My family and I have been attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom since my son and daughter were babies. It’s been more than a decade since our first party! In that time, there have been changes, for sure, but many staples are still part of the evening. Having experienced the Halloween fun with my children at all different ages, I would like to offer some tips for families.
1. Know what is most important for your family to see and do at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party before you arrive. You only have five hours of party festivities — if you arrive on time and stay until midnight — so a plan will help ensure your family won’t be disappointed. Do you want to meet characters, see the special Halloween fireworks and parade, trick-or-treat, ride attractions with very short lines — or a combination of all of these?
2. To make the most of your party time, I highly recommend arriving at the Magic Kingdom before the 7 p.m. start time. Your ticket allows you to enter as early as 4 p.m., even though the activities don’t start until 7 p.m. We have been going early for years and we use that time to accomplish several things on our — well, my — to-do list:
** First stop for the Ford Family is the pumpkin-themed photo opportunity in Town Square with Cinderella Castle as a backdrop. This is available during the night, too, with a PhotoPass photographer, but I like to get it done while the line is short and the kids (and their costumes) are fresh. Plus, if you don’t plan to buy the professional photo, you have better lighting for cellphone and point-and-shoot cameras.
** Adjacent to the photo op is the Firehouse, where party participants can collect a special Halloween card for the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom virtual game. Each person will need his or her admission ticket AND party wristband to collect the card, beginning at 4 p.m. Because this is the only time you can get the card, I recommend collecting it and using it on another visit.
** Have dinner before the party starts so you all will have energy for the evening, and the kids have something besides sugar in their already-excited systems. There are limited restaurants open during the party, so having dinner beforehand also gives you more choices for your meal.
** If you want to meet some of the most popular characters, such as Jack Skellington and Sally or the Seven Dwarfs, you will have a wait. That time in line can vary throughout the party but often runs at least an hour. By getting in line early, you can meet these popular characters shortly after the party starts, leaving more party time for things other than waiting in queues. If waiting that long in line seems an impossible feat for your little ones, I’m told that the best time to see popular characters is during the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. This also is true for Anna and Elsa, who had wait times of 10 to 40 minutes during the Sept. 12 party.
3. No matter how many times we’ve seen them, our family always makes viewing Mickey’s “Boo-To-You” Halloween Parade and Happy HalloWishes fireworks a priority. The first parade at 8:15 p.m. is almost always more crowded than the second at 10:30 p.m., so if your children can stay awake for the later viewing, you might get a better curbside seat. Otherwise, be prepared to stake out your spot early. It’s worth it! New to the parade this year are Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope van Schweetz. Happy HalloWishes can be viewed from many more locations around the park. I didn’t feel like I could stand in the crowds on Main Street this year, so I tried sitting on the walkway in the Rose Garden and I had a wonderful view that was just slightly to the side. The castle projection show, Celebrate the Magic, takes place at 9:15 p.m. each night. Also, if you choose to sit in the hub, you are likely to catch the Villains Mix and Mingle show on the Castle Forecourt Stage.
4. Trick-or-treating! Don’t discount how much fun it is for kids to collect “free” candy at Walt Disney World. My children, almost ages 10 and 12, still love this. Trick-or-treating usually is our first official Halloween activity once the party starts. Be sure to hit the treat trail that starts by the railroad station in Fantasyland and ends by Space Mountain in Tomorrowland to collect more candy in a shorter time. Other candy stops are located throughout the park, denoted by an orange Mickey Mouse balloon, and marked on the party map.
5. Have a favorite character? Even if it’s not one of the rarely seen characters that command long lines, you still might consider waiting in a short line at the party for a photo. As you can imagine, as longtime Walt Disney World pass holders and Florida residents, we have many, many photos with Mickey Mouse. And we still waited 30 minutes to see him this year. For one thing, this is the first year that “Talking Mickey” is wearing his Halloween costume for photos during the party, which was a unique experience. Mickey also is willing to strike a pose that matches a costume. For my son, who was dressed as a wizard from Harry Potter, he helped cast a spell. (The rest of the Fab Five are decked out in their costumes, as well.)
6. Have time to kill in between planned events? Pop into one of the dance parties. Club Villain is new this year at The Diamond Horseshoe in Liberty Square and the Monstrous Scream-o-Ween Ball takes place at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland for the entire five hours. When my kids were younger, they loved dancing with the characters. Note: These are not meet-and-greet opportunities so characters don’t stop and pose but you may be able to capture some fun candid shots.
Have a tip or a question? Please share it in the comments.
DISCLAIMER: I was a guest of Walt Disney World at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This did not affect my story; my opinions are my own.
Thank you for the great tips. We will be attending MNSSHP next week for the first time and put them to good use. We are looking forward to experiencing Halloween in Disney Style. Thanks again!!
I was at WDW last week solo, and decided at the last minute to attend my first MNSSHP. I was blown away by what an amazing time I had! Now my husband and I are trying to figure out how we can take the kids out of school next fall to attend a party!
I love all your tips. I didn’t ride a single ride during the party b/c I had been there all week and had already ridden everything I desired. I wanted to focus on the “party” aspects of the evening. So I took lots of pics of interesting costumes. I chatted it up with cast members (LOVE their party uniforms). I got a great seat (yes, a SEAT) outside of Pecos Bill’s (on the stone wall) for the parade. I went to EVERY trick-or-treat station. I perused the Halloween merchandise in the gift shops. I savored every minute of HalloWishes. (Though I was disappointed that Celebrate the Magic was not Halloween-inspired, I realize it would be far too costly to change.) I saw part of the Villains Mix-and-Mingle show (GREAT!) and danced my way through the Scream-o-Ween Ball. I also waited in a (short) line to enter Memento Mori (the new Haunted Mansion gift shop, which, at the time, was only open during Halloween parties). I marveled over all the unique merchandise and sent no fewer than 20 pictures to my husband and my friend Jenny.
I went over to Gaston’s Tavern and devoured a ghost cupcake.
I’m not really a “take pictures with characters” person, but I loved that so many different ones were available. (I did enjoy standing back and watching the interaction between the characters and guests; Gaston was especially entertaining.)
I was sad to not have time to watch the 2nd parade, to check out Club Villain (though a dance party isn’t all that fun when you’re alone), nor to ride any rides in the dark. But there is only SO much time! As the time drew to a close, I picked up a special Sorcerers of the MK Halloween card. For the last 10-15 minutes of the day, I simply sat on a bench in the hub (the bench with the statues of Walt and Minnie holding hands), listened to the Thriller theme song, watched the orange lights bounce off the train station, and soaked in the atmosphere. It was then that I realized I *had* to come back next year.
Thanks for the great tips! We love MNSSHP. When we go to WDW in the fall this is our only MK day. Like someone said previously, this is cheaper than a 1 day pass and we get to ride everything we like. We do enter at 4pm and I get FP+ (this year its 3:55-4:55, 4:55-5:55, 5:55-6:55)for rides that will still be busy at the party (7DMT) or closed for the party (Jungle Cruise). We then spend 4-7pm wondering around, looking in shops, and using our FP+, that way when the party starts we can focus on lots of rides, and food, and candy.
To me, the MNSSHP is one of the best values in all of Disney World. You get a ticket for about 60% of the one-day ticket price, and you can arrive at 4PM – getting a full 8 hours at the park.
We try to be strategic about the hours from 4-7PM, before the party starts. Some of the popular rides still have long lines from the regular park hours, so we focus on rides and attractions that are not usually as crowded. We also tend to do all the sight-seeing stuff (photo ops, favorite shops, etc) during this time.
The candy tip is spot on. We always make one or two passes between new Fantasy Land & Space Mountain. That area seems less crowded & there are several candy bins along the path.
Once the party is in full swing – our family almost makes a game out of riding everything we can. One year, we rode every single open ride in the park – plus we rode Space Mountain & Big Thunder Mountain 4-5 times each.
Also, if you have older kids like we do…take your time getting out of the park. It’s nice to linger & take in the sights and sounds as the park empties out.
My family and I just returned from WDW and attended Mickey’s Halloween Party. I have to say that the parade was wonderful. It truly was “not so scary”. My 6-year old son was thrilled to stand in the front row and watch every second of the parade. I have to say the parade was longer than expected – but a pleasant surprise.
On another note, during the party, aside from the many places throughout the park to get candy, there are several character greeting locations where we were able to take pictures without much of a wait. Finally, we were able to take advantage of a “smaller” crowd in the park and went on several rides that we were unable to ride during the day, including the Mine Train Ride and Haunted Mansion. So, if you missed out on rides during the regular park hours, this is a great time to “catch up”.
I was initially hesitant to spend the extra money for the Party but I am glad we did. We all enjoyed the festivities and the extra-special time in the park.
Hi Kristin, thanks for the great tips! Our next visit will be spent mostly at Universal, BUT, we are squeezing in a visit for the party on the Oct 30 and would like to know the best time to ride the new mine train with the shortest line, as this is my boys’ priority and we’ve attended MNSSHP once before…thanks for any info you can offer! Counting the days:)
KRISTIN: Probably the best time to ride Mine Train is during the fireworks, if you don’t mind missing them, because most people want to see the special Happy HalloWishes and that makes for shorter lines for attractions.