Halloween Party?
Love this blog. Going in Oct with a 3 and 4 year old. Should be fun. Grammie
Hi, I am planning WDW trip in september with my 7 year old daughter and originally had plan on getting the 4 day pass for the parks, is it worth spending a full day at Magic Kingdom and getting tickets for the Halloween party or should we only get a 3 day park pass and see magic kingdom at night during the party. It is our first time at WDW and i really want to see as much as we can since we probly wont be returning for a long time. Any input? thanks
Just bought my tickets yesterday. We will be there on Halloween night!!! Beyond excited!
Ours just arrived. We will be there Halloween night too! My first time to Disney at Halloween.
You're blog is fantastic, thanks so much for all the fantastic advice! My friend and I are probably going to Disney World for two weeks over Halloween – would it be worth going to the Not-so-scary party twice? I absolutely love meeting and greeting the characters, but then meeting the likes of Mickey/Pooh etc doesn't bother me too much as we can do that during the day. I'm mainly interested in meeting the baddies and seeing all the entertainment. Thanks!
Thanks for the great info! It's been about 8 years since I've been to MNSSHP. We are going this October and taking our 6 year old twins. Here's my question…I know Liberty Tree Tavern hasn't been a "character dining" restaurant for many years; however, I could swear that when my husband and I dined there during MNSSHP approx 8 years ago there were characters dressed up in costume. I remember b/c I was pleasantly surprised when they came out b/c I wasn't expecting any. Do you know if there were characters at Liberty Tree tavern during dinner hours at MNNSHP in 2013? Thanks!
TOM: 2014 Halloween. (huge country bears character fan) do you think they will be out for meet and great this year or on float only? When doing "villain" meet and greats do you find repeat of same characters? Hook, Queen Of Hearts, Smee, Evil Queen?
At "LAND" (my park) we have NO honest john, gillian, maleficent.
Hoping to see some at wdw this year that we don't have at Land.
At WDW's MNSSHP, for the villains, if it is the same version of the Villains Dance Mix and Mingle since 2011, you will have the opportunity to meet Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, Queen Grimhilde (from Snow White), Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil, the Queen of Hearts, and Frollo after each stage performance (up to 4 shows/set per night, weather permitting). The other villains that were available in the park during the party in 2013 to meet included: The Tremaines, Jafar, and Gaston.
My wife and I are attending the Halloween Party this year and was wondering if anyone could provide any advice on the best places to eat in the park during the event and if any of the restaurants are specifically themed for the Halloween Party?
Check the Disney Food Blog closer to the event. There are usually some special snacks that are just for the party. I personally have trouble resisting the popcorn buckets that are special that time of year (I still have the ghost Mickey from a couple of years ago). Also keep in mind that many of the restaurants close during the party. I had gotten a quick burger at Pecos Bill and the Cosmic Cafe, but a lot of places are closed. I try to eat an early dinner before heading to the party at 4.
are the regular evening fireworks at MK cancelled on the nights when the halloween party is on?
Is it just the halloween party fireworks on these nights?
We're all set for the Sept 1st Halloween Party. We're so excited! We took your advice and didn't buy park tickets for that day. Treasure Cruise, Surrey Bikes, Stormalong Bay, Beaches and Cream, arrive close to 4.
Yes, my wife has made more than one "you're just like that Disney Bricker Guy" comment. Don't take too much offense, of all the Disney stuff I read, she(we) trust your and your wife's reviews the most.
I'm trying to get my touringplan finalized… trying to plan in 'some' rides during the festivities. Do you know what times the Boo parade, Hallowishes, and Villains are?
We will be at WDW in late September and wanted to attend the Halloween party. We were just there in January and used the new magic bands. We had to swipe our bands to get on all of the rides, we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to ride any rides (after 7) if we just purchased tickets to the party and did not enter a park on that day. Do they just look at your party band and let you through on the rides or is the party ticket attached to your magic band in some way? Thanks for your help, loved all the advice on your site.
I am coming to DisneyWorld on Nov.1st 2014, but the Halloween party ends on Halloween. I was wondering if they ever extend the party, because I would love to be able to dress up and have fun!!!!! Thank you!!
Hey, just want to let you know that I really appreciated the great photography in your blog!!!! How did you manage to shoot Main Street without any people in it??!
Your website is my favorite tips site! You two make a cute couple and I love that you both are so into Disney. Most of us don't have that blessing!
My mom and I are going to the MNSSHP in Sept before our cruise. We went in late Sept 2012. I loved it! We did the park all day and then changed into cute custom made tees for the party and kept going til midnight. Was soooo much fun!
One thing that I keep seeing is how uncrowded many of the lines are during the party. We did not find that to be the case at all. The usual popular rides were still popular, esp since some rides are closed during the party. We watched both parades, so perhaps it got better during. But every character we saw had huge lines and many rides had the same lines they had had all day. Crazy amount of peeps! We were glad we rode the Haunted Mansion twice before the party started as after 6pm the line was so long we couldn't find the end.
Your advice on trick or treating was right on- the lines were always slow and long, even late into the night. At the very end I got into a shortish line and with slow, tired kiddos- it took 10 minutes or more for 3 pieces of candy!
Looking forward to another party this year. But since we saw the parade twice last time, we are going to skip the first one this time and visit characters. I am hoping to see the usual Cinderella's characters- esp the mice. I have never "met" them and Cindy is my fav story.
Sorry if this is a repeat question.
We want to attend MNSSHP this Oct. for the first time ever . My question is, once you arrive at 4 and the fun starts at 7 are you able to ride the rides and all that stuff? and what time does it all end? just trying to figure out exactly how much time we're actually paying for. thanks!!
It ends at midnight and yes, rides will be open
We are going to MNSSHP this year for the first time! We have the memory maker and loved it back in Feb when we went. Will the characters at the Halloween party have the Cast Member photographers taking pics for you or do I need to plan on having to take my own photos with the characters?
Love your NASA outfits. Where did you get the orange one?
Hi I was wondering because I'm going to disney land paris in October and do give out candy before the party because we just booked day tickets then realised that we should have booked tickets for the Mickey Halloween party, so my kids we're saying can they still go trick or treating during the day but I don't know if they do the candy stalls during the day ?
Hi! You guys just helped me a lot with this post. I'm from Brazil and I'll be in Orlando in September/14. Today I was informed about this amazing party that I I had no idea it existed! And the great thing is that the party happens exactly when I'll be there with my husband and brother. This post made us bought the ticket, for sure! We loved it all and now we need costumes, oh my God, so happy. Thank you for all tips, thank you
We are going to the party in September. I would like to make a dining reservation at Crystal Palace for around 2:30, and then exit around 4:00 for the party. We didn't plan on using a park ticket the day of the party. Do you have any idea if we would be allowed in at 2:30 for our dining reservation without a separate park ticket on the day of the party?
Thank you!!
We are planning a trip to DL the last week of Oct. and trying to decide if it's better to attend the party on Wed Oct. 29 or the Friday party on actual Halloween night. Is there typically more or less crowds on either of these nights? T
Thanks very much
I bought tix for the not so scary show an was wondering if there was to change the date that I bought and schedule the tix for another date ? Anyone know ! I'm looking forward meetin jack an Sally and hopefully maleficent !
Thanks for the wonderful Halloween Party description! I have 5 year old twin boys. I was thinking we would do Animal Kingdom during the day on Tues Sept 23rd, then catch dinner at 5:10pm at Chef Mickey's and then go to the Halloween party following the dinner. Do you feel this is ample time to allot to the Halloween Party? Or am I trying to do too much in one day?! This is the first "big" Disney trip with the boys and I'm trying to make it really fun. We are doing MK on Monday and probably again on Thursday with Epcot on Wednesday and HS on Sunday. Thanks for any insights and recommendations.
We are going the last week of October this year. Do they get stricter with letting people in at 4pm as it gets closer to Halloween or should we be safe?
My kids are 2 and 3 so I don't want to risk being turned away with nothing to do for 3 hours.
My family is going this October, and we're all excited for MNSSHP. One question, though–what is considered a costume? Would someone wearing something like this (minus the coat) be kicked out? Or could that pass as everyday clothes?
* this
Oh, stupid hyperlinking. http://www.geekworldradio.com/pics/imagegallery/images/DoctorWho_10thDoctor_Rose.jpg
I'm an annual passholder and my friends are asking me to buy tickets for MNSSHP. Do I have to be there when they go into the park for the event?
Hi Tom,
Great blog! This year will be our 1st MNSSHP. There are two Boo To You Parades, correct? An earlier one and later one. Does anyone know what the actual times of the parades are? I have 9yr old twins who want to check out the parade, go on some rides and watch HalloWishes. I'm trying to put together my plan of attack to maximize the best use of the available time (lol). Luckily, they're not very interested in trick or treating. On a side note, thanks for the info at the beginning regarding photographing the event. In your opinion, what would be the best place to shoot from? My wife was thinking of being out of the crown and up on the railroad platform, where there are a few chairs and we'd be elevated. We'd be able to see the perimeter bursts, but wouldn't see the detail projects on the castle, so I'm not sure. Also, I'm kind of new to photography and I'm experimenting a bit. You mentioned using bulb mode and manual settings. Can you please elaborate (for a newbie) how you set up your manual settings for those shots? I'll be using a D7100 with either a 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 or 35mm 1.8.
Thanks in advance for any assistance you can offer!
Hi Tom, Great Blog! Question, are all the rides open during the party? I imagine there are restrictions when it comes to wearing costumes on the rides. We are taking our little ones so the rides i'm wondering about are the ones like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small world etc….. Thanks for all the info it was really helpful. Cheers*
Hi guys,
I wondered if you have done the DLP Not So Scary Halloween? If so, do you have any guides for it, as this blog is fantastic. We are DLP Annual Passholders (1st Yr) and are going over to Paris on 31 Oct for the Halloween Party, so just looking for a bit of guide as to the best way to get the most out of it for the kids. My son is a huge Disney Villains fan and hasn't yet had the chance to meet all his favourite characters.
Would love any advice you can offer.
Thanks a million.
We are planning on going next year to MNSSHP in September. When do they traditionally decorate the park for Halloween? I'm worried that we will be there too early to see the decorations. Thanks!
Your really have a great homepage with so many great tips esp. for Halloween :o) I mostly like to take a picture with Winnie Pooh and Friends in Halloween Costumes. Do you know, when they (and all the other Disney Characters) will approximate be dressed in that Costumes at their Meet & Greet?
Greetings Silke :o)
I just wanted to thank you for the information about being able to get in at 4 pm instead of 7. I plan on using the extra time to enjoy the rides with my family. We plan on hitting all the trick or treat stations afterwards and watching the parade.
Can you ride the rides as well when you purchase tickets for the not so scary Halloween Party? or is just events and the parades?
Do you think Dopey will be available again this year for pics?
thank you!
Hi! Thank you for making this blog, it's fantastic! I'm attending the party on september first and i was wondering…. I have a minnie costume, should i be dressed up at 4pm or be casual and then get dressed? I don't wanna be the only one wearing a costume! Haha
Please let me know as soon as u know where will the 7 dwarts be located or do they give a map with locations of all the characters ?
We are heading to Disney Oct 30- Nov 5th. We were thinking that other than halloween day the crowds would be lighter. We have found almost all the hotels are completely booked, the halloween parties are sold out and there are almost no reservations. Is that week typically really busy or is it typical to have resorts booked to capacity? Thanks
Can we expect an update for this year's party? I would love to see what you think of the changes for this year and how you would readjust your touring plan for these. Thanks!
This may have been addressed already and I'm just not seeing it, but when the Magic Kingdom closes after Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is The Kiss Goodnight still able to be viewed?
I've bought a multi-day ticket for WDW with the Will Call option. Additionally I've bought a MNSSHP to Print@Home. Both the ticket and the voucher are already confirmed and have been sent to me. Is it possible to add the MNSSHP ticket to the general admission ticket or a MagicCard at the first visit of a WDW park when picking it up at the Will Call station, so that I don't need to bring the Print@Home ticket on the day of the party?
Hoping you can help me with this.
Last October we were "testing" magic bands and fastpass+. We weren't able to link our party tickets for MNSSHP to our magic bands because they weren't comparable. We also weren't able to use fastpass+ either as that wasn't set up for hard ticket events.
Has any of that changed this year? Is it safe to add your hard ticket event to the magic bands without messing up your annual passes? Can you get fastpass+ reservations after 7?
We have tickets to the party next month and they are linked to our Magicbands with no problems.
No FP+ after 7PM, however.
We just returned from WDW & attended the Tuesday night Party. I, too, printed tickets for that and brought them along, as advised by the site. We were automatically linked, however, with no need for us to either bring the hard copies or link ourselves online.
We will be in Disney for the start of our honeymoon in just a few days now (9/15). We are so excited but our budget is a little tight. We are trying to decide between doing MNSSHP or drinking around the world at Epcot (total opposites I know!). It's our first Disney trip just the two of us. What would you suggest if we can only swing one or the other? Thanks!
Last year my husband and I went to Disney for our honeymoon too and we are headed back this year on the 16th of September because once we saw things going up for MNSSHP we were really disappointed we didn't go! So this year we pushed the trip back a week so we could catch both a MNSSHP and Food and Wine fest at Epcot! Enjoy your honeymoon! It's so much fun!
I don't really see the draw. Especially since it's just me and my Dad and I am 39 and am single with no kids. 50+ bucks for a parade and fireworks show and some extra character meet'n'greets?
I don't even do the regular meet'n'greets, and frankly looks like they take up space that could have been used for rides or shows.
So am I missing something here? Is there any thing else to do at the party?
I am visiting the Magic Kingom with my children aged 11 and 7 and I may only have one day ever to attend. In your opinion should I attend the party and skip the day just visit on a normal day? I am hoping to catch a few rides/attractions bu tlove the idea of a themed event. I dont think I can oafford to do both.
I meant OR just vistit on a normal day!
First of all, thanks for the great tips! I'm taking my daughter for the first time this year, for her birthday as a surprise, and had no clue what I was doing. Lol. This helps out a lot. I am curious about Sarah's Mickey ears. Did she get those in the park? My daughter is turning 11 this year and has said since she was 3, that she will be an astronaut when she grows up. There's no questioning it. She's a Disney fanatic, so to combine her two favorite things would be perfect!
Thanks for this awesome post Tom! My husband and I are driving down to WDW on the 26th for a week long Disneymoon! Only 16 more days! I have been reading your wonderful blog for tips and tricks and because of this post we're going to MNSSH. We didn't even realize it was going on so early.
It was a toss up, budget wise, for the Memory Maker or the Halloween party tickets. After reading your post about the Photo pass photographers taking pictures with our carmera and other great posts about getting good shots, we went for the party tickets. Now we just have to decide on costumes! We're going to the party the day we get there, Friday, which will probably make it a longer day for us but we felt it was better to be tired from being in a car all day than being tired from walking around a park.
So with the mingle taken out of mix and mingle, is the only place to get pics with the evil queen and maleficent at the royal table for $99 a person? Considering the maleficent movie will no doubt increase demand for pics with her, that seems like a risky move.
I really want to go to this event. I keep telling myself that I will go, but school always seem to interfere with the dates. I have been to Disneyland around Christmas, but I think Halloween can be just as magical.
I am starting my own blog on planning Disney vacations and was hoping that you would have some advice on what I should include. I am centering it around young adults.
My blog is onceuponadisneyworlddream.tumblr.com
We are planning to arrive for MNSSHP at 4 PM. Will we be allowed to enter wearing costumes, or will we have to redress prior to the 7 PM start time.
Just found my answer in an April post! Thanks!
I'm wondering what the times are for each parade and the fireworks. Trying to make plans around those times.
Not sure if this question has been asked or not but do you know what rides will not be open during the party? We did the party last year with our then 2 and 5 year olds and LOVED it!! We are going back to Florida for a Universal trip this year but we are going to the MNSSHP (our only Disney park for this vacation) and wanted to take advantage of some of the rides this time around (since we did a lot of trick-or-treating and dancing last vacation ). We know from last year that a lot of the trick-or-treat lines are set up in various ride queues. Was wondering if you had any information on this Thanks!
Got a few questions. First off, at Fairytale Hall, wasn't there suppose to be a pairing of villains and princesses like Snow White and the Evil Queen? Was that not there?
And who is doing meet and greets at the Fairytale Garden, you know, where Rapunzel and Merida meet guests during the day. A few years ago the step mother and daugthers from Cinderella were there. Who's there this year?
Please tell me where you got the Mrs. Potts costume from. My daughter adores Chip and I would like to see if a Chip one is available. Thank you.
I've really enjoyed reading your website. Thanks for all the tips and awesome pictures
I have a question in regards to a sit down meal I booked at Cinderella's table. I booked this months ago before I even heard of the Not So Scary Halloween Party. Our reservations are for seven on October 10th. When we booked our dinner reservation no one from Disney indicated that the park closed at seven. We were planning on spending the day at Magic Kingdom and finishing with Cinderella's table. Will I be required to pay for the Not So Scary Halloween Party just so we can attend dinner. I'm fine with a cast member escorting us out.
Any advice would be great
I did try and change our reservation but it's impossible to move the time or date.
We complicated our upcoming three day WDW visit, our 2nd this year, by buying three MYW passes and then deciding to go to the party. Struggling to figure out how to make best use of it. In theory we could do all four parks now. But that only gives us a half day MK. Any suggested itineraries for a three day including a party visit?
Hi Tom,
I am a former international cast member and will be returning to WDW after completing my program a few months shy of 10 years. I will be coming with my boyfriend who has only visited Disneyland as a young child. Definitely want to take him to Mickeys Not So Scary. From your description and the description on the Disney website, there appears to be no information on extras. Maybe they do not offer these anymore because of price? When I first went to the party, Disney offered 'free' face painting, a 'free' professional photo of the group and 'free' snack. Is this not the case anymore?
Does anyone know if we can get tickets at Disneyland or do we have to get the tickets online?
So, I had 4 tickets to Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party in my cart earlier and did not purchase them. Now the day I am going it is showing they are sold out. Does anyone know if they reserve some to be sold at the gate that morning or if they are only sold in advance. If I don't get those tickets, I am not sure we will go to Disneyland.
Wonderful website. Lots of useful info here. I'm sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And of course, thank you for your effort!
Hey! I love these tips and photos! If we see mickey at town square theatre between 6-630 will he be in Halloween attire?
Can anyone tell me what time the Halloween night fire work display starts? Is it 11pm or 12pm? we have to arrange transportation back to our hotel but don't want to miss the fire work display
Great blog! This is our first trip to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland. I was so happy to see that we could get in as early as 4pm with our party tickets, and I read the costuming rules before purchasing…but then the rules that are actually on the ticket are slightly different. it says while kids can enter at 4pm in costume, adults may not be in costume until after normal park operating hours (which I take to mean after 7pm). Is this correct? Will my husband and I get turned away if we show up at 4pm in costume? Because we have some seriously awesome costumes and unfortunately can't make "modifications" to them to look like street clothes during normal park hours, as the costume rules suggest. Just thought you guys might know!
You can enter in costume at 4.
Hey great post but I wanted to add something. You CAN meet Anna and Elsa at the party. We were there on October 9th 2014 and they were there, line was around 45 mins but was well worth the wait because it is usually around 90+ mins during the day. We met them around 10:30-11pm.
My family and I just attend MNSSHP tonight for the first time. I have to honestly say that it was a major let down. Despite 'planning our attack' before hand, few things went as we expected. We arrived at 4pm and rode 2 rides in the park and got something to eat before the event started. We did one trick or treat spot, and hung out at some of the Halloween character locations, but there were no characters to be found. So we found a spot to see the parade from. The parade began almost 20 minutes late, which made for very restless kids. After the parade, we made our way over to Tomorrowland in hopes of attending the monster dance party. While the brochure did not specify a time, when we got there, the monsters were taking a break until after the fireworks. My kids were more concerned with seeing the characters that we hadn't planned to watch the fireworks. We discovered that many of the special attractions and the character encounters are not operational during the fireworks.
We were all so excited about attending MNSSHP, but we left sad and disappointed. We didn't see ANY special characters other than those in the parade. The treats we nothing special. Run of the mill candy. Knowing that Disney events are popular and over the top, we expected long wait times, but this event was wall to wall people. We've been to Magic Kingdom before, but this was by far the busiest we've ever seen it. I think that they give a false impression when they say that they have a limited number of tickets for this event. The highlight was that my daughter danced before the parade with a Disney crew memeber. Definitely overpriced and not worth the money for the ticket. If this was my first Disney encounter, you can guarantee that I wouldn't be returning to Disney again. Major disappointment
My family and I feel cheated.
I was told the characters can only be seen at 1 place in the park at a time, so if one of the characters you were looking for are in the parade, they won't be available for meet/greets during the parade. Maybe that's why some were missing?
Were you able to book advance FastPass+ although you only had party tickets and not a MK ticket?
We were there on Halloween night and had a similar experience. The lines for rides were longer than during the day and you couldn't book fast passes. Waited 20 minutes in the candy line. Fireworks were fabulous but other than that I was not impressed
Hi! Do you know how FP+ will work now with the Halloween Party if you're not buying a park ticket for earlier that day? Could I still register for a FP+ 60 days out (for use from 4-7) of I only have the Party ticket, and not a MK ticket, linked on my account? The Disney site specifics it's for every "park ticket". Thanks!
I am getting conflicting reports on if you need a park ticket for the party the day you choose to go to the Halloween party. Can you shed some light?
I need a ticket for the mnsshp for Oct 24th "tomorrow" is sold out, does anyone have an extra 1 for me to buy??? Please!!
We are currently planning our Sept. 2015 trip. Our second night there falls on what Touring Plans is predicting will be a party night. MK closes at 7, and since we are staying at the Contemporary it seems a shame to be so close and not have access to it. It is our first WDW trip, so maybe we should just splurge on the event. We don't have kids though. What do you fellow commentators think? Should we do it?
Thank you for your blog. I found it and read it before we travelled to Disney in October 2014. MNSSHP was by far the highlight of our week long trip with friends (3 adults & 4 kids 10 and under) which included a full day in each of the parks. And I have to say dressing up, I'm referring to myself, made the whole event that much more fun!!! I loved being a pirate for the night. My 9 year old daughter was the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter came right up to her during the parade. We found a spot on the curb almost 1 1/2 hours before the parade and stayed put. After the parade we went right up to the castle to watch the show. And then we joined a dance party in Tomorrowland where I got to dance with Sully! Man, that monster can dance!!! And collecting candy was lots of fun too! We are still eating it! Thanks again!!!
It may be possible that this was already covered somewhere in these responses but do the park photographers take pictures at the meet and greets? If so, are they put on the memory maker that I plan to purchase?
We are thinking of taking our 4yr old daughter to disney in October (along with older brother and sister) due to slower time of year and weather. However, this will be the first time for our 4yr old to visit. We want to give her as traditional experience as possible, don't want for her to be scared or remember disney as Halloween. My question is, do they only have Halloween themed parade and characters on the nights of the party or will we see characters dressed that way throughout our time? Do they offer traditional fireworks on non Halloween party nights? We typically visit end of May / beginning of June. I know my older children will enjoy the Halloween party, just concerned of my youngest. We want to give her a good first time experience. Thanks so much for your help and honesty!
No, the costumes can only be seen during party dates and times. No worries!
Is it common that this event sells out? We are planning a trip to Disney World October 9th-16th, however we are traveling with young children. I am not sure I want to commit to a day until I can see how the kids handle being on the move all day. I was even thinking of going on the day we arrive as our flight will land in Orlando at 3:10pm, however I am really afraid to commit in advance and have our plans fall though……any advice?
We went in late September in 2012 and 2014. The party was sold out both times. We bought tickets months earlier just to be sure could go. Food and Wine was going on and free dining so there were A LOT of people in the Parks.
I'm so surprised that you like Holiday Wishes better than HalloWishes! I always found the story and music of HalloWishes to be much more fun and unique whereas Holiday Wishes is just the same Christmas songs I've heard a million times without any real story. I usually skip it, actually. To each their own, I guess!
Tom, any thoughts as to why they are doing 2015's parties so late? I purposely moved our trip from May to the first week in September for the party, and we were so bummed that it isn't starting until the 15th. I called Disney to ask why certain September dates were closing early if there was not going to be a party, and he literally said, "um, I think they are closing early on Labor day because school starts up the next day". I said, "Isn't there school 9 months of the year, and don't most schools start on different schedules?". Useless.
Tickets for the 2015 MNSSHP just went on sale today!!
Hi, we are going to WDW in October, we have 3 kids, 2 older and 1 6 year old. I was wondering are the rides still going at night for this, or is it just the trick or treating? I don't know if my two older boys will be as interested as my little one.
Yes. Most rides still operate during the parties.
We are going to Disney from 9/20 to 9/25. There is a Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday party that week. For reference, I'm crazy about Halloween and we have a 4-year-old that has caught my bug.
We have reservations for Sunday night at Chef Mickey's. We don't want to attend the Tuesday party because we don't want to double up on tickets and have Be Our Guest reservations that we don't want to miss.
So the short – should we skip Chef Mickey's to attend on Sunday or brave the crowds on Friday? I'm leaning towards Friday so that we can end our trip with a bang and because we will have done all the rides we've wanted to do and can focus in on the entertainment (I'm afraid my husband will want to skip the parades, etc. in lieu of 10 rides on Space Mountain if we go the first evening of our trip).
Would love your opinion! Thanks!
I've always found that the Sunday party is busier than the Friday party. I would go to the Friday party, but if you're leaving on Saturday, it might be hard if you have an early morning flight. Just take that into consideration.
I went to this event last year with a friend and loved it. I'm taking my husband this year, and our timing is such that we will need to attend on the last night, November 1. Since it's the day AFTER Halloween, does anyone know if they start to tone it down since it's technically AFTER the holiday?
We will be visiting wdw in September through the Make a Wish Foundation. I just found out about MNSSHP. Question- Does buying the ticket for the party count as the gate admission? Like if we went to a different park during the day and went to MK for the party. Thanks- I appreciate all of the helpful info
Is it possible does anyone have a program or schedule from last year. I kind of wanted to see what characters and all of the shows that they offer in the party.
My husband and I will be going 10/28-11/4 for our anniversary and both our birthdays. We want to go to MNSSHP but the only nights we could go is 10/29,10/31 (which is our anniversary) or 11/1. I'm not sure which day would be best considering it's the last three parties. Any suggestions?
I think 11/1 would be the least busy out of the 3 10/31 would definitely be the most busy as it is actually Halloween and is a Saturday this year.
I would definitely go 11/1 if you don't mind going after Halloween! We went to the November party in 2013 and had a BLAST! Low low crowds and they were giving away a ton of candy! The kids were in heaven and honestly, we were too! Haha
This was very helpful, we've never been during Halloween and I didn't want to go in knowing nothing nothing. Thank you for your time on this!
Hi Tom!
Great information. I went in 2010 with my mom and sister and we had tons of fun, now we are going September 26- October 3 with my son(3), husband, sister, and father. My father is leaving all the planning to me (he's "just there for the adventure".) I guess my question would be, would you recommend riding any rides during the MNSSHP, or just doing the character greetings, parades and shows? Also, if we were to go to a park the same day, which park would you recommend doing?
Thank you!
I have to say, three of my favourite rides during MNSSHP is Big Thunder Mountain, Astro Orbiter and The People Mover. All three have great views of the park at night! Usually we go on those three rides, then spend the rest of the night meeting characters, trick-or-treating and watching the parade and fireworks.