1st time this October to MNSSHP, any advice, pointers or tips....

[WDWviaBuffalo]

Taking our 2 girls, 12 and 9....We are going 10/12-10/17 and we have never done MNSSHP. Any advice, thoughts, tips, suggestions. Should we/ they dress up, is it worth going around for the surprises and treats or ???? How doe sit all work ??

Thanks Jim

 

[BrianL]

First of all, they will let you in at 4PM so get there before that (usually about 30 minutes to get in quickly). You can schedule 3 fast passes (assuming you are not using any at other parks that same day) for between 4 and 6:30. Eat before the party so as not to waste valuable party time. Prioritize your party events, like special character meets and the shows. The second Boo-to-You parade is WAY less crowded if you are staying that late (Also, don't miss the Horseman right before it). Trick-or-Treat lines will be shorter later in the evening as well. I would absolutely dress up! Note that there are some new rules for costumes this year, particularly for Adults, so make sure to read up on that.

Have a great time!

 

[WDWviaBuffalo]

Thank you for your response but now I am confused MK is open at 9am that day or so it shows, so what opens at 4pm? Is there a special area for the MNSSHP, or ???? Please shed some light on this for us...Thank you

 

[sunshinemelody]

Thank you for your response but now I am confused MK is open at 9am that day or so it shows, so what opens at 4pm? Is there a special area for the MNSSHP, or ???? Please shed some light on this for us...Thank you

Those with hard tickets, the ability to get into the park is available at 4PM, even though the party starts at 7PM.

 

[ktlm]

For us, one of the most fun things about the party is the atmosphere with even the adults getting in costume. Even my costume adverse DH, puts on at least a superhero "costume" t-shirt. If you are remotely interested in meeting either Jack and Sally or the 7 Dwarves, you want to be in line for them well before the party starts (I'm talking like 5:30 for Jack and Sally and 5:45 for the Dwarves- and that won't put you at the very front of either line). They are typically the longest lines (often an hour or more) and are consistently long throughout the night. The last 2 years, Jack and Sally have been coming out early- around 6:00 both years- last year it might have even been a little earlier some nights. Since you are going well after the first party-- look for the blogs after the first party and posts here that will give you a great layout of what characters are available, what special photos are available etc.

Our not to miss things would include the area around the Haunted Mansion. The lighting and atmosphere around it are great for the party. Ghosts Carlotta and Renatta take turns sitting on the bench out front telling stories and they are hilarious. We love them. Also, in that area there is a magic shot with the Ghost Carriage that is fun. Also, somewhere in the park will be a magic shot where your picture will be with one or more hitchhiking ghosts after the effects are added. That is always our favorite party picture. It used to be somewhere around the Haunted Mansion, but last year, it was down by Splash Mountain where Woody and Jessie meet during the day. You might have to track that one down if they move it again- but it is a great shot. The Hocus Pocus stage show was new last year and it was great. I would say it is one not to miss.


To answer your question--- If you do not have a park ticket for that day- or do not have hoppers and are doing a different park earlier in the day--- your MNSSHP ticket can be used to get you into the park starting at 4:00 p.m. In other words, you would be entering MK without having a separate park ticket for that day or park. If you are like us as have hoppers, or have spent that morning in MK, gone to change into costumes, and then come back-- it doesn't matter what time you enter. The only thing you need to know in that event is that the gates may be crowded right at 4- we got back from changing into costumes right at that time last year- it was a little crowded to get in, but not that bad.

 

[WDWviaBuffalo]

OK so if we already have a park ticket for that day, are we able to attend the MNSSHP or do we need to buy 4 additional MNSSHP tickets for the night session. We booked our trip/ resort/ dining plan etc. already and we thought and assumed the day we picked for MK the MNSSHP is included were we wrong ???

Thanks for any input

 

[sunshinemelody]

OK so if we already have a park ticket for that day, are we able to attend the MNSSHP or do we need to buy 4 additional MNSSHP tickets for the night session. We booked our trip/ resort/ dining plan etc. already and we thought and assumed the day we picked for MK the MNSSHP is included were we wrong ???

Thanks for any input

Park tickets and MNSSHP tickets are separate. You have to buy MNSSHP tickets, but do not need park tickets. If you get in at 4 and leave at 12 when the park is closing that's 8 hours of park time. That's pretty much a full day anyway.

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

The park ticket does not get you into the party. You have to purchase a separate party ticket. If you do not have one, you will have to leave MK by 7pm or buy a party ticket then, if any are available.

 

[ktlm]

MK closes at 7:00 p.m. unless you have a party ticket. With a party ticket you will be issued a wristband (when you are already in the park on a regular ticket- there are stations where you take your party ticket to get your wristband). At 7:00 p.m., CMs are checking for wristbands. If you do not have one, you are blocked from going deeper into the park, directed to the exit, and are not allowed on the rides, into the stores, or often even into the bathrooms (we personally observed a Mom and child get refused bathroom access).

If you do not have a regular park ticket or if you do not have a hopper and have already used that days ticket in a different park, then you can use your party ticket to get admission into MK 3 hours before the party officially starts ( I believe the point of that is to stagger people entering the park, so you don't have everyone attempting to enter at the same time at 7:00 p.m.). The official party runs from park close at 7:00 p.m. to midnight.

So, your regular ticket will not get you party access. Even if you spend the full day in MK on your regular ticket, unless you buy party tickets you will have to leave at 7:00 p.m. For us the party tickets are worth it- we really enjoy the Halloween parade, castle show, party characters, Haunted Mansion area, and magic photo shots. We could care less about the trick or treating. We aren't going to cart all the candy home with us in our luggage on the plane, and we get enough Mickey head ice cream bars and other specialty desserts at WDW that we don't need ordinary candy. The lines can be long earlier in the night, but later more towards the party end they are virtually non-existent. DD usually goes through some of the lines just for fun late when they are walk through. They have never been out of candy when she has done that. Even just doing that, there is always candy left behind in our hotel room when we leave.

 

[Atobias]

....and I might add that they do a fantastic job getting everyone out of the park who does not have a special Halloween Party wristband.

 

[sunshinemelody]

....and I might add that they do a fantastic job getting everyone out of the park who does not have a special Halloween Party wristband.

Except for last years first party (from all those trip reports and those threads), but, I digress.

 

[RCMommy]

We will not be resort guests as we are only going to the MK for a MNSSHP one night prior to a cruise. Without a resort confirmation number, would I still be able to make an ADR for somewhere to eat between 4-7 before the event officially begins?

 

[missangelalexis]

We will not be resort guests as we are only going to the MK for a MNSSHP one night prior to a cruise. Without a resort confirmation number, would I still be able to make an ADR for somewhere to eat between 4-7 before the event officially begins?

Yes you can, you don't need to be staying at a Disney resort to make an ADR.

 

[Atobias]

Except for last years first party (from all those trip reports and those threads), but, I digress.

Yipes! We skipped last year. Hopefully lessons were learned.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

Taking our 2 girls, 12 and 9....We are going 10/12-10/17 and we have never done MNSSHP. Any advice, thoughts, tips, suggestions. Should we/ they dress up, is it worth going around for the surprises and treats or ???? How doe sit all work ??

Thanks Jim

I think you should dress up - that's part of the fun! We love trick-o-treating but that depends on if it's "fun" for you. I know some would rather spend their time on attractions or meet & greets. My biggest tip is if you can stay awake, go to the second parade. It's less crowded than the first one.

 

[BrianL]

So, in summary, on any party day, Magic Kingdom is open until 7 PM. This is the close time and guests not attending the are directed to the exits. The party starts at 7 exactly. Now, to ease line flow for the party guests they just let them in starting at 4 PM, so there are 3 hours of overlap time. They are given wristbands to identify them as ticketed party guests. If you are already in MK and have purchased a party ticket, you can get a wristband form an in-park station and just stay for the party seamlessly.

Generally, using both a park ticket day and a party ticket in the same day offers less value (unless it's already a long trip and those additional park days don't cost as much). One nice thing about party days is that they are less crowded at MK because of the early close.

 

[M<3'sMickey]

I've gone now 3 times, all when I was an adult, and I've never had so much fun as at those parties!

What we do is put an empty plastic grocery store bag in our backpack that we carry in the park so that way when our treat bags are filled up, we empty them into the plastic grocery store bag in the backpack and get to fill up our treat bags again! I'm sure some of you may frown up this, but oh well. We enjoy ourselves and there's always more than enough candy to go around. By the final parties and even towards the end of the night, the handfuls of candy given out get bigger and bigger!

 

[sunshinemelody]

I've gone now 3 times, all when I was an adult, and I've never had so much fun as at those parties!

What we do is put an empty plastic grocery store bag in our backpack that we carry in the park so that way when our treat bags are filled up, we empty them into the plastic grocery store bag in the backpack and get to fill up our treat bags again! I'm sure some of you may frown up this, but oh well. We enjoy ourselves and there's always more than enough candy to go around. By the final parties and even towards the end of the night, the handfuls of candy given out get bigger an bigger!

Pffft, like Disney will run out of candy.

 

[bnhonest]

My opinion and nothing more...you will want to watch the parade both times. It's an awesome parade. Find you a seat on a curb in the hub around 5:00 and stay there. You will want to be in the hub for the stage show, first parade and the fireworks. Both are amazing and they are the reason you are buying the extra ticket. There may be some different characters out and about that your daughters may want to get pictures with. But somebody needs to stay in your spot in the hub

After the parade and fireworks, hit up some rides. Crowds will start to peel out after the fireworks. If you start off in tomorrow land and work your way back to Pioneerland, you can find a good spot for the second parade. After the second parade, most rides are walk ons. You will definitely want to do Haunted Mansion. There is an aura about it during the Halloween parade. It's just a little creepier.

If you heed any advice, make sure you find a spot in the hub for the stage show, parade and fireworks. The rest you can play by ear.