"Official" 2018 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - A Spooktacular Celebration!

[Pdollar88]

And THIS is why the Parties are overcrowded now.

I don’t think that’s quite fair. Disney is still in control of how many tickets are sold. I know that Disney is going to want to meet demand and make more money, but it’s not fair to blame crowded parties on someone choosing to go to two parties.

 

[grumpy28]

Thursday night called and had our Labor Day party switched to last night, due to what looks like some rainy weather/tropical wave. Had no problem doing that, they didn't even ask why I wanted to switch. Made for a looong day as we left NC yesterday morning at 4am, but it was sooooo worth it as the weather last night was perfect and now I don't have to spend all weekend obsessing over Mondays weather (as much ). If Labor dau ends up being nice weather we may buy Tix and go to that party too.

Anyways, on to last night.....Arrived at 6. Bypass was still open at 6:05, went through there. Got our candy, candy, candy!

Made our way to Cosmic Ray's for a muenster burger. Yum, yum delicious! Big and messy and they had plenty of straws.

Rode peoplemover. Kids favorite so wanted to make sure we did that first. Hubby and teen rode Astro orbiter. Not a long wait.

Hit up a ToT trail. Yes lines are long, but they move fast.

Went toStoryBook circus and rode Dumbo and Barnstormer. Both walk on. Bought a cauldron bucket at 7:30 near the Dumbo cart. 1 person in line.

Went to Big top and bought pins. 2 people in line. This was about about 7:32.

Made our way to Frontier land. 1st parade and fireworks were our priorities. I have little kids, so first parade was a must.

Hit up 2 photopass photogs. 2 groups ahead of us each time. Took all of 1 minute each time.

Did some ToT on the way there. Got our front row parade spot across from LTT at 8. Early, yes. But for my family it was priority #1. About 5 others had staked out spots within viewing distance by 8:15. By 8:30, more people but still some front row. By parade start acRoss from us was 4-5 deep, but on our side only 2-3 deep. Used our parade waiting time to tag team taking the kids to ToT. Bought a halloween popcorn pail. They had plenty of Oogie buckets at the stand near LTT even at 9. No fear of selling out. I'm not sure if they sold cauldron buckets there. Bought a zero sundae to eat while waiting. Yum.

Parade was awesome as usual. Though I hate the chicken float. So annoying.

Went to small world after parade. 5 minute wait. Hit up some ToT.

Watched fireworks from the carousel. Perfect view for my family and no fighting the madness of Main St.

Kids were losing steam. Naps in strollers are a God send.

Made our way to Pecos, ToT a bit. Shared a Hades nachos at 10:30. Tasty but not Hades hot at all. Muenster burger was better for hubby and I. Teen preferred nachos, but we all liked everything. Lines for food were 15 mins at both Cosmic Ray's and Pecos.

Hit up another photog, with sleeping kids. Teen and hubby hit up some ToT stations.

Headed to get our orangebird card from the firehouse at 11:20. No line. Main St parade crowds did not look horrible.

Crowds all night were not bad . You could walk without feeling like a sardine. Obviously right after the 1st parade there was some gridlock as people dispersed. Waited 5 mins and all was good.

Headed out at 11:23. Success! Happy family. Great memories. Don't be scared off from doing it.

 

[loki_d]

So we went to the party yesterday and it was interesting to say the least. I’ll go again next year but probably towards the end of October when the nights are cooler as it was just too humid last night and there were way too many people.

Honestly, we were kind of disappointed at how many people were there. We’ve done NYE at Disney many times and have experience with high level crowds so we thought this would be a more exclusive event with not crazy crowds but that wasn’t the case.

Did not try any of the food because we had so many issues with MDE app (lines were so long) and half the cast members not knowing about foods/merchandise was super frustrating.

Got there at 5:30 and the line for Sally and Jack was outrageous and not moving. I understand people wanting to take multiple pictures but so many people had large groups and were taking up tons of time splitting people up for additional pictures. So the character meet and greets looked cute but I couldn’t fathom wasting so much time waiting in line.

Parade was great, Hocus Pocus show was great although delayed. Hallowishes was just okay, fireworks were great but the castle show itself is very lackluster.

Otherwise it was fun and we are still laying in bed right now from exhaustion lol

 

[dachsie]

Thursday night called and had our Labor Day party switched to last night, due to what looks like some rainy weather/tropical wave. Had no problem doing that, they didn't even ask why I wanted to switch. Made for a looong day as we left NC yesterday morning at 4am, but it was sooooo worth it as the weather last night was perfect and now I don't have to spend all weekend obsessing over Mondays weather (as much ). If Labor dau ends up being nice weather we may buy Tix and go to that party too.

Anyways, on to last night.....Arrived at 6. Bypass was still open at 6:05, went through there. Got our candy, candy, candy!

Made our way to Cosmic Ray's for a muenster burger. Yum, yum delicious! Big and messy and they had plenty of straws.

Rode peoplemover. Kids favorite so wanted to make sure we did that first. Hubby and teen rode Astro orbiter. Not a long wait.

Hit up a ToT trail. Yes lines are long, but they move fast.

Went toStoryBook circus and rode Dumbo and Barnstormer. Both walk on. Bought a cauldron bucket at 7:30 near the Dumbo cart. 1 person in line.

Went to Big top and bought pins. 2 people in line. This was about about 7:32.

Made our way to Frontier land. 1st parade and fireworks were our priorities. I have little kids, so first parade was a must.

Hit up 2 photopass photogs. 2 groups ahead of us each time. Took all of 1 minute each time.

Did some ToT on the way there. Got our front row parade spot across from LTT at 8. Early, yes. But for my family it was priority #1. About 5 others had staked out spots within viewing distance by 8:15. By 8:30, more people but still some front row. By parade start acRoss from us was 4-5 deep, but on our side only 2-3 deep. Used our parade waiting time to tag team taking the kids to ToT. Bought a halloween popcorn pail. They had plenty of Oogie buckets at the stand near LTT even at 9. No fear of selling out. I'm not sure if they sold cauldron buckets there. Bought a zero sundae to eat while waiting. Yum.

Parade was awesome as usual. Though I hate the chicken float. So annoying.

Went to small world after parade. 5 minute wait. Hit up some ToT.

Watched fireworks from the carousel. Perfect view for my family and no fighting the madness of Main St.

Kids were losing steam. Naps in strollers are a God send.

Made our way to Pecos, ToT a bit. Shared a Hades nachos at 10:30. Tasty but not Hades hot at all. Muenster burger was better for hubby and I. Teen preferred nachos, but we all liked everything. Lines for food were 15 mins at both Cosmic Ray's and Pecos.

Hit up another photog, with sleeping kids. Teen and hubby hit up some ToT stations.

Headed to get our orangebird card from the firehouse at 11:20. No line. Main St parade crowds did not look horrible.

Crowds all night were not bad . You could walk without feeling like a sardine. Obviously right after the 1st parade there was some gridlock as people dispersed. Waited 5 mins and all was good.

Headed out at 11:23. Success! Happy family. Great memories. Don't be scared off from doing it.

You said Oogie Boogie buckets were by LTT - did you see them at the Dumbo one at 7:30?

 

[Rich M]

Pulled the trigger on the second party! Thanks for the input everyone. We are going 9/16 and 9/18 now. We decided we wanted to meet a lot more characters, so a second party is a good idea.

Congrats on getting to go to two parties. Weather you decided to go or not Disney would have sold the tickets so don't let anyone make you feel like your making the parties crowded.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thank you both for the feedback!
A few questions:
-Would it be possible to reserve our table at the Terrace at 8:45 then head to the parade spot by ourselves?
-Were there already people at the parade viewing area when you were escorted there?
-Did you happen to notice where the tables for two were being seated at the Terrace?

I can only answer based on my experience from 8/24. They may have tightened procedure since then, as there was still some confusion regarding seating times, etc. when we went.

On our night, we were second in line to enter the terrace and a CM escorted us to a table with a "reserved" sign. We were a party of 2 and could offer input as to where we wanted to sit. They were set up for rain that evening, so all of the tables, at that point, were under the terrace roof. We got a table by the railing (still covered), but with a slight tree obstruction. In hindsight, it wasn't the best table, but I felt a bit stressed at that point by the time constraint of finding a table, eating a little bit and then heading to the parade area. It was still lovely! We had some desserts (delicious!!) and then headed down Main St. to the flagpole at 9:15 pm (no CM's were escorting guests this evening. It sounds like, from reports, that may have changed since we went). By the time we got to the flagpole, the area directly facing the castle was already full, but the area facing Tony's all the way to the area facing Town Hall was virtually empty (we literally had a vast expanse of sidewalk all to ourselves). Certainly, a castle view would have been lovely, but our view and the amount of space we had was AMAZING! We got to the flagpole a bit before Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps made it to the area for their dance party and my DS10 joined in. The parade reached the hub around 9:35 pm (amazing and TONS of character interaction as we were the only people on one side of the parade). After the parade, a CM escorted us back through the bypass (their were 2 CM's and 2 lines - one for terrace guests and one for plaza guests). We walked right in and back to our table, but those who had not chosen their table yet were escorted in in the order they were standing in their line. By then, the terrace was quite full and they had pulled many tables next to the railing as the rain had stopped. I noticed, we were back at our table by 9:57 pm, so we still had about 20 minutes before the fireworks. Lesson learned for us, if they do the parade with the dessert party next year (and I hope they do!), you need to decide if your fireworks or your parade view are most important as, if you are seated first, you will, most likely not get a castle view for the parade and, if you go to the parade first to get that castle view, you probably won't be seated near the railing for the fireworks. In answer to your last question, there were tables for 2 scattered throughout the terrace with many right by the railing. All in all, the dessert party with parade viewing was the highlight of our night and I really hope they do it again next year! Enjoy!

 

[TNGirlwCamera]

You said Oogie Boogie buckets were by LTT - did you see them at the Dumbo one at 7:30?

What is LTT?

 

[pkondz]

What is LTT?

Liberty Tree Tavern

 

[JenK0108]

Thank you both for the feedback!
A few questions:
-Would it be possible to reserve our table at the Terrace at 8:45 then head to the parade spot by ourselves?

I think so, but they escort you back through the bypass so you avoid the traffic on Main Street
-Were there already people at the parade viewing area when you were escorted there?

There were maybe 10-20 people there. We sat on a bench facing the confectionery with an off-side view is main street and no castle view. When the parade passed DH stayed on the bench and DD and I sat/stood at the curb . DH got lots of interaction from characters. We were happy with our spot.

-Did you happen to notice where the tables for two were being seated at the Terrace?

Most tables of two seemed to be by the rail. We were three so we were seated one row back, but they let us choose among available tables. Our view was very slightly obstructed by the overhang, but you could also walk closer to the entrance to the party and stand along the rail for a completely unobstructed view.

Overall the experience was OK and worth it for us for the reserved parade view. I personally would not have found it worth if for the desserts and fireworks viewing alone. YMMV

 

[monique5]

Only two weeks late! LOL
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...alloween-party/?CMP=SOC-DPFY18Q4wo0830180022A

Ha! Saw this when I got home last night. I guess better late than never.

 

[ksromack]

It really stinks we cannot order this merchandise and have them shipped to our home or pick them up. Having a WDW resort, park tickets and party tickets paid in full, Disney should set up some kind of system. They're so advanced on knowing our business, taking our photos and finger prints blah, blah, blah and they can't figure how to to this? Please!

I agree!

Watched fireworks from the carousel. Perfect view for my family and no fighting the madness of Main St.

Crowds all night were not bad . You could walk without feeling like a sardine. Obviously right after the 1st parade there was some gridlock as people dispersed. Waited 5 mins and all was good.

Headed out at 11:23. Success! Happy family. Great memories. Don't be scared off from doing it.

Sounds like you had a great time! Our last party (not this year) it rained a ton but didn't damper our spirits at all.....

So we went to the party yesterday and it was interesting to say the least. I’ll go again next year but probably towards the end of October when the nights are cooler as it was just too humid last night and there were way too many people.

Got there at 5:30 and the line for Sally and Jack was outrageous and not moving. I understand people wanting to take multiple pictures but so many people had large groups and were taking up tons of time splitting people up for additional pictures. So the character meet and greets looked cute but I couldn’t fathom wasting so much time waiting in line.

To see J&S you really need to be in line first thing. I don't think I would even attempt the line that late in the game

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Does anyone know why the Headless Horseman was cancelled at the first parade on this Tuesday's party? We were waiting out the rain in our room at the Poly, left on the monorail as it was fizzling out, and got into the park at around 8:15 and started working our way back towards Frontierland. We were lining the parade route a little after 8:30 - I saw cast members with big squeegees mopping down the street in front of Pecos Bill's, but it honestly didn't seem that wet - the wooden boardwalks in Frontierland were much more slippery. I even saw a cast member walk by with the horse pooper-scooper shovel, but then the parade started at 9:15 and I realized the horse and rider had not shown up.

Just wondering - I guess they were worried the horse would slip on wet roads? No big deal, we saw his cartoon counterpart when we were trick-or-treating in Mickey's Philharmagic.

The horse slid and fell in the past so they're very careful now. No one was hurt, including the horse of course.

Thursday night called and had our Labor Day party switched to last night, due to what looks like some rainy weather/tropical wave. Had no problem doing that, they didn't even ask why I wanted to switch. Made for a looong day as we left NC yesterday morning at 4am, but it was sooooo worth it as the weather last night was perfect and now I don't have to spend all weekend obsessing over Mondays weather (as much ). If Labor dau ends up being nice weather we may buy Tix and go to that party too.

Anyways, on to last night.....Arrived at 6. Bypass was still open at 6:05, went through there. Got our candy, candy, candy!

Made our way to Cosmic Ray's for a muenster burger. Yum, yum delicious! Big and messy and they had plenty of straws.

Rode peoplemover. Kids favorite so wanted to make sure we did that first. Hubby and teen rode Astro orbiter. Not a long wait.

Hit up a ToT trail. Yes lines are long, but they move fast.

Went toStoryBook circus and rode Dumbo and Barnstormer. Both walk on. Bought a cauldron bucket at 7:30 near the Dumbo cart. 1 person in line.

Went to Big top and bought pins. 2 people in line. This was about about 7:32.

Made our way to Frontier land. 1st parade and fireworks were our priorities. I have little kids, so first parade was a must.

Hit up 2 photopass photogs. 2 groups ahead of us each time. Took all of 1 minute each time.

Did some ToT on the way there. Got our front row parade spot across from LTT at 8. Early, yes. But for my family it was priority #1. About 5 others had staked out spots within viewing distance by 8:15. By 8:30, more people but still some front row. By parade start acRoss from us was 4-5 deep, but on our side only 2-3 deep. Used our parade waiting time to tag team taking the kids to ToT. Bought a halloween popcorn pail. They had plenty of Oogie buckets at the stand near LTT even at 9. No fear of selling out. I'm not sure if they sold cauldron buckets there. Bought a zero sundae to eat while waiting. Yum.

Parade was awesome as usual. Though I hate the chicken float. So annoying.

Went to small world after parade. 5 minute wait. Hit up some ToT.

Watched fireworks from the carousel. Perfect view for my family and no fighting the madness of Main St.

Kids were losing steam. Naps in strollers are a God send.

Made our way to Pecos, ToT a bit. Shared a Hades nachos at 10:30. Tasty but not Hades hot at all. Muenster burger was better for hubby and I. Teen preferred nachos, but we all liked everything. Lines for food were 15 mins at both Cosmic Ray's and Pecos.

Hit up another photog, with sleeping kids. Teen and hubby hit up some ToT stations.

Headed to get our orangebird card from the firehouse at 11:20. No line. Main St parade crowds did not look horrible.

Crowds all night were not bad . You could walk without feeling like a sardine. Obviously right after the 1st parade there was some gridlock as people dispersed. Waited 5 mins and all was good.

Headed out at 11:23. Success! Happy family. Great memories. Don't be scared off from doing it.

Thank you! Detailed reports with times are the best. Just wanted to let you know that your time writing that out is very appreciated.

 

[Dawn00]

Thank you both for the feedback!
A few questions:
-Would it be possible to reserve our table at the Terrace at 8:45 then head to the parade spot by ourselves?
-Were there already people at the parade viewing area when you were escorted there?
-Did you happen to notice where the tables for two were being seated at the Terrace?

Yes, seems would be possible to reserve table and then go yourself. They have a sign at the parade viewing to designate the area. There were maybe 15 people at parade viewing when we got there - they had taken a group over before us. Most tables for two were next to the railing.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Does anyone know why the Headless Horseman was cancelled at the first parade on this Tuesday's party? We were waiting out the rain in our room at the Poly, left on the monorail as it was fizzling out, and got into the park at around 8:15 and started working our way back towards Frontierland. We were lining the parade route a little after 8:30 - I saw cast members with big squeegees mopping down the street in front of Pecos Bill's, but it honestly didn't seem that wet - the wooden boardwalks in Frontierland were much more slippery. I even saw a cast member walk by with the horse pooper-scooper shovel, but then the parade started at 9:15 and I realized the horse and rider had not shown up.

Just wondering - I guess they were worried the horse would slip on wet roads? No big deal, we saw his cartoon counterpart when we were trick-or-treating in Mickey's Philharmagic.

The horse actually used to slowly canter down the route. They went in some damp conditions and it slipped and went down. Since then they seem to have been much more vigilant about conditions and of course also slowed to a trot but if it did stumble or startle at something then wet conditions could make recovery difficult or impossible and cause another fall. They have to make the call on it at some point so while it might have managed to dry out by the actual time there probably was some doubt so they pulled it for safety concerns.

And THIS is why the Parties are overcrowded now.

I think nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

 

[jessishante]

Hi everyone! I've been reading the boards for awhile but this is my first time posting.

We decided to go to last night's party to celebrate my son's birthday.

We got to the park at 4:30 and used our two fastpasses at Big Thunder and the Barnstormer.

We then popped into a store to get a birthday button when a CM told us to hold off on trick or treating until the end because they have to get rid of all of their candy each night.

My kids aren't concerned with the characters or parades since they've seen them before so we hit the rides and trails.

We caught Big Thunder two more times with a wait time of less than 5 minutes so we walked on both times. We were also able to walk right onto Space Mountain, Buzz, Dumbo, the Teacups, the PeopleMover, and the Haunted Mansion.

We knew that the kids wouldn't last until midnight so we started to hit the ToT trails. Several lines inside split off and they would put strollers and wheelchairs in one line. This allowed us to go through several lines many times before others could get through once.

We ended up leaving with two school backpacks full of candy.

All in all the crowds were not bad and we never really bumped into anyone. It also rained for about 15 minutes but that didn't change the atmosphere. We had a lot of fun and my kids were okay with us leaving right after the fireworks.

 

[Livelovedance]

@Livelovedance I found the Pumpkin Mickey Button Prop! This is what you were talking about right?

View attachment 347400

I've listed all the ones you mentioned on the Magic Shot Thread could you please go there and confirm locations? We would so appreciate it, Thank you!

MNSSHP Magic Shot Link: Post #10

Photo Props: Party Frames, Bulbs & Buttons
View attachment 347397

Photo Frame: Bypass
Happy Halloween Bulb: Bypass
Mickey Blub: Next to the water, across from Country Bears in Frontierland, will take photo with fireworks.

Boo To You Parade Button:
Hocus Pocus Caldron Button:
Hocus Pocus Sanderson Sisters Button:
25th Years of Hocus Pocus Button: Bypass

Pumpkin Mickey Button:

Yes that’s it! I’m not sure if the buttons are in a set location during the party, but while we were waiting for the first parade at the first party along Main Street we saw numerous PhotoPass photographers walking down Main Street with the Boo to You Parade, Hocus Pocus Sanderson Sisters, and Pumpkin Mickey buttons. If you were waiting along Main Street you could stop them and get your photo taken with it!

 

[Best Aunt]

Does anybody remember when the dates were announced for MNSSHP 2018? I know the day that tickets went on sale (03/19/18) but I didn't make a note of whether we knew the party dates before that.

Yes, I'm already thinking about next year, and I blame each and every one of you for getting me hooked on the MNSSHP. This year was my first time, and I want to go back if the first party next year ends up being on Friday Aug. 16.

I would going to Disney after a convention in another state, as I did this year, so the planning gets complicated. I'm DVC, so that makes planning even more complicated because of the banking/borrowing/cancellation rules.

 

[Love Tink]

I don’t think that’s quite fair. Disney is still in control of how many tickets are sold. I know that Disney is going to want to meet demand and make more money, but it’s not fair to blame crowded parties on someone choosing to go to two parties.

Congrats on getting to go to two parties. Weather you decided to go or not Disney would have sold the tickets so don't let anyone make you feel like your making the parties crowded.

You are missing the point. It isn’t about the person who bought two tickets.

It is about Disney knowing that if it allows the parties to be so crowded that an attendee can’t possibly do most of the entertainment and attractions...people will buy tickets to two parties.

It’s a criticism of this business model, which is disappointing to many long-time fans.

 

[FoxC63]

Made our way to Cosmic Ray's for a muenster burger. Yum, yum delicious! Big and messy and they had plenty of straws.

Hit up 2 photopass photogs. 2 groups ahead of us each time. Took all of 1 minute each time.


Hit up another photog, with sleeping kids. Teen and hubby hit up some ToT stations.

Headed to get our orangebird card from the firehouse at 11:20. No line. Main St parade crowds did not look horrible.

This sounds like a perfect night for sure! Have a few questions hopefully you can answer:

• How did you pay for the Muenster Smash Burger?
• What photos did you have taken & where were the locations?
• Did you go inside the firehouse or was someone outside with the SotMK card?

Thank you so much for your time!

 

[Livelovedance]

Regarding Popcorn Buckets



I know you posted this a bit ago but I wanted to point out to everyone that according to Disney Parks Blog:

"All Walt Disney World Resort 2018 Halloween Premium and Base Popcorn Buckets are refillable during your length of stay for $1.75 per refill. Walt Disney World Resort 2018 Halloween Travel Mugs are refillable during your length of stay."

So if you are told otherwise at any WDW park show them this:

Disney Parks Blog Link: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/08/novelty-guide-to-halloween-2018-at-disney-parks/

Cauldron Premium Popcorn Bucket / Happy Halloween 2018 Popcorn Base Bucket
View attachment 347405

From my understanding, that is a Specialty bucket. We have never been successful getting those refilled. I would still try as the verbiage states PREMIUM and BASE.

Very interesting! We ended up not buying a bucket (we already had a regular one for the trip, and don't need too many sitting around the house!), but we specifically waited in line at guest services in Hollywood Studios for this answer. Idk how many of you have waited in guest services at Hollywood Studios, but standing in line in the hot sun is NO FUN lol. I wasn't 100% confident in the answer we received, but I thought if she specifically called Magic Kingdom we should have decent information. It's a shame that there isn't consistency... Oh well, thanks for the information! I hope it is helpful to others here!

OK, ours were awful. I can't remember if there are windows in that room but we were there in March so it would have been dark outside; maybe in the summer there is extra light in the room if it is still light outside? I know we're not the only ones who have commented on the photo quality being bad.

I don't remember if there are windows either, but I definitely agree that it's a dark and small room. I feel like with PhotoPass it's really a YMMV experience. We've had outdoor photos come out horrible! We tend to take a lot of photos (as long as the lines aren't long) throughout the trip to ensure that we get a decent amount of good ones at the end of the trip!