MNSSHP so early?

[DisneyMomma930]

hi everyone!

We’re coming down 8/14-8/21 and I just checked the park hours calendar that finally came out for our dates. It looks like Friday 8/16 has MNSSHP! I had no idea it started so early!!! Anyway it sounds fun but we’ve never done it. Hubby LOVES Halloween. I’m just feeling like it’s so early in the season for that. Anyone have reviews or input?

 

[TikiBabe]

I love the halloween parties, but they have gotten too early (Aug 16 is crazy) and the crowds are too much now for them. We had a great time in 2014, but this past years was too crowded, etc.

 

[Tomh]

I really enjoy the Halloween party. I do agree that they are quite a bit more crowded now than they used to be. However, I am glad they offer them earlier in August. Being from the North East with a kid still in school, visiting later in the year isn't something we can easily do, so being able to experience the Halloween party in August is a treat for us. I suspect many others are in the same boat, hence the early parties being so crowded.

 

[Disneylover99]

The parties started early last year as well.

We love them! But because many people go for the parades, fireworks, character greets, trick or treating and less for the opportunity to ride rides, pathways outside are often crowded and congested. More lines are formed outside, rather then inside. So it definitely feels more crowded then it probably is.

 

[keaster]

Just wondering....we are going to be there August. 21-28 so does that mean all the parks will be decorated for Halloween that early?

 

[Disneylover99]

Just wondering....we are going to be there August. 21-28 so does that mean all the parks will be decorated for Halloween that early?

Only MK decorates for Halloween. But you will see Halloween merchandise for sale at most of the gift shops all over DW by then.

 

[jhoannam]

We are planning on going to the first party. It will be crazy hot, and crowded but I’m hoping it’s just lots of bloggers who don’t trick-or-treat or ride rides.

 

[cakebaker]

Ours was mid October and crowded to the point of being miserable. We had sworn off doing them for a couple of years due to over selling, but gave it one more shot as my grandson had never been. No more. This is not an exclusive event anymore and while you’ll find people who lucked out with a low crowd, it’s an expensive roll of the dice with bad odds. But, if being shoulder to shoulder in crowds and hours long lines for characters and popular rides doesn’t bother you, you’ll probably love it.

We’ll even avoid going during the months they offer them. Party days are short hours and the few days there aren’t parties are insanely crowded. Same thing applies to Christmas parties x’s 2.

It’s a shame, they used to be wonderful.

 

[sharonabe]

We are planning on going to the first party. It will be crazy hot, and crowded but I’m hoping it’s just lots of bloggers who don’t trick-or-treat or ride rides.

You might want to find and read some of the reviews from last year's first party. People were NOT happy. Crazy long lines for everything at that party.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

We LOVED MNSSHP and if your hubby loves Halloween I bet he would really enjoy it. But if that's the first party of the season, it typically sells out and gets very crowded. Sadly I don't think it would be fun on a sell-out night. We went on a night that had low crowds and the character lines were still hours long (but the ride lines were low and the parade was fantastic!)

 

[garris3404]

I would opt for going Tuesday August 20, instead of Friday August 16. Friday will have all the media people, and it's the first night. Wait for a less crowded night.

 

[keaster]

Only MK decorates for Halloween. But you will see Halloween merchandise for sale at most of the gift shops all over DW by then.

Thanks! It will definitely be strange to see Halloween decorations in August!

 

[DisneyMomma930]

Thanks everyone! I really don’t want to go on the first night especially if it’s going to be crazy busy. That day is our AK day anyway so we would have gone after that but I’m ok with not going. It’s super expensive for a couple hours and honestly I won’t be in the Halloween spirit that early in the season! We’re from New England so hot weather doesn’t say Halloween to us lol. I’ll think about going Tuesday 8/20 if hubby is really into the idea. But the kids would need to wear costumes, correct? It’s so hot for that lol

 

[sharonabe]

But the kids would need to wear costumes, correct? It’s so hot for that lol

Costumes are not mandatory. You could probably find something that would still be cool, but cute. There are TONS of ideas out there.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thanks everyone! I really don’t want to go on the first night especially if it’s going to be crazy busy. That day is our AK day anyway so we would have gone after that but I’m ok with not going. It’s super expensive for a couple hours and honestly I won’t be in the Halloween spirit that early in the season! We’re from New England so hot weather doesn’t say Halloween to us lol. I’ll think about going Tuesday 8/20 if hubby is really into the idea. But the kids would need to wear costumes, correct? It’s so hot for that lol

Definitely don’t need costumes. A lot of times for those early (read, hot) parties, we’ll just do coordinated Halloween t-shirts or something. Too darn hot for some costumes and if you or the kids are uncomfortable it can distract from the evening, in my experience.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We go every year in September and do the party. This year we are going on Labor Day. It does seem awful early, but when you are there that night, you totally forget that Halloween is still months awayWe never do costumes, usually costume t shirts

 

[GR101997]

I would opt for going Tuesday August 20, instead of Friday August 16. Friday will have all the media people, and it's the first night. Wait for a less crowded night.

Thanks to this post we just booked the same day as well. Was supposed to be an "off day" from the parks but cant pass this up. Was shocked it was even happening.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks everyone! I really don’t want to go on the first night especially if it’s going to be crazy busy. That day is our AK day anyway so we would have gone after that but I’m ok with not going. It’s super expensive for a couple hours and honestly I won’t be in the Halloween spirit that early in the season! We’re from New England so hot weather doesn’t say Halloween to us lol. I’ll think about going Tuesday 8/20 if hubby is really into the idea. But the kids would need to wear costumes, correct? It’s so hot for that lol

No one is required to wear a costume. We went to the first, ever August party in 2017 and the second one in 2018. At the first party, my DS went as John Wall from the Washington Wizards, meaning, he wore a basketball jersey, shorts and sneakers. Last year, he wore a glow-in-the-dark skeleton t-shirt. Just a heads up, the crowds went up significantly from the first year to the second. The second party was REALLY crowded last year. Though we will be there again this August, we have no plans of going back.

 

[toasterstrudel]

We went to the party on Labor day last year. We didn't think it was crowded at all. We didn't do any characters or too much candy. We were there for the rides! That was our only visit to Disney last year so we felt like the party was a treat so we could do a "Disney Lite" weekend. We are going again over labor day week this year, but decided to skip the party. We don't see the value in the parties when we will be at the parks for a week. The cost of the tickets is just too much that I can't justify it as an add on to our disney trip.

An instead of? Yes! We did Universal last year and missed Disney! We were happy to pay 400 for an evening at Magic Kingdom. This year we will be there all week and can't justify the 400 cost in addition to our $$$ 6 day tickets.

 

[siren0119]

Opinions will vary, but we LOVE the MNSSHP! This year will be our third year in a row. No, the parks aren't empty and rides aren't walk-on. But we never had that expectation. The decorations, the trick-or-treating, the special character meets, and themed parade/castle show/fireworks all make it worthwhile for us.