How do you tour MNSSHP?

[lexmelinda]

Thanks for the great info!

 

[Ashley80]

Great thread! We will be sure and try to follow the advice given when we go October 5th. Gotta love the disboard!

 

[beattyfamily]

Can't let a MNSSHP thread go by without posting something!

I love the parties and have been to 3 parties so far and am going again this October.

This is what we usually do. We go in with a tentative plan but go with the flow.

We eat at Mk and finish around 6:30p or 6:45p, just in time to get started on the festivities. We usually avoid the OPEN land due to crowds and maybe visit later in the night.

First we get the free photo over with while we look fresh, aren't tired and before the lines get long. (not sure if they're doing the free photo this year but we'll see)

Then we focus on the trick or treating and character finding up until about 8:45p to head to see the fireworks at 9:15p (we try and be in front of the castle to see all the special effects). Then we go get a spot for the second parade.

We try and visit all the lands to see all the trick or treating stations...love the Toontown/Tomorrowland walkway.

We try and fit in a ride or two, between 7:00p and the second parade at 10:45p, but rides aren't a priority for us during the party. We make sure not to miss the Headless Horseman cause it's easy to blink miss him! We had better photos of him in Liberty Square then on Main Street due to lighting but I prefer watching the parade on Main Street anyway.

We usually leave after the second parade around 11:30p.

Have fun!

 

[salmoneous]

My suggestions for everyone:

1) Be flexible. This should override any plan you have. If you are in a crowd, go somewhere else no matter what you have planned

2) To the extent possible, be there early and late. The crowds are much less at those times.

3) When given a choice, get to the back of the park. While people were already lined up 3-deep 30 minutes before the parade on Main Street, there were open spots in Frontierland just before it started.

4) The hour between 6 and 7 can be tricky. They seem to change the procedure from year to year, so you really can't plan until the first people report back from this year's party. Before last years party, the word was people would be herded into Fantsyland from 6-7. The night I was there, there was no herding. However, for folks that happened to be in Frontierland, the rides were open. You could walk on the mountains all you wanted.

5) Even when told what is happening, it doesn't hurt to check. I was in Tomorrowland during the Christmas party last year and everything was shut down at 6:00 - attractions, shows, food, everything. The CM's told everyone that the attractions wouldn't open until 7:00. But at 6:40ish, Space Mountain and Buzz were very quietly open.

6) The only things that really seemed crowded were trick-or-treating, HM, and the main Fantsyland rides. If possible, hit those at low crowd times (early, late, during parades or fireworks) when just about everything is uncrowded.

My personal opinions:

1) The free photo is vastly overrated. You'll get the same thing by bringing your camera, asking a stranger to take a photo of you, and printing it for $0.29 when you get home. Unless there is no line, skip the photo, you've got better things to do with your time.

2) The ticket price is pretty hefty for the short hours, so maximize them. Get there right at 4:00 (assuming they open that early again) and don't do a sit-down meal.

3) The parade is the one not-to-be missed event. You'll see things you'll never see any other time at Disney.

 

[MonkeyPants]

only been once and I must say it was a blast...but there is so much to do and so little time. If you want to do the trick or treat stuff, then hit Mickey's little area in the back of the park first as that seemed to be the busiest area.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

What great advice I have found on this (and similiar) threads to prepare me for my first MNSSHP I have read something about rare characters showing up for MNSSHP. Anyone have any such encounters?

Also, are all activites open all hours of the party? (trick-or-treating, dance parties, etc)

 

[disneyfreak7]

Thanks for all the tips! Our first MNSSHP Sept 29!

 

[2nd childhood]

Thanks for all the great tips. We'll be there for our first party on Sept. 22. I'm such a planner and I was a bit worried how it would all work.
Thanks for the post.

 

[gigi1313]

another question... if you are not already in the park by 6pm (i.e. eating dinner at a monorail resort) will you be permitted in before 7pm or will you be standing outside the gates 'til 7pm?

i'm seriously re-thinking our strategy for our first party of any kind...
right now the plan is 4:30 dinner at 1900 PF, finish around 6pm and head to the MK... but maybe we should either eat inside the MK (what's open besides LTT and Tony's... can we eat at CP or CRT?) at 4:30 and then head to the "holding land"

what do the experts think?

 

[disneyde]

Going 9/29 can't wait.

 

[jcemom]

I think you're better off eating inside the park, even if it's just counter service. JMO, of course. I would tend to rush through a meal outside the park in anticipation of getting over to the MK, even if I had plenty of time.

CP, CRT and the Plaza will all be open until right around party time. I'm not positive of the latest ADR though, since ours are at Tony's and LTT. Call and ask, see what's available.

As for touring, we just kind of go with the flow. We did two parties last year and are doing two again this year. Being able to go twice definitely contributes towards our more relaxed attitude as far as attractions though, I'm sure. Last year we were there for the first two parties and found attraction lines to be non-existant, for the most part. Space Mt and Buzz had short lines, but when we came back to them later in the night they had no lines. Fantasyland had some lines mid-evening, but no lines later in the night there either. Otherwise we walked on to pretty much everything. The trick or treat trails were the longest lines of the night, LOL, and luckily they move quickly.

Can't wait to do it all again!!! October 16 and 19 for me this year!!!

 

[beattyfamily]

another question... if you are not already in the park by 6pm (i.e. eating dinner at a monorail resort) will you be permitted in before 7pm or will you be standing outside the gates 'til 7pm?

i'm seriously re-thinking our strategy for our first party of any kind...
right now the plan is 4:30 dinner at 1900 PF, finish around 6pm and head to the MK... but maybe we should either eat inside the MK (what's open besides LTT and Tony's... can we eat at CP or CRT?) at 4:30 and then head to the "holding land"

what do the experts think?

They leave the turnstyles open so you can enter between 6:00p and 7:00p.

LTT and Tony's are open thru the night till 9:30p. CP, CRT and the Plaza are taking ADRs till 6:00p.

I prefer eating around 5:00p/5:30p (while the park is officially closed) and end my meal around 6:45p.

It's all a matter of preference. Some prefer eating 4:00p/4:30p and do rides in the open land between 6:00p/7:00p, but for me it was always a zoo there so I prefer eating for that hour. Do what you prefer.

 

[Goofy4]

What great advice I have found on this (and similiar) threads to prepare me for my first MNSSHP I have read something about rare characters showing up for MNSSHP. Anyone have any such encounters?

Also, are all activites open all hours of the party? (trick-or-treating, dance parties, etc)

The villains and dwarfs were out and about.

Be sure to stop by the mansion for a special treat on the way in.

The dance party stops during Hallowishes and perhaps for the parades. It was still going strong around 10:30 for us.

 

[Suzanne74]

Yes you will be allowed to enter after 6pm but you have to go directly to Frontierland. Personally, I would cancel my 1900 Park ressies and try and make them another night. I rather be at the park at 4 and eat CS then be out of the park. While we enjoyed our Liberty Tree ADR's, I think we will just do CS next. I thought LTT was great for character interaction but we saw so many of the same ones later anyway.

To the poster who said they had 6:20 ressies, I would go do rides from 4-6pm and then check in no later than 6pm for your ADR. When we left around 6ish, the wait was about 15min or so to get a table, even with ADR's.

Once you see the CM's telling everyone to take their feet off the street start looking for the headless horseman. He does come quick starting at Frontierland and running towards the front gate. For this reason do not get a corner spot because you will likely miss him - being down Main Street at least partially gives you a more heads up for a picture.

If you do not get to Toontown early, I would wait and go during the 1st parade.

Also - we went Oct 2nd last year and there were still tickets available that night. I think the earlier you go, the less likely you have locals there. It just isn't close enough to Halloween yet and isn't so busy. Everything was walk-on, even with crowds trick or treating. Also the 2nd parade was 2 people deep - if that, even on Main Street.

I do agree with other posters - rides aren't a necessary but the parade and fireworks are. THE BEST. If you get there at 4ppm anyway, chances are, you have done most of the cool rides before the night begins.

I also agree about the free photo. If the line is more than 5 people, don't bother. Either do it first thing or wait until the end of the night. I can't believe how many people waste time for one picture - just bring your camera already!!

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I'm subscribing. I can't wait after reading about it. We go Oct 12. I am trying not to tell my kids we are even going to WDW. I don't know if I can keep it all a secret though!

Also, are the characters milling about or are they stationed? I think it would be so cool to see some of the villains that you never see normally.

Are both parades the same? So if you plan to go to the later one, you could do rides, etc during the first one?

thanks, experts!

 

[pperfectmom]

Do we get "good" candy? By that I mean chocolate of course.

 

[jenjersnap]

Subscribing, thanks for the info!

 

[krissy2803]

Do we get "good" candy? By that I mean chocolate of course.

We did get "good" candy. I am trying to remember.
Nesltes crunch, snickers, things like that. Of course there were the required sweet tarts..smarties, and starburst.
I have the bag they gave out still hanging in my kitchen and I went to look in it. I still have candy in it from last year!
There are two smarties, two sweet tarts, one starburst and one "gasp" Butterfinger still there. I have no idea how that Butterfinger has escaped my DH!
I remember as we were leaving last year there were huge bins outside the gates and CM's were just heaping it in our bags. They kept saying we didn't have enough!
We must have had over 5lbs.(probably more!) of candy each when we got back to ASMo.
Great fun! Can't wait for this year. We will be at the Oct. 10th party! YAY

 

[Suzanne74]

oh yeah - there was great candy and plenty of it. Those "cards" in the Alice and Wonderland Trail were throwing mounds of it in our bags. It was awesome Twix, tootsie rolls (my fav) Nestle, Snickers, Milky Ways. I have a pic of all of DD's candy, I will have to post it...

Most of the characters are stationed but appropriately. Lilo and Stitch and Buzz were in Tomorrowland, Pooh and friends in Pooh's playland, any animals and tarzan/jane in Adventureland Trek Trail. Jasmine and Aladdin by the carpets, Smee, Peter Pan, Wendy and Hook were at Pirates but we missed them. Woody and the gang at the Diamond Horseshoe. The whole Alice gang walk back and forth thru the Alice trail with their antics - lots of fun. All the classics are in toontown. I think it would be too crazy for them to wander around. The parade is FULL of them though. The villians perform a show in front of the castle and I am pretty sure come out after for photo ops and autographs - we weren't there but I think I heard that.

 

[kellyg403]

We went to the Christmas Party in 05 and loved it. This year MNSSHP and after reading all of your posts I am twice as excited. Hopefully Oct 5 will be low crowds and LOTS of fun!

Kelly