Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2009

[1littlespark]

We'll be attending on Halloween Night again this year. It will be our 8th MNSSHP in a row.

Anyone else planning on going?

[ToddyLu]

;) Well I think we are going to take the boat over to Whispering Canyon Cafe and have dinner before the party and before the WCC gets rowdy. The steak we had there last year was terrific--actualy better than the one I ate a Cali Grill. Where will you be dining on Halloween? I am so excited are you going to wear a costume??:cool2:

[1littlespark]

So far I have no idea where we'll eat that night. I've managed to milk the one night party into a whole little Disney Halloween Vacation at the Pop Century. lol As long as it looks like I can do it when it gets closer. We may just eat at the Pop, depending how we feel that day.

We are so definitely wearing costumes. We always do! It's a must. lol (I don't mean it's mandatory of course - just that it's a must for fun) We also trick-or-treat like mad. We really enjoy ourselves and it's gotten so I can't imagine spending Halloween anywhere else. I'm not sure what we'll go as yet, but I have a tendency to dress as a Vampire(ss). Even last year I was an evil Queen sort of thing, but I had to give it just a touch of Elizabeth Bathory. Some years we do the complimentary face painting, too. It depends on what we're wearing.

We're excited too! We got our tickets in the mail yesterday. :cool1:

[tjbaggott]

We will be there on the 31st! This will be my family's 2nd Trip to Disney World and our FIRST MNSSHP! I had heard from one place that you have to leave the park at close, and then can re enter for the Halloween party. Yet elsewhere it says People with Party Tickets can enter the park as early as 4pm? Anyone know the real lowdown on this? We'll be in the park as soon as it opens that morning, then thought we'd have dinner at Chef Mickey's,then change into costumes and head back to the parks. Does this sound like it will work?

[VegasMike21]

Going on Oct 2nd, the day we arrive in Orlando from Vegas!!!

[1littlespark]

We will be there on the 31st! This will be my family's 2nd Trip to Disney World and our FIRST MNSSHP! I had heard from one place that you have to leave the park at close, and then can re enter for the Halloween party. Yet elsewhere it says People with Party Tickets can enter the park as early as 4pm? Anyone know the real lowdown on this? We'll be in the park as soon as it opens that morning, then thought we'd have dinner at Chef Mickey's,then change into costumes and head back to the parks. Does this sound like it will work?


Cool, you guys will be there the same night as us. That was one heck of a ticket price, eh? :scared1: lol The official start time is 7pm, however totally at their discretion, they almost always let people in early. Also, in past years when I was there earlier in the day because of having annual passes, I was able to get a bracelet in the alte afternoon/early evening and just stay in the park. If you call they will not be very forthcoming about this. The thing is you can't count on anything like 4, especially since it can vary by the date and Halloween is the biggest night, but generally you can get in earlier. Because of the shops being open later than the park itself, there tends to be some overlap at first. The bracelet they will put on you helps identify you as a guest of the party itself. Once you're able to get one of those, you're in.

Your plan very well may work. What time is your dinner? It can't be too early anyway, I'd think. Congratulations on your first MNSSHP! I'm sure you'll love it. We always do.

Vegasmike, that should be a good date for you. Earlier dates usually don't come with the madhouse crowds the later ones do.

[tjbaggott]

Cool, you guys will be there the same night as us. That was one heck of a ticket price, eh? :scared1: lol The official start time is 7pm, however totally at their discretion, they almost always let people in early. Also, in past years when I was there earlier in the day because of having annual passes, I was able to get a bracelet in the alte afternoon/early evening and just stay in the park. If you call they will not be very forthcoming about this. The thing is you can't count on anything like 4, especially since it can vary by the date and Halloween is the biggest night, but generally you can get in earlier. Because of the shops being open later than the park itself, there tends to be some overlap at first. The bracelet they will put on you helps identify you as a guest of the party itself. Once you're able to get one of those, you're in.

Your plan very well may work. What time is your dinner? It can't be too early anyway, I'd think. Congratulations on your first MNSSHP! I'm sure you'll love it. We always do.

Vegasmike, that should be a good date for you. Earlier dates usually don't come with the madhouse crowds the later ones do.

The PRICE? I nearly choked when I saw the prices! (We are a family of 6!) BUT I had promised the kids, and couldn't go back on that! The day after our MNSSHP, we head to Port Canaveral for our Cruise aboard the Wonder. So much had already been spent on this Trip alone (and our Canadian Dollar being so low since last fall), yes, I nearly choked at the ticket costs. But bit the bullet and are SO excited about the Party! Chef Mickey's is at a Resort. Is there any Recomended Restaurants in MK that will stay open between the end of the park day and start of MNSSHP?

[1littlespark]

Same here. The price was ack, but I really do enjoy it most when I go on Halloween itself. A couple of times I had to go on other nights and it wasn't what I like best. I have friends that like to go other nights.

It is so cool that you guys are going on the Wonder after that. I'm sure the whole thing was incredibly expensive, but it should be an awesome vacation for you! I did a week on the Disney Magic May 16-23rd and I had a great time.

Yes, Chef Mickey's is at the Contemporary. I've eaten there several times, but only for breakfast, not dinner. It's great that the contemporary is right on the monorail line so you could zip right over to the MK via Monorail if you were already ready. (Not a bad idea because then you'd have pics in your costumes with characters etc.) However, be warned that you cannot drive to the Contemp. for dinner and leave your car there for the party. If you're staying at a resort though, you could get ready, then bus over (requires a transfer at a park, or the TTC in wihch case you could take the monorail from there) have dinner and then easily zip over to the MK.

If you just want to eat at the MK instead, most restaurants should be open. Again, there really isn't any distinction between close of the MK and open for MNSSHP. It really isn't close and open again at all. It's just more like, separate ticket event starting, so get out. lol Ok, obviously it's done far more "Disney" than that. As I said, there is always overlap of guests as well, especially on main street. That being said, I don't see you getting into anything like the Crystal Palace an other table dining restaurants without priority seating reservations, so if you want to do that, once it's the 90 day window, make sure you look into it. Same with Chef Mickey's btw. Always try to book priority seating!

Hope that helps. Really, now that I think about it, if I was booking a character dinner on Halloween, I'd totally want to go in my costumes. Then, when the characters come around to the tables for pics, they would be unique for the Holiday and priceless to me. That's just my thinking of course. You guys have to do what you're comfortable with.

[tjbaggott]

We're not exactly sure what we want to do for dinner that night. I was stuck on Chef Mickey's, but now I"m not so sure. But we have lots of time to decide before our ADR window opens. Starting our countdown chain soon!
Thanks for the info and tips 1littlespark!

[1littlespark]

No problem. I'm happy to help so if you end up with more questions you'd like answers to from a "guest" standpoint, feel fire away.

What I need to do now is get my act together and get back on my diet so that when it's time to buy costumes again I can hopefully have some decent choices.

[tjbaggott]

My daughter and I have bought Pirates of the Carribean Pattersn and fabric and will attempt to make our own costumes. Dh is actually willing to dress up as a pirate (which is shocking)! He won't dress up for Halloween here, but well, I guess thats the Disney Magic that has him willing to do it there!

Losing weight, I've been on that for months. Hopefully now with the nicer weather here, and the fact that that allows me to get out more often with the kids, which means being more active, I'll see some pounds dropping off soon.

1littlespark, you said I could fire away, so here goes:

Where else in MK have you been to a sit down meal that you found great for the whole family? Doesn't have to be a character meal. We are not interested in the Crystal Palace.
My issue is, we have ONLY this ONE day in MK. When we went 3 years ago, we found it a Whirlwind trip. Never having been before, the sites the sounds, everything was SO new and SO exciting. There are things we missed seeing, never knew about the DIS boards back then, and well, looking back I see how NOT prepared we were, and how to some extent it was so overwhelming, BUT still enjoyable. There are some things that will now have the "Been there done that" aspect to it, so we are willing to skip that this time around, which will give us some time to see things we didn't get to see.
So based on this, this is why I question us leaving the park for dinner (ie:Chef Mickey's), and perhaps staying in the park instead. Will leaving for dinner interfer with Park plans? Will it cut out drastically time for us?
Or is Chef Mickey's REALLY worth it? Are there lockers in MK where we could store our costumes so we don't have to lug them around during the day, or travel back to our Resort (CBBC).
One last question, if you have been to WDW on several occasions at different times of the year. Will the Oct 31st crowds likely be worse, less, the same, as Crowds at the end of April?
We went in April last time.

Thank you SO much for what ever of these you can give an opinion on based on your own experience!;)

[1littlespark]

Yup, I sure did say fire away and I meant it. The only problem is that most of the time, I am NOT at all good about making a long story short. ;)

The only table dining restaurant we ever ate in the MK was inside Cinderella's Castle. You can still eat there now, but it's become a little bit more of a show dinner with a fixed menu (like choose 1 of a few apps, entrees and desserts. From what I understand, the show involving princesses is quite brief, they don't come around to the tables for pictures and although some people have loved it, I think I've heard more complaints than anything so far. It may take up more time than you're willing to give up. In addition to the that and the Crystal Palace, which you aren't interested in, there's the Liberty Tree Tavern, which has an all you care to eat meal, served family style. This used to be a character dining experience but it isn't any longer. I know you said that isn't a priority, though. There is also Tony's Town Square serving Italian, right up in the front of the park and The Plaza Restaurant basically at the end of main street serving things like burgers and sandwiches. (see menus in the link below)

Now, you visited once before 3 years ago. It is possible you may feel quite whirlwind all over again, especially with 1 day in the MK. I would be prepared for some hefty crowds. I have been to WDW hundreds upon hundreds of times, at all times of the year but crowds can be the strangest thing. It's so hard to say, but I am guessing it won't be any kind of slow day. Last year we stayed at the Caribbean Bch (even though we're locals - and I LOVE that hotel btw) and tried to do the parks in mid-October when it should have been a good time and it was so crowded I couldn't believe it! Halloween Day/Night at the MK tends be be crowded, perhaps because of its' festive feel for the day. My first two trips to WDW back when I was living in NY, I went October 1989 and then May 1992. Not even 2 years in between and I still had that "so much to see, so little time" feeling. Not everyone feels this way, but be prepared that you might. There's that, plus the fact that with children, or even adults, aging a few years can give a different perspective on the parks and alter things that way.

Same thing with the weather. Many Octobers are cooler, but there are years it's hot as, well...thing the Villain in Hercules. :P Of course, I kinda like to try and be prepared as possible for everything when I go there, so nothing gets in the way of the fun. :)

Here's my opinion, for what it's worth... if I had just 1 day in the MK, especially on Halloween, I would probably eat at the quick dining places. It would also save a lot of $$. Most of them have lots of indoor air-conditioned seating where you could sit together as a family but take up a lot less of your time. There is Columbia House for Fish (and a couple of other things), Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe (where the Kooky animatronic alien lounge singer croons on stage while you eat lol), serving burgers ckn etc., Pecos Bill's, serving burgers, taco salads etc. and a hand full of others. That being said, I know some families that have a sit-down meal every single night when visiting WDW. That all being said, I know some families that have a sit-down meal every single night when visiting WDW. If this is your family, then by all means pick a table service restaurant. I might have to agree with you though, about not leaving the park. I'm a person who's often happy in the parks with a hot dog from Casey's or a burger, but that's not for everyone. Given the fact that you don't come too often, that you have 1 day in the MK and it's a special day, I'd probably not want to leave. However, since the MK and Contemporary are a quick hop from each other on the Monorail, that's not a bad restaurant to pick, if you are up for leaving the park.

You can find menus to most restaurants here. I am extremely picky so I find that very helpful. Hopefully no one will be bothered with me posting this link:
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Yes, there are lockers in the MK. When you first walk in under where the train passes right up front there is a large area where you can get them. I'm really not sure how big they are, but if they're soft costumes that fold they'd probably fit.

It's cool that you will try to make your own costumes. I did that one year for Halloween & the Happy Haunts Ball (haunted mansion related special event during Halloween week that lasted only 3 years). I had no idea what I was doing, but it went ok and obviously no one else had my costumes.

I had been doing the dieting thing for months....well far longer than that, really. My vacation derailed me badly! I lose weight excruciatingly slow these days, but it goes on far faster than should be possible, going by the math of calories. I have SERIOUS work to do!

There is one other hint I'll offer, but I'd prefer to PM that.

[tjbaggott]

Thanks 1littlespark, that was very informative and useful! I will have a sit down with the family here, and talk about restaurants. We have a dining plan, so a table service meal is probably what we will want to use, UNLESS, what time does Chef Mickey's open in the morning? Maybe we could do Breakfast there the day day our ship sails. We would want to leave Disney World no later than 9:15. Maybe thats doable, then we just have a quick server meal in MK on Halloween night. Though the Liberty Tree Tavern sounds great too!
I'm not worried about lines for rides ect. We have permission to enter through all Fast pass lanes. So time won't be wasted standing in lines.
The more I think about it though, the more I'm leaning towards staying in the park for dinner.
I'll have to figure out when our ADR window opens up and mark that date on my Calendar, then let my family know, we have to decide somewhat before that date.
Thanks for your help, Oh, and pm me about the other hint you mentioned (regarding weight loss?).

[1littlespark]

Ah, I didn't think to ask if you had the Disney Dining Plan. Yes, I could see how that much change it and you might want to use a table dining meal you're entitled to.

Now, perhaps I'm biased here, but I think you may have a great idea about having breakfast at CM. I love having breakfast at Chef Mickey's. We've eaten there for more than one Anniversary or birthday of mine. We even had Christmas Day breakfast there with my father one year. In fact, I was supposed to do that on my birthday this year, before we changed our plan to the Disney cruise. I believe they start pretty early.

Ok, I just called the Disney Dining Line to confirm what I thought before I said anything. Seating starts at 7am at Chef Mickeys' for Breakfast. I had been thinking 7. (Not that you'll catch me there at that hour :P)

That's great about the fast pass lanes! That should help quite a bit!

I sent the PM already. It wasn't about dieting (no hint for that, just sucky math basically and "just saying no" to a lot of things lol) It was regarding dining. Something I thought you should know. I'm beginning to wonder if I sent the PM to someone else instead. Oops!

I re-sent it.

[luckymom4]

Hey. This is my first discussion board, so bear with me! It's also our family's first MNSSHP, so I have about a thousand questions. Lots of them have been answered by other user's posts. I've never been to DW while carrying a bag, and this is my first trip there with kids. I will have three with me at the time and was wondering...what will they do with their bags while on rides? This may be a silly question, but it's the little things that bug me. :P

[luckymom4]

Also, we will be there on Halloween night. I hear it's more crowded than other nights. Does anyone have any tips that would help as far as using our time wisely that night? For instance, which parade is less crowded?

[1littlespark]

Hi there! Wow, another MNSSHP first timer! Cool that you're going on Halloween Night, too. As I told tjbaggott, feel free to fire away with the questions.
I haven't been able to think of any rides where you can't have your bags. If it's the sort of thing where you can't just hold it, there is typically a place to stow it in front of you. As long as you know the children can handle holding on to bags all day that I'd say you don't have much to worry about. Also, as we discussed earlier, there are lockers if it comes to that.

I used to go without a bag, purse etc. all the time, or just my small camera case, but now I find myself needing one because I've gotten kinda strict about sunscreen which takes up space. Thankfully the other day I had brought a darker shirt with me too because of the pouring rain! That wouldn't have been very Disney. lol

It's not at all silly. I like to be prepared when I go to WDW so I can really enjoy myself while there. Being prepared means thinking of all those little things beforehand. :)

With the parades...it could go either way. The first one may be more crowded because a lot of people (don't ask me why) leave early. I have a friend who's a few years younger than me, and should be in better shape who tires out early and always leaves, despite the price she paid to be there. As always, during parades can be a good time to get on rides, or even some extra trick-or-treating. You're probably going to want to make sure you really make your way around the entire park for T-o-T, since they stick treat stands all over the place, and also because you may find some surprising characters out that you will not see on regular days. In addition to the decorations that are up for the Halloween "Season" in the MK, there are things that are there only for these parties and they make for some fun in-costume photo ops. There are also other special things going on like extra mini-shows, dance parties around the park for the kids, a possible quick visit from a certain headless visitor, and a special pretty extensive Halloween version of the Wishes fireworks.

Candy stations are fairly easy to identify, by the white lit up round balloons at each one. They say "Goofy's Candy Co." on them now, but the white light is probably what you'd notice first.

Yes, thankfully this should all be listed on the guide maps when we get in to the park.

[luckymom4]

Thanks! I see some who plan every step of their trip. I'm obsessive about planning, so it's great to have an understanding of what will be going on and which parts will be important and why. We are also going to have the kids in the park during the day, so hopefully they can get rides and things done and just focus on the Halloween atmosphere that night. From what some people have said it will be too hot to wear a costume. Living in south Georgia, I can totally understand that! Kind of disappointing though, would be so cool to dress up. If you have any more tips, I'd really appreciate them. Is there anything we shouldn't waste our time doing? (If such a thing exsists at DW!) Or anything that is an absolute must-do? Thanks again!

[1littlespark]

I think it's a good idea to get some rides "out of the way" (sounds like a funny way to phrase anything about Disney World lol) beforehand. We do go on some rides & attractions while there, but it would drive me nuts if it was my only chance to do so because there's a lot of more unique things going on.

About the costumes... it is hard to predict what the weather will be like on Halloween, but I would never not wear a costume because of potential heat. We wear costumes every year and that includes my hb who is always too hot. Keep in mind it is at night, too. That helps. Also, not all costumes are hot. Unfortunately, I do tend to pick the ones that are. lol

I personally would not bother going to MNSSHP without wearing a costume however LOTS of people do! Or they just go "festive." Universal's seasonal night festivities don't allow costumes, and that's one reason (i have several) I wouldn't go.

Last year was a warm October and I want to show you what I wore all night and was fine. Especially for 5 hrs. or so on a special occasion. (I'm not a person who's sweating in 70 degrees like some, but I definitely feel the heat. Remember, I'm from NY originally -24 yrs. there)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3596/3613472613_c042bfd83d.jpg

Obviously the decision about costumes has to be yours. It's just that you seemed to express that you'd like to, so I'd hate to see you just give up on that too easily.

[1littlespark]

Must dos and can miss attractions is such a subjective thing. I'd probably say a few must dos for me in the MK are Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain (when it's open and it won't be) Splash Mountain (when I don't mind getting drenched). I love Mickey's Philharmagic. Big Thunder Mountain is fun. Especially on Halloween, late and in the pouring rain. lol (2007 was an interesting MNSSHP). There are others we like to do there too. Sometimes we purposely do the Jungle Cruise in the dark at MNSSHP and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is fun in general, although I'm terrible at it. lol That's what I can think of offhand. I'm not sure I'm entirely awake yet. ;)

As I said, the answer to your question is incredibly subjective.

Specific questions about attractions (or types of attractions) might make it easier to offer any suggestions. Then maybe we could offer a little more than opinions. My hb and I do pick and choose a lot these days, but when we were newer, like last year when we went to DL for the first time ever, we tried to do everything, even small things, just to see for ourselves what it was like and I'm glad we did. If you have the time I think it's kinda nice to do that.

[WDW Enabler]

we will be attending 4th annual mnsshp. the first year my dh was not able to attend. Last year we dressed up as a doctor my dd with princess scrubs, and dh was the patient with a cast on his arm and leg and patient gown. I had the pleasure of being his nurse and pushing him in a wheelchair all night. We are working on our costumes for this year and have a few years. In the past, they have had free face painting. My tip is to go to adventureland for face painting as toontown is always busier.

[1littlespark]

What night are you guys going this year?

I do the face painting some years, if doesn't interfere with the makeup/costume I already have and I feel like spending the time. I kinda wish they were still doing the complimentary photos.

[WDW Enabler]

well up until yesterday we were going to be Mouseketeers from the orginal Mickey mouse club. However, my DD has stated I want to be a doctor for halloween, so we might do that again this year and ramp it up a bit. I am sure she will change her mind many times before Sept. We get our faces painted even if it doesn't go with our costumes because it is fun. I always get Tinkerbell and DH does a Mickey, and of course dd does the princess face paint. We will be going Sept 4 and the next day we will be taking our first cruise on the Magic.

[1littlespark]

Have a great time at the party, and what a great thing to do the next day! Have a blast on the Magic. I did. :) Consider having pirate costumes for that, too, for Pirates IN the Caribbean Night. There's a lot going on, make sure you read that navigator they put in your room every night! )

Btw, if you didn't already know this, there's a section on this board with threads for just about, if not every sail date. It's a fun way to "meet" some fellow DISers before you go and you might just find you know a bunch of people on the ship that week.


*Nevermind - I see you found that already :)

[Disneydonnam]

We will be there on 9/11. We are dining at Tony's.

[Meriweather]

We will be there 9-22, doing CS for dinner. WCC earlier for lunch.
Not sure about costumes yet....something easy to pack and cool ::yes::

A couple of years ago we went as tacky tourists and that was great!! Need a new idea for this year.

[mouseman68]

This is the best night to go for MNSSHP. My wife and I and our friends from NY have made it a tradition. We wear costumes every year. Our friend Liz makes them by hand, I am the ideas guy. She cuts out every letter and design by hand in felt. She is my hero.

We have been Fastpasses twice. The best ones were when we did Fastpasses for extinct rides. I even blew up a park map that had all the rides on them as a prop.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2396/1955915762_ac84e0deee.jpg

Last year we were Castmember name tags:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3657949911_16712e0104.jpg

Just starting to work on this years costumes.

We now celebrate 3 holidays a year at WDW, July 4th (will be there in 8 days), Halloween and New Years.

Maybe we will run into some of you guys this year.

[WDW Enabler]

mouseman68 those are some great costumes.

[tink1957]

We will be there 9-22, doing CS for dinner. WCC earlier for lunch.
Not sure about costumes yet....something easy to pack and cool ::yes::

A couple of years ago we went as tacky tourists and that was great!! Need a new idea for this year.

We will be there on 9-22 also, we're dining at Tony's before the party.

We're also no sure about costumes yet although I think we will go as 3 totally unrelated things, I'm considering the Queen of Hearts, DS wants to be a pirate & DD is wearing the kimono that she bought at Epcot a few years ago. I really wanted to dress up this year since I didn't last year when we went, I just wore a t-shirt with a picture of a bat that said "Bite me & by the way Happy Halloween".

[1littlespark]

Mouseman those are some cool costumes. I'm thinking that I am not too likely to miss you guys in the park that night! lol The FP for extinct rides was a very interesting idea.


It's weird that I had no idea there were any more responses to this thread. It didn't email me.

I'll probably be some sort of a vampire(ss) again this year, if I find a costume I like and haven't worn before. I'm very boring that way. lol Last year I veered slightly doing an Evil Queen sort of thing and still gave just had to give it a tiny bit of loose interpretation of Elizabeth Bathory maybe after she was locked up a while. lol

[prinkle]

Hi all. We are going to Disney 9/13-9/20 and only found out about MNSSH after we booked! But WOW are we excited, as Halloween is our family's favorite holiday. Thinking of doing Me as the wicked queen, DH as the man in the mirror, DD snow white, and DD (only 6 months at time of trip) as the poison apple. Any trip on planning for the night, such as what not to miss??

Thanks!
Paige

[1littlespark]

That's really cool! Glad you found out about it when you did! I love the costume ideas. Especially the little one as the apple. lol That should be funny.

I'd say the main don't miss things for the party itself would be stuff specific to the party. You'll probably want to try and trick-or-treat around as much as the park as possible since they stick characters in different places that you don't normally see. The parade is different and Halloween Themed (the song WILL get stuck in your head lol) and even Wishes (Nightly fireworks) is different (Hallowishes), but it's hard to miss Wishes even if you try, since it's so big, unlike the old fireworks show. That being said there are better viewing spots than others. You may also want to catch the special show on the castle stage. It's also a place to meet with some interesting characters (like Maleficent) but the lines can be long. This should be advantage though of going to an earlier night. There are also a few dance parties for the kids, in various areas throughout the park, with DJs and the kids can even dance with some characters. Grab one of the special guides for the party when you get in that evening and make a note of anything you'll want to see. Everybody has their own idea of what they like.

[prinkle]

That's really cool! Glad you found out about it when you did! I love the costume ideas. Especially the little one as the apple. lol That should be funny.

I'd say the main don't miss things for the party itself would be stuff specific to the party. You'll probably want to try and trick-or-treat around as much as the park as possible since they stick characters in different places that you don't normally see. The parade is different and Halloween Themed (the song WILL get stuck in your head lol) and even Wishes (Nightly fireworks) is different (Hallowishes), but it's hard to miss Wishes even if you try, since it's so big, unlike the old fireworks show. That being said there are better viewing spots than others. You may also want to catch the special show on the castle stage. It's also a place to meet with some interesting characters (like Maleficent) but the lines can be long. This should be advantage though of going to an earlier night. There are also a few dance parties for the kids, in various areas throughout the park, with DJs and the kids can even dance with some characters. Grab one of the special guides for the party when you get in that evening and make a note of anything you'll want to see. Everybody has their own idea of what they like.


Thanks so much you were really helpful. Just showed my DH the pics from last years MNSSH on Dis and he thinks it's going to great. I think I even got him alittle excited!!! ( He never gets excited till he's in the thick of things..so 77 days out is pretty cool accomplishment!LOL) :yay:

Thanks again,
Paige
:cutie:

[1littlespark]

Thanks so much you were really helpful. Just showed my DH the pics from last years MNSSH on Dis and he thinks it's going to great. I think I even got him alittle excited!!! ( He never gets excited till he's in the thick of things..so 77 days out is pretty cool accomplishment!LOL) :yay:

Thanks again,
Paige
:cutie:

Think I know what you mean there. ;) Glad you guys are excited. I'm excited and I've gone a bunch of times. I'll be even more excited if my weight ever responds to my efforts and starts to move in a downward direction! (My body seems to like to see just how crazy it can make me before it lets go of the pounds) Well, either way I'm sure I'll have fun. :)

I've always kinda wanted to go for Halloween as a deranged Alice (As in Alice in Wonderland), really dark & gothy with the blood, knife and all (like the video game from a while back etc.), but clearly that wouldn't be a good idea for Disney World. I guess it's good for someone who goes to bar parties or something like that.

[prinkle]

:rotfl:Think I know what you mean there. ;) Glad you guys are excited. I'm excited and I've gone a bunch of times. I'll be even more excited if my weight ever responds to my efforts and starts to move in a downward direction! (My body seems to like to see just how crazy it can make me before it lets go of the pounds) Well, either way I'm sure I'll have fun. :)

I've always kinda wanted to go for Halloween as a deranged Alice (As in Alice in Wonderland), really dark & gothy with the blood, knife and all (like the video game from a while back etc.), but clearly that wouldn't be a good idea for Disney World. I guess it's good for someone who goes to bar parties or something like that.

Hi. I sure know what you mean about weight!! Just had the baby and went today to get a new bathing suit for Blizzard Beach and Typhone Lagoon. YUCK!!! I don't think I'll be eating til my first ADR!!! :rotfl2: I just keep telling myself that my husband loves me!!! :rotfl: But doesn't help when I look in the mirror!!! At least the Queen costume will hide it all!!!
Have a great trip!!!! :cheer2:

[rapriebe]

We are still in the initial stages of planning which night to go and was wondering about dining. What is the latest reservation you can get for dinner at any of the MK restaurants on party night?

[1littlespark]

rapriebe,

The best way to be sure is to call 407-WDW-DINE. They'd probably have the answer to that, even though it's still too early to book reservations.

If you guys are planning for Halloween Night, or any of the nights right around it, please don't wait too long to get tickets. I'd hate to see you miss out.

[CDW]

Does disney provide any food at the halloween party...

[1littlespark]

No, unless you count tons and tons of free candy. :laughing: That and there will probably be the infamous little boxes of raisins, although I think they're more by choice now, thankfully. The first year they gave them out at a lot of stands automatically and people were leaving giant towers of raisin packs all over tables. It was a running joke for a while. The good part is that this is Disney World and not some neighborhood, so it's not like you can't grab a snickers out of your bag if you need a quick snack. :) There should be plenty of quick service options available that night, though.

There are certain events that have included dinner, but they haven't had any of those on the East Coast in a long time and they're usually one night (or a set of nights that go together as part of the same event) and they're typically a lot more expensive than parties like this one that run a whole bunch of nights per season or year.

[eastcarolinafan]

Hey. This is my first discussion board, so bear with me! It's also our family's first MNSSHP, so I have about a thousand questions. Lots of them have been answered by other user's posts. I've never been to DW while carrying a bag, and this is my first trip there with kids. I will have three with me at the time and was wondering...what will they do with their bags while on rides? This may be a silly question, but it's the little things that bug me. :P


What an easy question. What will they do with their bags????? Why, they'll give them to you to hold, of course. You ARE Mom, right?

[Tamipokeydog]

We will be there on Oct 12. We have never been & will probably eat at the hotel PORS. I am not sure about a costume for the adults but the kids (3&13) will definitely dress up! I will either be "festive" or the Queen of Hearts. I did plan a full day at MK and the evening at MNSSHP so that we can get more of the park in that way.
I do have a question: will they give us a treat bag or can we take our own?
Thanks Tami )O(

[1littlespark]

They hand out bags. Often they're themed for a movie opening soon, or something like that. Some years they've been bright orange with black graphics and handles. In all the years I've gone, they've never failed to be strong enough to last the whole night.

You could also bring your own or kids could use a "pumpkin" if they're attached to it. I realize there are now a million varieties of these things, but I still remember my trick-or-treat pumpkin when I was a kid, so I kinda just call them all that. :) Last year they had these really cool Halloween Tote bags that were on sale for a really low price, so you were seeing them everywhere, too.

[momsworld]

Attending MNSSPH on Halloween for the 1st time. WE are all very excited. We have a park hopper and are thinking of eating at liberty tree tavern. Should we avoid MK crowds during the day and spend more time at a less crowed park till 4ish? Also will there be other Halloween things going on at other parks/hotels?

[1littlespark]

Cool, we'll be there the Halloween night, too.

Offhand I can't really think of other stuff going on besides decorations of course, and the seasonal haunted hayrides over at Ft. Wilderness.* Atm I'm not really remembering anything else that stands out as an official Halloween Activity. As for what park you spend Halloween Day in...that's really just a matter of preference. It is a Saturday this year, plus it being Halloween, so I would expect things to be pretty busy all around. Of course, the MK might be worse than others, as it often is, but that may not turn out to be true.

* They may not be doing the hayrides this year, at least not at Ft. Wilderness. I suggest calling for information if you're even interested in that. It sounds like it may be part of MNSSHP now, but not included with tickets.

We have talked about maybe spending a lot of the day in the MK as well. In theory I liked the idea at first, but I'm thinking that in order to leave, grab something to eat and properly put on costumes, we'd have to leave the park kinda early anyway to get back on time. Plus there's the added bonus of being sweaty, disheveled & tired before it's anywhere near time for the party. In my house, I'm kinda the one who actually thinks of these things, before they cause all sorts of problems. lol Since you can generally get in a lot earlier than the time on the tickets anyway, I'm leaning much more towards relaxing at the hotel, swimming etc. Having lunch there, then doing the whole shower, costume thing and moseying to the MK. Since we don't have APs right now, that way we also won't end up wasting a pass for what would truly end up being such a short day before the other ticket kicks in.

If I was on vacation and had limited time to visit the parks, then I suppose that would change my thinking.

[1littlespark]

While it isn't a Halloween Event, I should have mentioned that the International Food & Wine Festival will still be going on that week in Epcot.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/

[momsworld]

This is mainly 2008 info was wondering if we'd see similiar events this year besides the MNSSHP.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/halloween.htm

[1littlespark]

Ah, I see. I wasn't aware of the pirate cruise and other small things from last year, probably in part because the stuff specifically for children doesn't really concern us.

I guess we'll find out in the coming months if they'll be doing anything like that this year. Given that it's the year of a million cutbacks....we can only hope, I suppose. I'm more concerned with MNSSHP itself, though. We lost the Adventurer's Club (and the special Halloween shows along with it) and the Pirate Princess Parties they used to have various times throughout the years, but MNSSHP just has to stay good.

[kewlteacher]

Hi! We are also flying down Oct. 31st, doing the MNSCHP and then heading to the ship the next morning. We have4 families with us!

[1littlespark]

Wow you guys hopping on the Disney Cruise the next day are going to be busy busy! And in kewlteachers case, flying in the day of the party as well! We had all to do just to get to get up, get ready and get to the port that day. Hence the reason we stayed in Cocoa, even though we're technically locals. It'll be worth it though. MNSSHP rocks and so do Disney Cruises. What an exciting vacay!

Your group doing costumes, kewlteacher?

[Trackey79]

I am surprising my daughter and her best friend with a trip to Disney World for her birthday on 10/22. To make it even better they are having MNSSHP that night, so we will attend that for the first time. My Jessica has been to Disney several times in her 12 years, but her best friend has never been so I know it will be an amazing trip for both girls. (Especially because she doesn't have to share her time with her three siblings! hehe The only thing that could make it better is if her Daddy could go too, but someone has to watch the other three ;))

I truly cannot wait to see her face when she finds out what all I have planned.

(Oh and I am not telling we have tickets to the party until the about 6 p.m. when I take them back to the hotel and open a special suitcase that will have their costumes!)

I love a good surprise!!!:rotfl:

[1littlespark]

That's going to be a wonderful birthday! I'm sure those girls will have a blast!

[Trackey79]

I sure hope so! I have been planning it long enough, hehe.

One thing that is hard about it though, is I am so excited about everything and cannot even talk to her about it!! Its hard now, but the look on her face when she finds out will make it all worth while.:woohoo:

[1littlespark]

I'm sure it will be. The first time I ever went to WDW I was 15 and it happened to be Halloween Week. My mother's cousin and her son that was 1.5 yrs. younger than me went, too. We were totally surprised by the news. Our mothers gave us each an odd wrapped gift at their table and we were told to open them. They were big framed poster pictures of, if I remember correctly, a whole bunch of characters standing on main street. We already loved Disney so we liked the pictures but then they told us the significance. Oh I was so excited! It's a shame there are no pictures, I bet my face was quite a sight! The strangest thing was this was totally unlike my mother. We never went anywhere, because it wasn't really her thing as she was more into fussing over the house instead. She also doesn't really fly. I'm glad we weren't told very far in advance because I don't know how I could have dealt with it. I'm still that way now and so is my husband. Even though it's not a first trip, it sounds like a special one, with her best friend and all, plus the party at night. I can see how you might be busting keeping the secret. :)

[testtrackalumni02]

I see from previous park maps that "Boo To You" runs from Frontierland to Town Square. Does the second parade of the night run the same exact route or does it do like Spectromagic and turn from Town Square to Frontierland??

I'm a first time MNSSHP and I am EXCITED!!!!!

[1littlespark]

I thought it was the same for both, but honestly I am so not sure and hadn't really considered it, so don't take my word on it!


That's cool that this will be your first year. I hope you love it. I bet you will, though. You're already excited about going, so you probably have the right mentality to enjoy it.

It's like a big kid paradise. lol Ok, little kids, too. :P

[LynnieM12]

I'm gonna be heading there on Thursday October 1st!!! My boyfriend and I might be in costume, we haven't decided yet, but still I can't wait :cool1:! He's already gone to this event 2 years in a row so he's REALLY excited taking me here because this will be my FIRST time going for the not-so-scary halloween party :lovestruc!
On Wednesday all of my friends, my boyf. and myself will do road trip since everyone else is going to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights instead; I WAS gonna go but I have the BIGGEST phobia with both Jigsaw and Chucky so NO THANK YOU!!!!!! I DON'T wanna die of a heart attack scare!!!! I'd rather have an AWESOME time @ MK with my boyfriend in costume, getting candy, riding the rides and seeing the villains show!

[revrac]

Can't wait again for this. This will be our 6th trip to MNSSHP. I hope the weather cooperates and it is cooler that it has been in years past. Year before last my son went as a vampire. He had the the whole get up, long sleeve shirt, vest, cape, etc. I was concerned that he would be too hot and I asked him regularly if he wanted to take off the cape, roll up his sleeves, etc. He always said no. Then at about closing time, he started crying tell me how hot he was. He never complained about it earlier in the night, it was always me asking him if he was OK, did he need to take off the cape, get a drink, etc. Well he nearly passed out from the heat in that costume. I was ripping his cape and shirt off and putting wet papertowels around his neck.

So we have always been mindful of that incident when we pick our costumes. Last year he was a prisioner and it wasn't as hot and just in case he wore shorts under the costume.