Enjoying MNSSHP

[HatboxHaint]

for those that love MNSSHP and have gone multiple times, what plan do you follow to enjoy it the most?

 

[kmb584]

for those that love MNSSHP and have gone multiple times, what plan do you follow to enjoy it the most?

We concentrate a portion of our time on riding our favorites with little to no waits, stopping at the candy stops along the way. We also love Boo To You and HalloWishes and those definitely take priority.

 

[michelepa]

I'd like to know how veterans do this party as well.

This will be our first Halloween party and i want to get the most out of it.

I'm looking for those type A's to set out their past itineraries.

I'm going with DD 12 first party. we r not interested in candy and will be there all day to do the rides. our only meet and greet plan is Jack and Sally only party ride Hainted Mansion.

 

[Marshay]

Loved our first party and just got tickets for Sept to go again on our "Mommy and Me" trip! Last time, we concentrated on meeting the characters, the parade and fireworks (and of course the candy as we came across a place that didn't have a long line but waited toward the end so we didn't have to lug it all night). We skipped all the rides except Haunted Mansion. We did meet the 7 dwarves, which was an awfully long line! but we figured that was our only chance to see them. Since we did the dwarves, we weren't able to fit in Jack or Sally, so will try them this year. Loved meeting the witch from snow white, too and got Photopass special photos at Haunted Mansion.

At that time, they had a free show with Dr. Facilier, Cruella deVille, etc. I guess they converted that into the pay-for-event now. Too bad, because that was a fun little dance party and we spent more time there than we thought we would!

Even in long lines, the MNSSHP has a different atmosphere than during the day, so people are friendlier and seemed to want to talk more in line. Of course just people watching for costumes and talking about all the great costumes makes for easy conversation and passes the time in line.

Get in line early for the parade so you have a good view. The parade is simply wonderful. We decided to do the 2nd parade and did characters in the first few hours.

Also, pick up your special event Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom card and any event souvenirs you may want.

It's truly more of a "party" atmosphere and people seem to be happier, more excited and less commando/grumpy than during the day. Like I said, just walking around from place to place is exciting because of all the costumes.

Enjoy!

 

[Raya]

This year will be our 10th year. Our usual plan is:
Pick up SofMK card on your way into the park at exactly 4pm
FP for Haunted Mansion along with SM, BTMRR, Splash Mt., or 7DMT before 7pm
Table Service or Counter Service dinner in the park around 5pm
Rides, rides, and more rides from 6 to 10 with a break for fireworks
(before the Hocus Pocus show we would stop here for the villains show at the castle and watch the first parade from there)
Watch the fireworks from behind the Castle (it's an amazing experience)
head to Frontier land for the 2nd parade
after the parade head slowly out of the park stopping at any short-lined candy stops, magic photos, and all the rides we can on the way out

 

[michelepa]

This year will be our 10th year. Our usual plan is:
Pick up SofMK card on your way into the park at exactly 4pm
FP for Haunted Mansion along with SM, BTMRR, Splash Mt., or 7DMT before 7pm
Table Service or Counter Service dinner in the park around 5pm
Rides, rides, and more rides from 6 to 10 with a break for fireworks
(before the Hocus Pocus show we would stop here for the villains show at the castle and watch the first parade from there)
Watch the fireworks from behind the Castle (it's an amazing experience)
head to Frontier land for the 2nd parade
after the parade head slowly out of the park stopping at any short-lined candy stops, magic photos, and all the rides we can on the way out

Excellent, thank you for the timeline ~very helpful.

That brings up another question. We are going to eat at Tony's for lunch at 1:30. (Haven't eaten here before and I know it gets mixed reviews but DD loves Italian so... but I was thinking about where to get QS for dinner~what would you recommend?

 

[katt789]

We went to way too many parties last year thanks to living there (except there is no such thing as too many parties) ours usually revolved around entertainment, and thus went like this:
-Arrive as early as possible
-Ride some rides, check out characters that are the same during the day and the party, specifically related to our costumes
-Around 7, grab some food and take it with us to in front of the castle stage to wait for the first HoPo show of the night(yes, long wait, but we'd be front row)
-Watch first HoPo show
-Hit a candy trail/bathroom/etc
-Head to Town Sq for BTY parade, since it starts in Frontierland, you've got a bit more time here
-Hit up more candy trails
-Meet a character
-Hallowishes
-Candy/character/rides
-Second parade
-After second parade head straight to castle to watch the last HoPo show

-You could EASILY cut out the 1st parade to hit up more candy & character lines.
- Also sub in Jack & Sally instead of the first HoPo show, and catch one later on, just remember that it's popular, so get there early for good spots.
-Second parade is always less crowded, and I always find town square to be way less crowded, also way better lighting to watch with!
-We usually opted for candy trails in tomorrowland since they seemed closest to the hub area and easiest to get back there for ent options
-If you watch parade in frontierland, hit up some candy trails over there
-Remember there is limited food options open during the party! I also like to eat prior to and survive on candy throughout the night lol
-Dressing up is half the fun! It adds so much to character/cm interactions, and a great way to chat with other guests
-HAVE FUN!!

 

[Raya]

That brings up another question. We are going to eat at Tony's for lunch at 1:30. (Haven't eaten here before and I know it gets mixed reviews but DD loves Italian so... but I was thinking about where to get QS for dinner~what would you recommend?

Your options are limited (I'm remembering Pecos Bill Café in Frontierland (right by the start of the parade), Pinoccho's place in Fantasyland, Columbia Harbor House (closes at 7:30?), and Casey's Hot dogs on Main Street, there might also be a place in Tomorrowland). I've had good luck with one person saving spots for the parade and a second person bringing hot dogs back to the group. You could probably do the same thing at Pecos Bills. There were also years where I got the Halloween cupcake from Big Top Circus, another cupcake from Gaston's, and handfuls of candy as we walked and never sat down....

BTW, we loved Tony's for our pre-party dinner last year! Get the pan seared steak fries, they were wonderful! The service was a little weird (entrée brought out for one person, not the rest of us, salad brought out for the second person came out after that entrée, second person's entrée arrives just after the salad, first person's side item doesn't arrive until the dessert for the table is brought out) but those French fries will draw me back every time!

 

[bnhonest]

For me and my family, paying for the event means enjoying the event. The parade, the stage show, the fireworks...those are the things you don't get with a normal evening at the park. That said, here is my advice:

Get to the hub early to find a good spot to enjoy all three of the above. The fireworks, themselves, are amazing. After the fireworks, the crowd starts to break up and you can enjoy some of the rides. You may find that you want to watch the parade again when it rolls for the second time at 11:00. Watching it in Fronteirland is a good option then and leaves you with a few great options for rides afterwards. You will definitely want to do Haunted Mansion. It just has a little extra creepy quality on MNSSHP nights. There will be some rare characters out that you may want to meet. There are some happenings in Tomorrowland, but this night lends itself to the left side of the park IMHO.

 

[michelepa]

Your options are limited (I'm remembering Pecos Bill Café in Frontierland (right by the start of the parade), Pinoccho's place in Fantasyland, Columbia Harbor House (closes at 7:30?), and Casey's Hot dogs on Main Street, there might also be a place in Tomorrowland). I've had good luck with one person saving spots for the parade and a second person bringing hot dogs back to the group. You could probably do the same thing at Pecos Bills. There were also years where I got the Halloween cupcake from Big Top Circus, another cupcake from Gaston's, and handfuls of candy as we walked and never sat down....

BTW, we loved Tony's for our pre-party dinner last year! Get the pan seared steak fries, they were wonderful! The service was a little weird (entrée brought out for one person, not the rest of us, salad brought out for the second person came out after that entrée, second person's entrée arrives just after the salad, first person's side item doesn't arrive until the dessert for the table is brought out) but those French fries will draw me back every time!

Haha, I'm not above a sugar dinner. Last year's dinner one night was the MK dessert party! (Best Mom Ever that night!)

Also, thanks for the tip about the fries at Tony's ~ we'll definitely try them!

 

[HatboxHaint]

I'd like to know how veterans do this party as well.

This will be our first Halloween party and i want to get the most out of it.

I'm looking for those type A's to set out their past itineraries.

I'm going with DD 12 first party. we r not interested in candy and will be there all day to do the rides. our only meet and greet plan is Jack and Sally only party ride Hainted Mansion.

Know that waiting for Jack and Sally may take up to an hour of the party time, best case if you get in line early you are done by 7:30-8pm.