MNSSHP - Will I regret not doing it?

[NickC]

I don't think it is absolutely necessary. We've done it 3 times, and, each time, the perks feel like they diminished a bit. For our last trip, we decided that if it fell on a day we were at MK, we would do it. If not, then we'd skip it. We ended up not doing it and didn't miss it.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I waited until my DS was 9 to take him and even now he wants to leave as soon as the fireworks are over. There is plenty to see and do in WDW without going to the party. I would save your money.

 

[whiporee]

That's not really true anymore. Recent reports are that they are selling more tickets than ever, and some of the first parties have had wait times greater than those during the normal park hours. Lately, the true benefits of the parties are being able to go to MK in costume, trick-or-treating, unique character meets and shows, and the special parade and fireworks. No longer having the low crowds and wait times makes it not worthwhile for us anymore.

Just the response from the loyal opposition.

Since we don't know about ticket sales either in the past or present, it's hard to say whether WDW is selling more than they used to. Plenty of anecdotal evidence suggests they are, but there's also plenty of anecdotal evidence to say that it's much less crowded than a usual night.

Character waits are long for the rare and in Halloween costume ones. The ride waits -- according to Easy WDW -- are shorter than most times during a normal day, even for the first party (20-25 minutes for Space, HM and BTMR, longer for 7DMT). You can run into several rare characters in the park without much wait at all, but you have to get sort of lucky. Candy lines can be long but move fast. It's not a walk-on for most headliners and semi-headliners, but few have reported that it's like a normal day in terms of ride waits.

OP, I don't think you'll be missing out, but it might be something you regret once you get home because it is a unique experience. It's also a short day at MK, so unless you've got another park you want to hit that night, you might feel a bit cheated. So it's nothing that you HAVE to do, to be sure, but I'd be cautious about letting reports chase you off. Opinions about the parties vary greatly.

 

[Tumbles10]

My kids are the same ages as yours. We went to the party on 8/28 and regretted going. I think it was a combination of things between the heat, the rain (it poured for a few hours before hand), disorganization by the CMs because of the rain. The girls (2 & 5) we’re asleep in their strollers by the first parade. DH was getting cranky because things weren’t going as he planned, we left right after the fireworks. I think if we ever do the party again to wait until the youngest is older. We had a better time with EMH the following night.

 

[HopperFan]

We are taking our kids (8, 5, 2) in October. The party tickets are pretty pricey, and this will be the first time that the kids have been at WDW. My husband and I feel pretty sure that we aren't going to do the party, but do you think I'll regret this? The kids scare pretty easily. I just don't want to miss out on magical memories!

I love it, I've been doing it since 2006,

but I vote for skip it. If they have never been to party, they won't know what they are missing. Wait until they are older, especially the youngest so that you can stay until the very end and get your monies worth. It is not uncrowded, it has gotten worse the last few years, it's not walk on rides like I once did .... I cut back to one party a year.

It's not scary .... but it's not the same as during the regular days. It is much darker in some places, with smoke and lighting. There are CMs like the quartet singers, HM CMs etc that are painted up zombie like, the parade has some characters that make it a "darker" parade unlike day parade. Fireworks and castle projections are all more villiany. Is it scary, to me not at all, but to some children it might be a bit on the dark side.

Use your money for something else special.

 

[GusGus77]

We love the Halloween party and are driving one way 17hrs just to go to the party and a water park then heading home. We love the party because we love being at the MK late and the Boo to You parade is our favorite parade. HOWEVER, for your first trip and with young kids and it sounds like they are not night owls (my kids could easily stay up until midnight at the age of 2), I would recommend skipping it. There is so much to see at Disney and honestly, you don’t know how the kids will react. They may crash at 7pm from exhaustion. You don’t want to spend that much extra money and have tired and cranky kids and have to leave at 7 or 8. Let it be something you can look forward to on your next trip! There will be plenty of fun Halloween decorations up during your visit to see!

 

[redheadk]

I had my 6 year old watch a clip of the parade from last year's party on YouTube and she did not like some of the characters at all. We aren't going. It's hard to not have a bit of FOMO about it since EVERYONE keeps asking if we are going but I'm happy with the overall structure of our trip. It's not really possible to do every single thing in one trip at WDW so I'm going to enjoy what we manage to do and let the rest go. I've chosen to view it as Disney offers lots of things to please lots of people but not everything is for everybody every time.

We did attend MVMCP when she was 2. I won't bother again until she's old enough to stay up later reliably. My sis stayed after DH and I left to take DD back to the hotel and had a blast riding Space Mountain 5 times in a row without exiting.

I think it will be fun to do when she's at that magic age where dressing up in a costume and trick-or-treating is still fun but not as acceptable in the "real" world AND she can stay up late. We'll try again in another 4-5 years.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Yes you will regret not doing it

 

[DisneyMaleficent50]

The party is fun not scary. My princess is a chicken but she loves this party and prefers it over Christmas party. If you can swing it i would definitely do a party. Remember to get a good nap in before you go even for the 8yr old. It is a long night....

 

[YesterDark]

I didn't notice your children's ages. At 5 and 2 your kids will be asleep 3 hours in to it most likely. If you don't mind dropping $100s of dollars for a few hours of entertainment, do it. Otherwise if you care about the $100 bills, skip it.

 

[nkereina]

Since we don't know about ticket sales either in the past or present, it's hard to say whether WDW is selling more than they used to.

The Dis Unplugged podcast quoted attendance data. It was something like a normal party was previously capped at 20,000 and the first party sold 30,000 tickets - those aren't the exact figures they quoted, I don't recall what they were, but its in the ballpark.

 

[indoshakespeare]

I would say do it because the rides will have shorter queues. dont plan to spend the morning in a park. go to disney springs or relax in the hotel then take an afternoon nap and be ready to go around 4 or 5.

 

[Selket]

If this is a once in a lifetime trip and you don't plan to return while your kids are still kids - then yes I'd do it - or if you're certain you wouldn't return in the Halloween party time period.

If you think you'll come back in a few years at Halloween time then I'd wait and do it another year. Another option could be to have one parent (the one who is the coolest and loves Halloween ) take the older child while other parent takes the younger ones to do something they consider to be awesome

 

[kjw42]

We went to the party last year with our 5 and 9 year old and they loved it. We dropped a day on the ticket package, slept in that morning and bummed around the resort until we could get into the park ( around 4pm I think). My kids are night owls so we made it to the end. It was the week before halloween and the crowds weren't too bad, especially as the night went on. I got to ride Space Mountain 3 times in a row, so that made for a happy mama! Then only thing my kids found scary was the haunted mansion, but they have always refused to go on that. I would go again, but I think it would only be worthwhile if your littles could make it through the night.

 

[Brandon Routt]

We are taking our kids (8, 5, 2) in October. The party tickets are pretty pricey, and this will be the first time that the kids have been at WDW. My husband and I feel pretty sure that we aren't going to do the party, but do you think I'll regret this? The kids scare pretty easily. I just don't want to miss out on magical memories!

I regret not taking my kids to the Christmas party a couple years ago. If your not sure when you will get back that time of year and can find the extra money I would do it

 

[Disneylover99]

I love, love, love, the Halloween party! I've been to two already this year, but for a first trip to WDW, with three young children and if money is an issue, no. I'd skip it, with zero regret.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

I love the party (we are going twice next month) but based on the ages of your kids (thinking of their stamina not the scariness...which is very tame...but even still at 5 the Headless Horseman was a thing of terror to me) I would suggest you will be fine not going. First trip and all, there will be plenty to see and memories to make around every corner with regular park tickets...and it is something to draw you back another year!

 

[MinnieMom85]

We were just there on 9/3 with our kids ages 7, 4 and 2. We were there from about 9 am - 5 pm and right around 4 lots of halloween people starting coming in. My kids didn't know anything different except mom and dad said it was time to go and we left.

I will say though that I missed that sweet ending with one of the night time shows. Its a magical end if your kids can stay up for a night time show. But there is no way I would pay for 5 tickets on their first trip.

 

[YesterDark]

Yeah for sure. Last time I did it was with very young kids (1 and 2.5) and we did a park day and the Halloween show. First thing I said after that it was a waste of money, but luckily both the kids were under 3 and we didn't have to pay for the park ticket. That was 3 years ago.

Now if I'm going to do a party again, it'll be party only that day, not a park day.

 

[SeeDisney]

if this is a once in a 5 year or 10 year vacation, then yes, I say you might regret it. It's one of the best hard ticketed parties. It's NOT scary at all. It's a fun filled atomsphere with the best parade and unique fireworks. I say you should GO! Check out youtube videos.