Mnsshp 2013

[wilma-bride]

forgive me, but please remember that I'm using a foreign language here.
From my standpoint, and from the figures of speech or wording we use in french, there is absolutely no way my post could be interpreted as rude. I know that there are a few subtle differences, idioms and wording that differ between our languages, and I do not master them all, so I apologise for that (even if there is no reason for me to). (and to this moment I have absolutely no idea whatsoever of what, in my reply, could have come across as rude, for me it was to the point, sharing information only)

You're right, we're here to give help and advice, that's what I did, and I genuinely thought I had done that in the most neutral way. Only giving the relevant information.
There was no rudeness implied or involved in my post.
And if you want to talk about rude, the replies that came after that were rude, because I only wanted to help and got chastised for that ...

well, nevermind, those things are likely to happen. It's already likely to happen between 2 native english speakers since there is no way to actually know in what kinds of spirit someone posted a reply, but between english and french ... fire and water don't mix, we've been at odds for centuries.

Should I refrain from replying or giving an information if I can help, for fear of sounding a bit rude ?

chmurf, I didn't say that you were being rude, only that the first sentence that you wrote was open to interpretation as being rude , merely from the way that it could be read. And I do appreciate that English is not your native language (although, for what it's worth, I am very impressed at your written English) and I certainly wouldn't want you to refrain from responding. It is very easy to misinterpet written responses since facial expressions and other indicators that a post is written tongue-in-cheek or meant in a kindly way cannot be 'seen' through a computer terminal/laptop screen/iPad etc.

All I am asking is that all posters remember that and take a few seconds to read what they have written before hitting the 'submit reply' button and, if you aren't sure, consider whether it is wise to post.

 

[T16GEM]

Her birthday is the 21st, but honestly we wouldn't worry too much about doing it on the actual day, she isn't too fussy about when we go just as long as we do it!

It's quite amusing as my DH and my friends DH both said "we want to do the hallowe'en party!!" As soon as it was mentioned the other day, so maybe it'll be more for the big kids than the little ones!

Shelby will be 8 and Harley nearly 7 so I think they will be ok staying up late, and little Jasmine can sleep in her buggy

I can't wait!

 

[chmurf]

so maybe it'll be more for the big kids than the little ones!

the little ones will have a ball too. The trick or treating will keep them busy, as well as the rides which are basically walk on.
You probably will want to pack a large bag (backpack for example) in order to empty the little bags they give guests for the candy. The bags are rather small (but easily contain 2 lbs of candy ... I weighed one over 1 kg)
With 3 kids and grown ups, you don't know how heavy it's gonna get
One word of advice, in case you have someone with peanut allergy in your party, many candy have peanut butter in them

You will be able to purchase your tickets in advance for some nights only
in 2012 it was Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays that were available for pre purchase (lower price), and Fridays were only available on the day of the event.
We found that the closer we got to Halloween the busier it was.
We did 3 MNSSHPs in October 2012. On the 21st (Sun), 23rd (Tue) and 25th(Thu).
the 21st was not that busy. Apparently Sundays are pretty light crowd-wise.
the 23rd was really manageable too.
but the 25th was quite busier, and I think it's due to the fact that many Canadians and Brits start to arrive around that time. At least they did last year, and I had a chat with a lovely granny from the UK on a bench outside of Buzz Lightyear, and she told me about many UK families that had just arrived.

Shelby will be 8 and Harley nearly 7 so I think they will be ok staying up late, and little Jasmine can sleep in her buggy

DS was 5 in 2012 and he was up all night.
You can enter the park around 4PM with the MNSSHP ticket. You'll probably be on an ultimate ticket, so no need to "save" a day ticket that day by not going to parks in the morning/afternoon, but one of my biggest advice would be to let everyone rest before the party.
Whatever you do in the morning, try to rest and hit MK 4-ish. There will be a line to enter the park, but nothing as busy as the lines that start to form around 6pm (the party officially starts at 7pm)
a Water park might be a good idea for the morning, it opens at 10am, so everyone gets to sleep in. And it's easy to get back around 2pm for a quick nap/rest at the hotel before the big party.
If you want the kids to last, don't overdo it in the morning, and let them rest in the afternoon.

We've found that being in Fantasyland (Storybook Circus, in front of the Barnstormer) was a good spot to start the party.
That's how we tour, we might be totally wasting our time, but we like it, so I thought I'd share.

If the day you picked is light in crowds, you'll get to ride the Barnstormer, maybe Dumbo once of twice, meet the 4 characters in Pete's Silly Sideshow between 6 and 7pm (on top of all you'll already have done since 4pm)
When the party starts, they will open a candy station at Casey's station (new fantasyland railroad station) first candy for the kids. Then there is a path that starts between the station and the barnstormer. This is the Wonderland Trail. You can follow that trail to the back of Space Mountain. This is a one way trail and there are 3 or 4 candy stations along the way. Then we tour the park clockwise (Tomorrowland -> Adventureland -> Frontierland -> Liberty Square -> Fantasyland and repeat.
If you go to Splash Mountain, I would highly suggest wearing a poncho, except if the temperatures are really high. Because you do get soaked and at 10pm it's easy to feel miserable when you're all wet and cold.
Next to the exit of Splash Mountain, don't miss the 7 dwarves, that's the only time of year you can meet all 7. There will be a line, so if you happen to notice that the line is rather short, then go for it ASAP. the Dwarves don't sign autographs, and that's the only characters where CMs actually rush families, as they are rare and popular (so huge demand)
There are a few other rare characters.
Last thing, be ready to eat counter service or sandwiches on the night of the party (if you can't live off candy only ) Booking a sit down restaurant on the night of the party, even early will be a waste of time and money. Non party guests flee MK on party days, because they won't use a day ticket (without hopper) for a park that closes at 7. So MK is often empty on party days. Don't go inside a sit down restaurant when you have the park to yourself.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[Sarah28]

We went to MNSSHP in 2011 and had a fab time! I would def go again. Everyone put so much effort into their costumes and it was great to see them all. We loved the parade and hallowishes! There's some pics on my TR in my signature if you wanna have a look. Look forward to hearing more of your plans

 

[laura_<3]

We would definitely do it again too. The parade is amazing, it's my favourite soundtrack and the floats and costumes are gorgeous. You will all love it!

 

[dizzyredhead83]

I think we should book it. I've got the impression there's lots of different opinions & we won't know unless we try. Harley & Shelby are hardcore anyway so they'll be fine & Jasmine will hopefully learn to be

Main thing we need is to work out days etc that fit around other things.

I love planning tho

 

[WeeScotchLass]

you can already guess that for yourself. Look at park hours and see when MK closes at 7pm. Then you'll know there's most likely a MNSSHP

As for the tickets, if Disney follows last year's calendar, they will go on sale around May 1st (2012 was on May 1st) Dates should be released (or leaked) during the week before

Hello,

Long time DisBoards lurker here (very occasional poster). Thanks for this tip! I hadn't even thought of doing that.

When I was booking my holiday one of the things that influenced my booking was "would MNSSHP be on" Now it's time to book my DDP but was getting a bit antsy since I wasn't sure of the nights it would be on, this was really helpful! Thanks.

To the OP, MNSSHP is my favourite thing I have ever done in Disney; the park is lovely and quiet, the rides are all just about walk on, candy by the bucketload, the characters, fireworks, parade I could go on and on (and on) about how much I love it.