MNSSHP - Bad Choice for Day?

[Frozen2014]

Hi,

We are coming Oct 19th - 25th. I have done thorough planning of which park on which day (no park hoppers) along with ADRs. I've heard amazing things about the MNSSHP so we're planning on attending with out kids who will be 9 and 5 years old. It works out best for us to come to on the Friday night. I know this will be a busier night because locals will attend, but is this really a bad choice? Am hoping its still 'ok' and we can still enjoy.

Thoughts?

 

[Disworldluv]

Personally, MNNSHP is our favorite. We have gone without our kids and have enjoyed the whole experience. We Trick or Treat, go on our favorite rides, enjoy the parade and fireworks (both are really special. I say, GO!!

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for you response. Great to hear its so much fun. We are planning on attending. I guess what I was trying to understand is if the crowds are still manageable on a Friday night? It the day that works in our trip...and will be our last evening so seems like a great way to end it. But if going on a Friday night really a bad idea?

 

[Frozen2014]

Anyone?

Just trying to get a feel if a Friday night is still manageable for the MNSSHP? I believe tickets should go on sale soon so want to ensure we get them and current plan is to go Fri Oct 24th.

 

[Vivianne]

Anyone? Just trying to get a feel if a Friday night is still manageable for the MNSSHP? I believe tickets should go on sale soon so want to ensure we get them and current plan is to go Fri Oct 24th.

From my past experience it sells out quickly for Oct 31. Other dates are more manageable. However, there is no guarantee from year to year, crazier things can happen.

 

[surferdave]

I was there on an early October Thursday night that didn't look to be as busy as the Friday but my night ended up selling out anyway. If I return to MNSSHP I'll pick the best night for me regardless of whether it's more likely to sell out.

 

[Beach Club Bum]

I would definitely go, it's really fun. But it will be very crowded, plan on entering the MK at 4:00 and do any rides you may want to do then. THe parade and special attractions/trick or treating are well worth the crowds, just try to have completed all you wanted to do in the MK earlier in your trip. And yes, it is a great way to end your vacation, GO FOR IT!

 

[babesboo99]

We are going as well we are hoping to get Halloween night since that is really the only night we can go so as soon as they go on sale I have to get them that morning just to be safe.

 

[libertymac]

Does anyone know when the tickets will go on sale for the party 2014? Last year we bought them on May 1 but I still haven't seen an announcement for this year.

 

[mm1971]

Anyone?

Just trying to get a feel if a Friday night is still manageable for the MNSSHP? I believe tickets should go on sale soon so want to ensure we get them and current plan is to go Fri Oct 24th.

It will be busy, but mostly for the parade and shows. We always found the rides to be reasonable to walk on no matter how busy. I would suggest skipping the early parade and seeing the later on and hanging around for the Hallowishes fireworks. That way you will be able to hit your must do attractions during the first parade.

Worth the $$, even when busy in my opinion.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thank you for the replies. We will be spending the day at Epcot and plan on heading over for around 4pm and staying as long as we can (depends on how our DD5 and DS9 do). And yeah, we'll have 2 other full days at MK so won't be our only time there.

It will be busy, but mostly for the parade and shows. We always found the rides to be reasonable to walk on no matter how busy. I would suggest skipping the early parade and seeing the later on and hanging around for the Hallowishes fireworks. That way you will be able to hit your must do attractions during the first parade.

Worth the $$, even when busy in my opinion.

Good to know that the bulk of the crowd is at the parade an shows.
I would love to catch the fireworks....as awesome way to end our trp. What time would that be on a Friday?
And what time are the two parades? Is a parade worthwhile or skip it all together if it is that busy?

 

[Goldilocks07]

We went last year, Thursday AND the Friday before Halloween.

We went for the actual party on Thursday night, which was packed. And we stayed until 11:30 pm, and it was still packed. After the second parade, when most families finally left, was when we could almost walk on all the rides. The only longggg waits were for character meets.

Friday, we skipped the party but had the last ADRs at CRT and therefore had to be escorted out by a CM to the front and out of the parks. We left maybe around 9?

IT WAS A MOB SCENE. I mean, I have never seen that many people in MK or any other park, ever. Holy moly. At one point I thought I was going to just stand still and cry. I also had a stroller, which was impossible to navigate against the crowd, even with a CM leading us through.

I was like, what in the world????...
Then I realized it was the weekend BEFORE Halloween and everyone, especially locals, would be coming out to celebrate. No one had to work the next day.

That being said, it may be a shot in the dark for you guys. Luckily, Halloween is on a Friday this year- so people will be hitting the parks hard that weekend, of course.

Maybe you will get lucky?

It was so busy for us last year- day and night. October is my absolute favorite month of the year to go- for all reasons including the mnsshp- but sadly I just can't handle the crowds. This year we are going end of September. Hopefully lower crowds, but now I get to deal with the possibility of monsoon weather. Oh well. Ponchos it is! B

 

[Frozen2014]

We went last year, Thursday AND the Friday before Halloween.

Friday, we skipped the party but had the last ADRs at CRT and therefore had to be escorted out by a CM to the front and out of the parks. We left maybe around 9?

IT WAS A MOB SCENE. I mean, I have never seen that many people in MK or any other park, ever. Holy moly. At one point I thought I was going to just stand still and cry. I also had a stroller, which was impossible to navigate against the crowd, even with a CM leading us through.

I was like, what in the world????...
Then I realized it was the weekend BEFORE Halloween and everyone, especially locals, would be coming out to celebrate. No one had to work the next day.

oh no.

My only other option is the Thursday night as we'll be at MK for the day and it's also a party night, but I already have CRT booked for 5:50pm that night (coordinated wtih BBB earlier in the day) so I think it would be a bad idea to mix a regular time ADR with MNSSHP. Don't you think?

I suppose our only other option would be our arrival day on the Sunday night (Oct 19th) and we plan on coming to MK anyways for the few hours. But am not sure if we would want to jump right into the party for our arrival day...and we already bought park ticket.

Thoughts?

 

[baler31]

Thank you for the replies. We will be spending the day at Epcot and plan on heading over for around 4pm and staying as long as we can (depends on how our DD5 and DS9 do). And yeah, we'll have 2 other full days at MK so won't be our only time there.



Good to know that the bulk of the crowd is at the parade an shows.
I would love to catch the fireworks....as awesome way to end our trp. What time would that be on a Friday?
And what time are the two parades? Is a parade worthwhile or skip it all together if it is that busy?

Was your OP supposed to say with OUR kids ? Or are you attending with out kids as it says. I think some were confused on how to answer because of this. To me it sounds like you are going with your kids and trying to see how late you could stay and what you will accomplish, but I could certainly be wrong and there is nothing wrong in going without kids. Just trying to figure out how to best assist you.

We don't find the parties crowded for rides at all ever, even sold old. The parade will always be crowded even at lightly attended parties (later is better obviously) The character lines will be crowded. So really, it depends on what you want to accomplish.

There are certain areas such as Main Street that will be oppressively crowded. The parties result in people not being as spread out in the park as a typical day. If you want to avoid the worst of the crowds stay away from Main Street. If there are characters stationed there that you want to see do it at the very start of the party. View the parade in frontierland and while not the best view we like the fireworks anywhere from new fantasyland to tommorowland.

The parade is our favorite of all Disney parades. My son who is not a parade fan even likes it. In the past the parades have been at 8:15 and 10:30 if my memory is correct. Less crowded viewing is available in Frontierland.

 

[missangelalexis]

Definitely go on a day that fits your schedule best. Yes Fridays may see more crowds, your date may even sell out, you never know. But in my opinion, even a sold out party is manageable if you have a plan in place! What do you plan on doing? Are you going for rides? Are you trying to meet any characters? Regardless of when you go, the lines for rides will manageable no matter what. The character lines do get long, and it's good to have an idea on what characters you want to meet before getting there.

The parade is at 8:15 and 10:30. It's always advised to attend the second parade if possible because it will be less crowded. The parade is awesome and considered one of the best by many! The Fireworks are at 9:30 and also awesome.

I would definitely check out Kenny's page about the party to get an idea of show times, characters, etc. http://kennythepirate.com/events/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/

 

[ZoZo]

oh no.

My only other option is the Thursday night as we'll be at MK for the day and it's also a party night, but I already have CRT booked for 5:50pm that night (coordinated wtih BBB earlier in the day) so I think it would be a bad idea to mix a regular time ADR with MNSSHP. Don't you think?

Thoughts?

Actually, I think your Thursday plan might work better! You'll be finishing dinner just as the party starts. Since you'll already be in MK that day, you will (hopefully) have ridden lots of the rides already, and can save your party time for party-specific activities. Plus, it would be so cute to have your daughter all "duded up" with her BBB makeover for the party! That's just my opinion, but I might consider switching to Thursday instead.

One thing to be aware of, for those who have young kids, is that it's often tough for them to do a whole day in a park (assuming you get there at park opening) and then stay up late for the party. That's a long, exhausting day, and I've read lots of posts from people who said their kids fell asleep during the parade and fireworks. It would be such a shame if they were too tired to stay up late to enjoy the party! Most folks recommend sleeping a little late on a party day, knowing you'll be staying up until midnight.

 

[Frozen2014]

Actually, I think your Thursday plan might work better! You'll be finishing dinner just as the party starts. Since you'll already be in MK that day, you will (hopefully) have ridden lots of the rides already, and can save your party time for party-specific activities. Plus, it would be so cute to have your daughter all "duded up" with her BBB makeover for the party! That's just my opinion, but I might consider switching to Thursday instead.

One thing to be aware of, for those who have young kids, is that it's often tough for them to do a whole day in a park (assuming you get there at park opening) and then stay up late for the party. That's a long, exhausting day, and I've read lots of posts from people who said their kids fell asleep during the parade and fireworks. It would be such a shame if they were too tired to stay up late to enjoy the party! Most folks recommend sleeping a little late on a party day, knowing you'll be staying up until midnight.

So confused! My main concern with Thursday is we have CRT booked at 5:50pm and I won't want to feel rushed (right now that is our #1 ADR) and if they take us late...
Yeah...good point about the party. Right now I have the plan to grab breakfast in Epcot (9:15am ADR at Akershus), spend the day and head over to MK around 4pm. But we can always let the kids just sit for a bit and rest. They aren't nappers and we'll just see how long they last. Totally don't expect to stay until late...maybe 9:30am or 10am depending on how they feel.

 

[grafxgirl]

We go to this every other year. We've never hit a bad night even on Oct 31. I think it is because there are limited tickets available so it is not really crowded. No! No! Do not go on the Thursday. You are wasting money. Think about it. You have paid X amount of money for your Magic Your Way ticket to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom then you are paying an extra 50 dollars per person for tickets to go into the MNSSHP. What you need to do is make the day you want to go to the party a non-park day. On your non-park day, you can spend it chillin' by the pool, mini golfing, shopping, going to the spa, touring the different resorts, etc. Then you make an early dinner reservation at the Magic Kingdom for around 4:30 because they begin letting people into the MNSSHP at this time. Have a nice, long relaxing dinner then enjoy the party when it officially begins at 7pm-midnight. If you really want a park day, then just go to one of the other parks during the day and head over to the Magic Kingdom later in the evening. *If you are at the Magic Kingdom before the party, they will still make you go back up to the entrance of the park to get your MNSSHP identification bracelet. They do check for these. Trust me.

Looks like for the week of Oct 19th the dates are 10/19, 10/21, 10/23 and 10/24.

 

[Frozen2014]

Was your OP supposed to say with OUR kids ? Or are you attending with out kids as it says. I think some were confused on how to answer because of this. To me it sounds like you are going with your kids and trying to see how late you could stay and what you will accomplish, but I could certainly be wrong and there is nothing wrong in going without kids. Just trying to figure out how to best assist you.

We don't find the parties crowded for rides at all ever, even sold old. The parade will always be crowded even at lightly attended parties (later is better obviously) The character lines will be crowded. So really, it depends on what you want to accomplish.

There are certain areas such as Main Street that will be oppressively crowded. The parties result in people not being as spread out in the park as a typical day. If you want to avoid the worst of the crowds stay away from Main Street. If there are characters stationed there that you want to see do it at the very start of the party. View the parade in frontierland and while not the best view we like the fireworks anywhere from new fantasyland to tommorowland.

The parade is our favorite of all Disney parades. My son who is not a parade fan even likes it. In the past the parades have been at 8:15 and 10:30 if my memory is correct. Less crowded viewing is available in Frontierland.

Hi yes...we have two kids who will be 9 and 5. These are really good tips so will note where to stand for the parade and even better, the fireworks. Funny enough, I'm not even sure what exactly is at MNSSHP but have decided to go cause I keep hearing amazing things about it on here. But as for characters, we have a few character meals planned (CRT, CP at the moment, Akershus and Chef Mickeys) so I don't anticipate us standing in line to see more.
I am noting to stay away from Main Street and I know I've seen an overall map of the event so will scope out where else to go.
Thank you.

 

[Frozen2014]

We go to this every other year. We've never hit a bad night even on Oct 31. I think it is because there are limited tickets available so it is not really crowded. No! No! Do not go on the Thursday. You are wasting money. Think about it. You have paid X amount of money for your Magic Your Way ticket to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom then you are paying an extra 50 dollars per person for tickets to go into the MNSSHP. What you need to do is make the day you want to go to the party a non-park day. On your non-park day, you can spend it chillin' by the pool, mini golfing, shopping, going to the spa, touring the different resorts, etc. Then you make an early dinner reservation at the Magic Kingdom for around 4:30 because they begin letting people into the MNSSHP at this time. Have a nice, long relaxing dinner then enjoy the party when it officially begins at 7pm-midnight. If you really want a park day, then just go to one of the other parks during the day and head over to the Magic Kingdom later in the evening. *If you are at the Magic Kingdom before the party, they will still make you go back up to the entrance of the park to get your MNSSHP identification bracelet. They do check for these. Trust me.

Looks like for the week of Oct 19th the dates are 10/19, 10/21, 10/23 and 10/24.

I already promised my DH a "day off" from Disney (compromise for staying onsite)...so won't work to hang out near pool, etc and then attend the party. But we are planning on spending the day at Epcot and then head over to the party.
Ok...you have convinced me to just keep it to the Friday and as the other poster suggested, will try not hang around Main Street. Thank you.