Halloween

[elbrown26]

We will be at WDW the first week in October. First trip since the 70's for hubby and me, and first time for 5 and 7 y/o girls. Is the Halloween party really worth the expense? and how crowded will it be? Seems like an awful lot of money when there will so many new things for them to do already.

 

[Tortuga Joy]

Well, I guess that depends on your perspective. We went last October for the first time with our 3 kids whose ages are 15, 12 and 4. Although we were there for 8 days, we still went to one of the Thursday night MNSSHP and had an absolute blast. It was not that crowded and the little one got to stay in Fantasyland and ride till she dropped. Watching the parade, which is pretty spectacular (sp??) and the special fireworks....yeah, it was well worth it to us. When we are all so busy with our lives, this is one special time we all connect as a family, so it was worth it. We'll be back this year at the 9/29 party and we can't wait!!! Go and have a blast, yes, it's more money, but give them something else to remember! Have fun and remember, it's not just for the kids!!

 

[helenm29]

We actually planned our whole trip around MNSSHP this year! we have never been in the fall...usually winter or spring because we are not that much into HOT weather. My twins are 13 and getting to the end of Trick or Treating at home so this is a great exscuse for them to have fun...not to mention me! also the Food and Wine festival will be running so the hubby and I can go and be "Adults" while the kids are in the park with their 19 year old brother. HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

[revelstoke]

I've registered just to answer this post!!

The Halloween Party (our first time last year) with our 8, 6 and 2 year old was such a great time that we decided to go back again this year...not only once but twice....now that may not seem like a big deal but we live just north of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada so flying to Florida is not exactly convenient or cheap...but this party was worth not only the price of admission but the $$ for the flight down as well!!

Take the morning off, relax get to the park at 4 pm (that's when they let you in with your ticket) and enjoy 8 hours of certified Disney fun for less than a regular day's admission....it's a bargain!!

 

[buff]

IMO, this one is a No Brainer...you HAVE to experience the Haloween Party! Trick or Treating in the Magic Kingdom...it just doesn't get any better than that. Our 1st time at the party was last year and my Son 7, Daughter 5, Wife, and I absolutely loved it. The characters are out in full force all dressed in their Haloween best. Cast members keep the kids entertained by playing games while you wait for the parades to begin. All the major attractions are open. There is more candy than you can imagine...all name brand stuff too. I just can't say enough good things about it. It would be a shame to be at Disney in Oct. and not take advantage of it...especially with kids their age.

I agree with revelstoke...we took the morning off and had a relaxing day at Downtown Disney and then the pool, and hit the party at 6:00 PM. We caught the 1st parade at 7:00, did our trick or treating, watched the Haloween version of wishes, then went on a bunch of rides while the second parade went off at 9:00, with hardly any lines. By far, our best Disney theme park experience.

One tip that I saw posted elsewhere last year. If your girls are going to be attending as Princesses, be sure to bring along a pair of sneakers or somethng comfortable for their feet. My Daughter lasted about 15 minutes in those plastic slippers...glad I read that post.

Give it a go...you won't regret it.

 

[Corryn]

I've registered just to answer this post!!

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the second time we've planned our trip Specifically for the Halloween party!
Some people like the beach for a vacation. I think that's a waste of money....I am definitely a beach girl. I live on Long Island and born and raised in The Bronx, so I've got beaches all around me. The beach is something I do on a Saturday morning or in the afternoon after work. Why do I need to pay thousands of dollars to sit on a beach all day? I go to work to support my Disney habit.....
Disney? Is it worth it?!?! is the Halloween party worth the expense?!?!
OF COURSE IT IS!!!!!
BTW: You don't just GO to the party, you get dressed up for it!
I'd say half the visitors, Adults, Teens, Kids were dressed in costume. It is one of the most awesome experiences - I mean, who can say, I went Trick or Treating in the Magic Kingdom!
My 13 & 12 daughters flipped when I told them. Like another poster said, it's getting to the end of trick or treating at home. When my 13 yo opened the card on Easter morning (that was tucked inside a new suitcase) she flipped and said, I'm gonna be Tinkerbell!!! Do you think that same 13 yo girl would be Tinkerbell trick or treating in the neighborhood? NEGATIVE!!!
Take advantage of it, get a costume that they kids won't sweat in (and you get costumes, too!) and Have A Magical Time!

 

[revelstoke]

Thank you for the welcome Corryn...I've been reading the posts (especially the MNSSHP posts) for over a year...and it was the DISboards that convinced me to go to MNSSHP last year so.....

Thank you DISmembers!! So I figured it was my duty to convince another that the party was worth the $$. Since you all convinced me!

Thanks again and get dressed up it's even more fun that way!

 

[Eeyore2003]

We've been to both the Halloween and Christmas parties and much prefer the Halloween. I'm not sure how much money you have to spend, but we really enjoyed it alot. We were two 50 year olds, and two late 30 year olds and we stood in candy lines with our candy bags just like everyone else. Where else can you do that!!!

We are going next October again, same group, my DH and myself and my younger sister and her friend. Looking forward to it, it's alot of fun and we also did alot of rides, the parade and fireworks are neat also.

 

[Straughn]

I am going to MNSSHP for the first time this year. I imagine that most of the kids wear costumes? What about the adults? Will I be in a very small minority if I don't wear a costume?

 

[nluvwithmickey]

I've registered just to answer this post!!

The Halloween Party (our first time last year) with our 8, 6 and 2 year old was such a great time that we decided to go back again this year...not only once but twice....now that may not seem like a big deal but we live just north of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada so flying to Florida is not exactly convenient or cheap...but this party was worth not only the price of admission but the $$ for the flight down as well!!

Take the morning off, relax get to the park at 4 pm (that's when they let you in with your ticket) and enjoy 8 hours of certified Disney fun for less than a regular day's admission....it's a bargain!!

Welcome fellow Canadian!

We are also planning our trip around this event and from all that I have read here on the boards, it sounds like alot of fun.

Looking forward to trick or treating(I haven't done that in ages!) seeing the parade, fireworks and characters in their Halloween best.

 

[HalfDozen]

OMG! Don't miss this. Your kids will be SO sad they did.

We even got DH to dress up. We had a fabulous time and are absolutely doing it again - and we were there on Halloween, when it was sold out. The only real "lines" we waited in were one back by Toon Town and one for free face painting. The face painting was worth it by itself - the really cool, all-face character painting jobs that they do in the park for around $10. (They just limited your choices).

The kids got tons of candy - and the Boo To You parade was SO awesome. They still talk about it - 7 months later.

Do it - and dress up as a family! You won't regret it.

 

[HalfDozen]

And no, to answer the question above, you won't be in the minority if you don't dress up. BUT - you will regret it. I promise

It's the only place magical enough for parents and kids to be trick or treating like they're all equals.

(And when we left last year, there were people stationed outside the gates to the MK with HUGE vats of candy - they filled up the bags to the top - making sure every kid got a full bag)

 

[elbrown26]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I broke down and bought the tickets this morning for Oct 5.

So, on to the next question...
I made reservations at Liberty Tree for the same evening. Are we going to waste too much time having a sit-down meal?? ON the other hand, will it be too crowded to try to get counter service?

Thanks again!!!

Now to think up costumes....

 

[Corryn]

Hello, No, you won't waste time eating a sit down dinner, especially with all the zombies serving you! MNSSHP is a night to relax and take your time and enjoy - you're not there for the rides, you there for the atmosphere and to take in all the hard work Disney does putting on a wonderful parade, fireworks, and all the extra special "things" they do to make the park seem very much different from just a regular day. We did go on rides, but we took our time checking everything out and enjoying other people's costumes, getting candy, taking lots of photos of all the dressed up characters. etc. It's just a totally different atmosphere. I compare my happiness at MNSSHP to my wedding day - really magical

 

[Eeyore2003]

You can get in the park with your tickets at 4:00. These are just my opinions from doing it both ways-early dinner vs. later dinner. When we ate at 4:00 upon entering the park, we were done by 5:00. The "regular" crowd is starting to leave and we started in Tomorrowland which is the only area that stays open while they close up the rest of the park until 7:00 (I think that's when the party starts) We walked on ALL the rides and did them all alot. Then when the park opened at 7:00 we were ready to go to the rest of the park and walked on most of them. Another time we ate at 5:30 and lines were already long when we got into the park. NOW, it COULD have been a more crowded night also. But I know I'm doing it the first way in October. Also, if you wait to take your picture at the very end of the night, there's absolutely no line.

As far as costumes go, we never wear any and lots of people don't. Some people wear a Halloween shirt or hat. You see lots of that, but as far as real costumes, there was more without. We did go in the beginning of October, so that could make a difference too.

At 4:00 we've eaten at The Plaza restaurant which worked out good and also at Cosmic Rays counter service which was not very crowded and you were in Tomorrowland. Both times we were able to start doing rides early and did lots of rides, plus the parade and Hallowishes. AND of course get candy!!! LOL We'd have a snack from the bakery while watching the parade since we ate early.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I did a poll about whether or not people would wear costumes:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1099973

My kids & I are going to MNSSHP for the first time in Sept. I think I am going to buy a Halloween shirt for myself if I can find one to buy in early Sept.

I'd like for the kids to wear costumes, but I'm keeping suitcase space and comfort in mind.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

Go, go go! Your girls will have a blast at MNSSHP!

The MK just has a whole other feeling during the party. The lighting, music/sounds, fog ... so cool! The parade is fun (and I'm not a parade-loving person) ... the Headless Horseman ... the dance parties ... the Trick or Treating ... the story-telling area (I think it's the same area where Belle tells her stories during the day) was so cool that I sat there by myself for a few minutes between stories and just looked at it. They had really cool lighting and the fog misting everywhere and cool lanterns and pumpkins.

My DD loves the party so much that she asked if we could go twice again this year (we are ). The party is not scary .... just spooky Disney magic!

Debbie

 

[Julylady]

I am always concerned when an OP starts off with "Is XXX worth the money?" Whether an experience is worth the cost is a totally subjective matter which can only be answered by the person spending the money.

The best you can do is do a lot of research and then decide for yourself! But, once you have decided to go, don't waste your time at the party adding things up in your head to see if it was worth the money. Just dive into the experience and have a great time. (My advice comes from watching my grandmother judge every event on whether or not it was worth the money. In her mind it never was and she ruined the experience for herself and everyone with her by her continual complaining about how much things cost. She was not a happy person.)

That being said...I love the Halloween party and have been there three times in the past five years! This year we decided to not use a regular park ticket the day of the party. We are going to the Cape May Cafe character breakfast in the morning and then swim at the hotel in the afternoon. We plan to arrive at the Magic Kingdom right at 4pm to enter with our party tickets.

I usually wear a Halloween t-shirt but nothing too elaborate. Remember that it will most likely be quite HOT...too hot for most Halloween costumes you buy for Michigan! The first year we went the kid's costumes ended up staying in the hotel room because they were just too warm for the evening.

This year we are taking my 4-year old niece for the second year in a row. Last year she wore her Belle costume (from the Disney store) and that was just perfect.

My advice is to focus on the special events that are happening just for Halloween - the parade, the special shows, the dance, the fireworks. Leave the rides for the other days you are in the park. Exceptions might be the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise...they were a lot of fun during the party.

We usually make a reservation for dinner sometime around 5:30pm which gets us out in plenty of time for the party. FYI, Last year the holding area prior to the party was Frontierland, not Tomorrowland the night we were there. Not sure if that was true for all the party nights or just the date we were there.

I hope you have a wonderful time!

Donna

 

[HalfDozen]

Oh - others bring up a good point - if it's not Halloween night, the adults might not be as gung-ho about dressing up. But do wear something 'festive'.

And if you do go into the park that day, keep in mind that they will NOT allow anyone in costume to enter the park before 4pm. We are AP-holders and because we were dressed up (no masks or makeup or anything) we had to wait outside until we were allowed in at the 4o'clock hour. We played in the park on rides, got something to eat, and got our bags - then finally moved over to the face painting setup and sat in line for a while.

 

[revelstoke]

Hope this helps....