Fall at Disney World is billed as one of the best times to go. There are Halloween decorations, food and wine festival and more importantly, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. One of the questions I hear a lot from people who are travelling to Disney World between August and October is ‘is Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween party worth the money?’ It’s a good question considering that tickets for the Magic Kingdom Parties are additional to any park tickets you’ve bought for the rest of your trip.
With tickets coming in anywhere up to $125 each (and they get more expensive the closer to October 31st you get, it’s worth knowing what you’re getting for your money and if party tickets are right for you.
Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party worth the money?
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the only occasion where adults are allowed to dress up. Usually only those under 12 (so children) are permitted to dress as their favourite characters so it’s quite fun for adults to be able to get involved. People go all out with their outfits – last year I went as a Wilderness Explorer with a home made sash for all my badges – it went down very well and I got so many compliments.
So what is there to do at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
Parades
Name a more addictive parade song that ‘Boo to you’… I’ll wait. The Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party parade, ‘Boo to you’ usually happens twice a night – once before the fireworks and once after. The first parade is usually busier
The parade is preceded by the iconic ‘Headless Horseman’ who rides the parade route on his horse. Like I said, the second parade is quieter and you won’t have to get there as early for a good spot.
Characters
Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Part brings our rare characters in force. It also bring regular characters out in special costumes… think Stitch dressed as Elvis or Mickey and Minnie in their halloween costumes.
My top tip for character meets is to make a list of the ones you want to target and plan your nights around that. It’s also worth getting into the first queue before the party officially starts to make the best use of your time. You can enter Magic Kingdom with your party ticket at 4pm. Characters start to make appearances around 6:30pm onwards so best to get in your first queue about half and hour to an hour before (Jack and Sally’s queue may require even longer!)
Food
Let’s talk about the food served at MNSSHP!
Firstly, don’t bother booking a table service meal during party time… it’s a complete waste! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party offers so many cool snacks – and you’ll be up to your eyes in
Fireworks
Hallowishes are the stuff of legends. This beloved firework show is so iconic and a staple of many people’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party experience. It goes back to the old Disney style – of the fireworks being the main draw of the show (unlike Happily Ever After where the castle projections play a huge part) and includes some of your favourite happy haunts and Disney villians!
Shows
You can watch the Sanderson Sisters and some of our favourite Disney villains on the castle stage. The castle show usually happens three times a night. Keep an eye on the weather – if it’s rainy or there is lightning in the area it won’t happen. Over the last two years, the final show of the evening begins at the exact time the park closes. I would save the castle show until that last one (Weather permitting) – that way you won’t spend any party time watching the show meaning you can be off doing other activities.
Another of my favourite shows to watch is Lady Carlotta and Lady Renata who sit just outside the Haunted Mansion. It’s an improv show with some interaction with the audience as the sisters tell you the story of how they died which is of course, not the least bit scary and rather comical! They’re very funny and will have you giggling away darkly.
PhotoPass Opportunities
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Part has a few special photo pass opportunities for you to take advantage of. My favourite is the one by the Haunted Mansion with the lantern. You can also find them on the way into the party with all the frames. Keep your eye out for queues that appear to not be going anywhere – it’s probably a
Rides
Last year Disney World added some special ‘party overlays’ to some of the rides in Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The first was Space Mountain where they switched off all the lights and cranked up the music. Even though Space Mountain is a dark ride – IT WAS PITCH BLACK – and kind of freaky. D
Be sure to check if Pirates of the Caribbean has it’s party overlay on too. They add live actors into the queuing system and onto the ride who again, interact with the audience. It brings a new take on an already beloved ride and makes it worth riding during the party.
Unless you’re not bothered about many of the other activities, I wouldn’t advise using party times to concentrate on rides. Most have little to no queues so while it might be good to hit up 7 Dwarfs Mine Train once or twice if you cannot get a fast pass for any other time during your trip, I wouldn’t spend your time on the smaller rides.
Trick or Treating
Finally, it wouldn’t be Halloween without a bit of trick or treating would it? There are lots of ‘Treat stations set up around the Magic Kingdom for you to stop by. Disney do provide you with a small candy bag for trick or treating but if you’re planning on doing it seriously – i.e hitting every stop, you’ll need to bring your own bag! My top tip for the trick or treating is to not queue for candy. If you see a queue at the trick or treating station, come back to it later. Don’t waste precious party time in unnecessary queues.
So is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party worth it. Tickets can be over $100 the closer the date is to halloween with 31st Octobers party coming in at $125 per adult. If you plan and make use of all the characters/activities that are not available in normal park hours, you can certainly get your monies worth. It’s also really great to see the famous Boo-to-You parade (I do miss the regular nighttime parade at
If you’re planning a Disney World trip soon and have any questions, be sure to join our #CLROhana Facebook Group where lots of people are happy to help with any queries you may have!
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