MHP Reviews

[CayBoo]

Hey there everyone! My husband and I just booked a Villa at the Grand Californian for our anniversary this fall.

We'll be there from 9/30-10/4 and I just now realized that there may be a night dedicated to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party during our visit!
So my questions are:
#1 Is it worth the extra $$?
#2 How long does it usually last each night?
#3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly)
#4 What are the crowds like?
#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights?

When I was little, my family would always go to Disneyland on Halloween. The park would be virtually empty because everyone else was trick-or-treating. Now times have really changed, but it will be awesome getting to see all the fall decor for the first time in a decade. Thank you all for your help!

 

[pblack]

#1 Is it worth the extra $$? ...This is subjective. We did it for the first time last year and while i'm glad I can say I've done it, I don't think i'd spend the money on it again.
#2 How long does it usually last each night?...depends on if it's a weeknight or weekend. I think the weeknights were from 5-11 and weekends were 6-12.
#3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly)....yes. I dressed up as Belle (blue dress) and my husband didn't dress up at all.
#4 What are the crowds like? ....we found that it was still pretty packed in the park on party night. I kept reading how party nights were great and little to no wait times for rides and that was definitely not the case on our party night. We were even there on a Tuesday.
#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights?...they have the special hall-o-scream fireworks and villain meet ups. There might have been some others that I don't remember.

 

[Niltiac]

I've been a few times now. FYI, at Disneyland it's called Mickey's Halloween Party and at WDW it's called Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Just letting you so if you search for info you get the right results.

#1 Is it worth the extra $$?
I think this really depends how much you like Halloween. There's not a ton of tangible value added to the parties, but there's great atmosphere (fog over the river, extra decorations, etc.). There are rumors every year that the parties might move to DCA, and that seems more likely than it used to since they've added Halloween decor to DCA now, and if that happens we'll have to wait and see what the atmosphere is like.

#2 How long does it usually last each night?
If I remember right it's 6-11 or 7-12. That's the official party time (when other guests are kicked out), but with the party ticket you're also allowed in three hours before the party, and there are typically pre-parties in specific areas where the festivities begin an hour or so before the official party start time.

#3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly)
It's about 50/50 - you won't feel out of place whether you dress up or not.

#4 What are the crowds like?
My experience on this depends on what you most care about crowd-wise. I found that just being out walking around, it felt very crowded. Part of this is because some parts of walkways are filled with treat trails and character meet lines, so there's less room for the walking people to spread out. The darkness makes it feel more crowded too (I'm not sure if they turn the lights lower during the party of if I imagined it). I would not want to get separated from my group during the party. However, so many people are there specifically for the character meets and aren't riding rides at all. We experienced a lot of walk-on rides, and even got to re-ride Indy without leaving the vehicle because there was no one waiting to ride. I'm not sure how the lines are for characters because that's not something we focused on.

#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights?
Yes - there are trick-or-treat stations (some of which are worth going through for the decorations even if you don't want candy), special performances such as the Cadaver Dans, a special parade and fireworks show, character meets, and I seem to remember some kind of dance party.

 

[StarlitNight05]

#4 What are the crowds like? ....we found that it was still pretty packed in the park on party night. I kept reading how party nights were great and little to no wait times for rides and that was definitely not the case on our party night. We were even there on a Tuesday.

We had the same experience during our party last year. While it was still fun, we were really disappointed to find long lines for rides when all I read were review after review of empty queues. I'm glad we did it too, but it's probably a one a done thing.

 

[Geemo]

Hey there everyone! My husband and I just booked a Villa at the Grand Californian for our anniversary this fall.

We'll be there from 9/30-10/4 and I just now realized that there may be a night dedicated to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party during our visit!
So my questions are:
#1 Is it worth the extra $$?
#2 How long does it usually last each night?
#3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly)
#4 What are the crowds like?
#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights?

When I was little, my family would always go to Disneyland on Halloween. The park would be virtually empty because everyone else was trick-or-treating. Now times have really changed, but it will be awesome getting to see all the fall decor for the first time in a decade. Thank you all for your help!

Your dates are during GayDays weekend, a non-Disney event held in the parks.
MHP ticket dates will be announced in June or so. With tickets going on sale the end of July.

Tickets for 2017 sold out at record pace. So be sure to decide and purchase tickets shortly after they go on sale.

We were at DLR from Oct 2nd through Oct 7th and the parks were PACKED.
Plan for the parks to be very busy while you're there.

It was a perfect trip and we would do it again.

Geemo

 

[midnight star]

My experience with Mickey’s Halloween Party may be a little different. I only went for the party, not regular day admission. I went on Friday the 13th, and it was my first time doing a party.
So my questions are:
#1 Is it worth the extra $$? For me, it was a little cheaper than regular admission. Although I do know they raised the prices for the party significantly in 2017. I didn’t feel like it was a waste of money at all. Again, like others have said, this is subjective.

#2 How long does it usually last each night? Friday parties were 7pm-12am, and weekdays were 6pm-11pm. You can get admission starting at 3 hours before the party (so either 3 or 4pm). You could park hop all night.

#3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly). Yes a lot of adults had costumes. I didn’t have a costume per se, but had a nightmare before Christmas/Sally themed outfit.

#4 What are the crowds like? I felt like the crowds were good. I waited for Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Indiana, for about 15 minutes each. The treat lines were a little long but they constantly kept moving.

#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights? Activities included fireworks, 2 parade showings, cadaver dans, toon town pre party. Blue Bayou had a dinner package as well.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Q's already answered I'm just reinforcing this is MHP because each year people buy MNSSHP tickets, try to attend MHP and are told no. Don't be them!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

To the OP: you might want to change your post title from MNSSHP to MHP so that others doing a search for MHP in 2018 will find this thread.

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't let the fact that the party will sell out scare you off. Nearly every party at DL sells out.

 

[cruisehopeful]

#1 Is it worth the extra $$?

It is worth it if you love halloween stuff and want shorter lines for rides.

3 Do adults normally dress up? (I plan to possibly)

Most do. Some are more like me and just wear a halloween Tshirt.

#4 What are the crowds like?

There is a layover time where there are both party guests and regular day guests. That time is insanely crowded. After they kick out all the day guests, while the party will be sold out likely, the park will not seem nearly as busy as during a normal day because people will spread out more for the trick or treating, etc.

#5 Do they have any different activities planned on those nights?

There are some different things. For one, trick or treating. You can easily eat up a couple hours of the party by doing the trick or treat lines. There is usually a meal at blue bayou, which is expensive and also eats up a lot of your party time. There is a parade and special fireworks, weather permitting. Villain characters will be out, also.

I see someone mentioned you'll be there during Gay Days. Gay Days are very buy days. By all means, buy the party ticket. Everything gets full during gay days - parks, hotels, bar, restaurants. You will want the guarantee of having a place that won't be as crowded as everything else will be that weekend.

 

[CayBoo]

Thank you all so much for the feedback! We'll be in the parks only for that Mon-Wed before Gay Days weekend, so hopefully crowds wont be too ridiculous. But I've gone on some pretty crazy crowded dates in the past, so I don't think it'll be anything we cant handle.

But I think my hubby and I will give the MHP (thank you all for the correction haha) a try! I've got a Rapunzel costume I've been dying to bring to the parks.

 

[allgrownup]

We will be going to DL in October 2018. It never occurred to me to study on park hours due to MHP. Are there certain days the park closes early? How early? Have I made a mistake in timing? Taking 10 yo grandson for first visit from Alaska, and worried about shortened park times.

 

[CayBoo]

We will be going to DL in October 2018. It never occurred to me to study on park hours due to MHP. Are there certain days the park closes early? How early? Have I made a mistake in timing? Taking 10 yo grandson for first visit from Alaska, and worried about shortened park times.

I think the shortened park times will generally only be when MHP happens. But other nights I'm assuming they'll be open til 9 or 10. Weekends that don't have MHP I'm pretty sure will be open til 11 or 12.

 

[Geemo]

We will be going to DL in October 2018. It never occurred to me to study on park hours due to MHP. Are there certain days the park closes early? How early? Have I made a mistake in timing? Taking 10 yo grandson for first visit from Alaska, and worried about shortened park times.

What are your dates in October?

The park holding the event will close early to the general public.
You can check this thread out for Historical info
https://www.disboards.com/threads/historical-dlr-park-hours-entertainment-and-refurbs.2291124/

Look at ALL Tuesdays in October 2017. You'll notice Disneyland closes at 6pm for the MHP and DCA closes at 8pm
If Disney schedules the same for 2018 and you plan to visit the parks on a Tuesday in October, your day is over at 6pm or 8pm.
Unless you have a ticket to the MHP that night.

Party days will have a unique crowd during the three hours prior to the party. This is the magic time MHP ticket holders can enter the park.

The dates for the 2018 MHP's will not be announced until this summer.
It isn't known which park the party will be using in 2018, rumor has it possibly moving to DCA.
The Historical Thread will show you which days the MHP's were held.
There is also a Halloween thread you can search for, that has more information.

This thread for 2017 will have info for the month of October.
Post #3 will have the most info for the MHP's
https://www.disboards.com/threads/2017-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3528760/

Same outline for 2018, is still evolving.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/2018-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3635162/

No you haven't made a mistake in timing.
Knowing what is scheduled during your visit will help you be prepared.

However, if what you see as you check out the thread with October information, isn't something you want to participate in, it gives you time to make changes.

We have gone for a week in October the last 4 or 5 years. I'll be going again in 2018.

G

 

[midnight star]

Thank you all so much for the feedback! We'll be in the parks only for that Mon-Wed before Gay Days weekend, so hopefully crowds wont be too ridiculous. But I've gone on some pretty crazy crowded dates in the past, so I don't think it'll be anything we cant handle.

But I think my hubby and I will give the MHP (thank you all for the correction haha) a try! I've got a Rapunzel costume I've been dying to bring to the parks.

I think you'll like it! Last year was my first time doing the party, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I enjoyed it so much that if I go in fall again, I only want to go during the MHP party. There's such a different atmosphere in DL at night when it's just the party crowd. Everything just looked so much cooler.

 

[azdisneylover]

We went last year and I had a blast Trick - or - treating with my daughters! We stopped when their bags of goodies were too heavy for them to carry! LOL (we all had backpacks on too!). Loved the fireworks too. Didn't care for the high cost of the tickets though.

 

[PirateRedhead]

We'll be in the parks only for that Mon-Wed before Gay Days weekend, so hopefully crowds wont be too ridiculous.

That's when we were there this year (well, 2017) - Sun.-Thurs. before Gay Days. Thursday got mega-packed, but our other days were more normal (crowded but not horrific) and our party that Tuesday was great. Almost no wait for rides.

 

[allgrownup]

What are your dates in October?

The park holding the event will close early to the general public.
You can check this thread out for Historical info
https://www.disboards.com/threads/historical-dlr-park-hours-entertainment-and-refurbs.2291124/


THANK you!
I thought I had seen somewhere that the park with the party would shut down at 3pm. 6 or 8 is just fine!
We will be there October 13-20, we have 4 day hoppers. The plan is to do the parks M,T, TH, and F. Just hanging out and exploring on the 14th, going to Universal on the 17th.
2 adults and an almost 10yo.

 

[Geemo]

THANK you!
I thought I had seen somewhere that the park with the party would shut down at 3pm. 6 or 8 is just fine!
We will be there October 13-20, we have 4 day hoppers. The plan is to do the parks M,T, TH, and F. Just hanging out and exploring on the 14th, going to Universal on the 17th.
2 adults and an almost 10yo.

I want to clarify the park hours I posted.

On Party nights, DL closed to the public at the time the party began. Which was 6 or 7pm.

The 8pm closure time was for DCA during MHP's on Tuesday nights.

The 3 hours prior to the beginning of a party is when the crowds peaked.
It slowly thins out as non-party guest begin to leave.

 

[figment_jii]

I thought I had seen somewhere that the park with the party would shut down at 3pm. 6 or 8 is just fine!

Historically, the MHP have allowed MHP-guests to enter the park three hours before the start of the party (so at 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm, depending on the party), so that might be why you saw the 3:00 pm time mentioned. During that period, when both MHP and day guests are in the park, it can get quite crowded.