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

[K&T]

I’m sorry to hear that yesterday’s party was such a mixed experience.

Would you take someone to MNSSHP as their first ever time in MK? I have tickets to take my nieces (9 & 14) on the arrival evening of their first ever trip to WDW, which seemed like a great idea when I bought them. However, as I’m reading more detailed party experiences, I’m having a nagging doubt that I can’t quite identify. After the party, they will have 3 full days in WDW, 2 of which are also party nights. The night in question is late October, the week before Halloween.

Am I making a mistake in having this be their introduction to WDW and MK?

If your nieces would like to ride as much as possible without waits, then MNSSHP would probably still be a good choice. I don't know how much worse the crowds will be a week before Halloween, but when we went on Sunday, we walked right on to almost every single ride. Also, the park is so much less hot at night without the sun beating down on you. Might be a nice introduction to Disney for them. I would have really enjoyed it if I was 9 or 14. Heck, I really enjoyed it at 42. Get FastPasses for Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise as soon as you buy the tickets, and then get to MK by 4:00 so you can get in as quickly as possible. Jungle Cruise isn't open past 6:00, and Haunted Mansion is a great way to get them in the Halloween mood. If they want to do Haunted Mansion again later, especially to see the actors on the lawn during the wait in line, then there should be time to do it again and will probably still be a shorter wait than during a regular day.

I think they would love the trick-or-treating, too. Unless they are huge fans of some of the characters that are appearing for the party only, I wouldn't subject them to those ridiculously long waits for meet & greets. Rides and treats are the way to go.

Wishing you great weather the night you are there!

 

[FoxC63]

The common thing I keep hearing with trip reports is that the party is getting more and more crowded and people are complaining that they sale too many tickets. Would everyone be more happy if they raised the prices and allowed less people in?

Not only did they raise ticket prices but they're also selling more tickets.

 

[sjs314]

It may be the last one we do for awhile - we did have fun, to be sure, but it didn't feel like an "exclusive" event until after Hallowishes ended and most of the crowd left.

I am really worried about the crowds when we attend October 30, next to last party do the crowds normally always drop after HalloWishes since many people leave?
If this is the case on most evenings I may stop worrying so much.

 

[FoxC63]

Sorry for the delay...

Big kudos to everyone for posting information about your party. We all appreciate your observations Character time frames and hearing what worked and didn't work. It's all relevant, thank you!

Sunday, Sept 9:
@Pdollar88 , @Nhebron , @AcusTwinhammer , @K&T , @RJstanis and @Horizons-1

Tuesday, Sept. 11:
@jessicag13 , @funkyspunky871 , @Happyinwonerland , @sweetyk83 , @ILoveMyDVC , @switch15foot

 

[RJstanis]

I am really worried about the crowds when we attend October 30, next to last party do the crowds normally always drop after HalloWishes since many people leave?
If this is the case on most evenings I may stop worrying so much.

This has been my experience with every party I have gone to, both Halloween and Christmas parties (with the exception of the one we left after Wishes lol). Nothing is ever a guarantee, but I always feel a stark difference in crowds after Wishes. That's why I typically bite the bullet and go against what the "blogs" say in going to the 2nd parade, and attend the first parade instead. I'd much rather take advantage of the smaller crowds for that last hour and a half-ish on rides, characters, etc, than attending the less crowded 2nd parade.

 

[Disneylover99]

I am really worried about the crowds when we attend October 30, next to last party do the crowds normally always drop after HalloWishes since many people leave?
If this is the case on most evenings I may stop worrying so much.

My experience is that most crowds stay til midnight, but I think my experiences are skewed due to rain. If it’s rainy during the first parade, many will stick it out for the second parade, and since the second parade doesn’t start til 11:15, everyone is pretty much there til midnight. I think later crowds are probably weather dependent.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

This has been my experience with every party I have gone to, both Halloween and Christmas parties (with the exception of the one we left after Wishes lol). Nothing is ever a guarantee, but I always feel a stark difference in crowds after Wishes. That's why I typically bite the bullet and go against what the "blogs" say in going to the 2nd parade, and attend the first parade instead. I'd much rather take advantage of the smaller crowds for that last hour and a half-ish on rides, characters, etc, than attending the less crowded 2nd parade.

That's what I always shout to the rooftops now. First parade all the way. So many short character lines during that 11 pm early hour.

A lot of the time you have to line up pretty early for the second parade anyway (unless you get a lucky low attendance party).

 

[FoxC63]

I am really worried about the crowds when we attend October 30, next to last party do the crowds normally always drop after HalloWishes since many people leave?
If this is the case on most evenings I may stop worrying so much.

I think @Cluelyss sums it up perfectly "A sold out party will still be less crowded than a busy day in MK." Having a solid plan helps immensely.

 

[Dean1953]

The FPs for characters during the party really would be such a good idea.

One FP per MNSSHP ticket and you can make that selection as soon as you buy the ticket, even if that’s the first day that tickets are sold in March. Preferably, in the case of Jack and Sally, 7 dwarves, Moana and Pooh, the FP would also give your place in line, which would also depend on how quickly you bought your ticket. It would be a win-win for both the customer and Disney, with Disney selling a lot more advance tickets. The downside would be the wait in line for people that didn’t have FP’s. Maybe Disney would consider having the more popular top 4 or 5 Meet and Greets indoors, with multiple Jack and Sally, 7 dwarves, etc. meeting in different areas of the building,

 

[RJstanis]

My experience is that most crowds stay til midnight, but I think my experiences are skewed due to rain. If it’s rainy during the first parade, many will stick it out for the second parade, and since the second parade doesn’t start til 11:15, everyone is pretty much there til midnight. I think later crowds are probably weather dependent.

I agree, but crowds still dropped for me this past Sunday evening even with the rain. I walked on Buzz, rode Space twice (granted we got some love with 2nd ride, so I didnt have to walk back around), took a 15 min snack/drink break, met Goofy, Donald/Daisy, and Minnie, and I think 2 trick or treat stations all at a snail's pace. No way I could do that before Wishes. There was still alot of people in the hub area for Hocus Pocus, but Tomorrowland and New Fantasyland was as close to ghost town as you can get.

Granted, this was a Sunday party so it's less likely people will burn the midnight oil than they would on say a Friday party, especially the Florida locals, due to work and school the next day. So I'm sure that played a hand in my favor too.

 

[Pdollar88]

Disney is clearly selling more tickets than it used to for the parties, though they'll never admit it. We did the party on Friday, 9/7, and it was pretty full compared to the crowd levels across WDW that week. The parks were generally low crowds in my opinion, but the party certainly wasn't. It wasn't as bad as the one we did on Halloween night a few years back, but it was much busier than expected. It may be the last one we do for awhile - we did have fun, to be sure, but it didn't feel like an "exclusive" event until after Hallowishes ended and most of the crowd left.

I didn’t feel like the 9/7 party was that crowded! Except around the Hub, I suppose.

But I stayed on the outskirts doing meets, attractions. Viewed the parade from Frontierland no issue, saw the fireworks from the side of the Hub. I was also solo.

Everyone can definitely have different opinions of the event. That’s why I’m glad we’re all sharing them for folks to read. You can get a multi-faceted view of the parties.

 

[jvalic33]

I’m sorry to hear that yesterday’s party was such a mixed experience.

Would you take someone to MNSSHP as their first ever time in MK? I have tickets to take my nieces (9 & 14) on the arrival evening of their first ever trip to WDW, which seemed like a great idea when I bought them. However, as I’m reading more detailed party experiences, I’m having a nagging doubt that I can’t quite identify. After the party, they will have 3 full days in WDW, 2 of which are also party nights. The night in question is late October, the week before Halloween.

Am I making a mistake in having this be their introduction to WDW and MK?

There are some advantages to going in October that current people probably aren't experiencing. First, it is usually cooler in October so that make it more enjoyable/bearable (despite the larger crowds these years). Also there is much less rain in October. I have gone to a party in October for the last 6 years and not once did it rain, so in my opinion, that's a huge plus when you're paying lots of money and it's someone's first time and you're really hoping all the rides remain open. While I am not going this year, I am still missing it, hence why I'm reading these posts because in the back of my mind, I keep wondering..should we or shouldn't we. The atmosphere is amazing, the lights, the decorations, the parade music that will stay in your head for the rest of your life. Also, I think older kids will really love getting a chance to see the Disney Villains that aren't there on regular days.

I think the majority of the criticisms here are mostly from repeat party goers that have gotten used to a certain type of experience, like myself, but for a newbie, I think they will absolutely LOVE it! Plus, they are older, so you can stay until the very end and really take advantage of when things start to clear out when the families with little kids like me start heading home.

I wouldn't cancel. Wait until you hear some of the October feedback. Right now it's so hot and humid that you can't help but get some cranky feedback. I'm cranky just checking out the weather in Orlando these last few days.

 

[Rich M]

Not only did they raise ticket prices but they're also selling more tickets.

Yeah it sucks but again they get it and its more packed then ever so wouldn't you do that also if you owned the business?

 

[cakebaker]

I'm in the 2nd parade crowd. We can streamline watching fireworks, p

Yeah it sucks but again they get it and its more packed then ever so wouldn't you do that also if you owned the business?

That's the problem in a nutshell. People don't like the increased crowds, but the only thing that will fix that is for ticket sales to go down. I thought they were too crowded years ago and we quit doing both MNSSHP and MVMCP. I had hoped there were more like me, but apparently not. We're back to going this year but only because this is a special trip for me and my grandson and he really wanted to go. But I'll be back on the wagon after this. As long as people continue to buy tickets, they're not going to change.There's plenty of room in that wagon....

 

[Haley R]

One FP per MNSSHP ticket and you can make that selection as soon as you buy the ticket, even if that’s the first day that tickets are sold in March. Preferably, in the case of Jack and Sally, 7 dwarves, Moana and Pooh, the FP would also give your place in line, which would also depend on how quickly you bought your ticket. It would be a win-win for both the customer and Disney, with Disney selling a lot more advance tickets. The downside would be the wait in line for people that didn’t have FP’s. Maybe Disney would consider having the more popular top 4 or 5 Meet and Greets indoors, with multiple Jack and Sally, 7 dwarves, etc. meeting in different areas of the building,

Those are all pretty good ideas. I'm not sure if they would be able to give you a place in line. I think it would probably give you the hour time frame to show up and it would be basically like the FPs that they have now. I could see some people getting so ticked that they didn't know about getting a FP for characters lol, but I already see that with rides. Poor planning on someone's part.

 

[SquashBanana]

I like the FP for characters idea. I envision a tiered system like at HS, EP, and AK where you could choose one Tier 1 M&G (Jack/Sally, Moana, 7 Dwarves, possibly Pooh & Friends) and one Tier 2 M&G for less popular characters that still have considerable waits. Perhaps the 3rd FP could be used for a ride. As great as the idea sounds, it probably won't happen in the foreseeable future because Disney IT can barely keep their existing system functional (looking at you MDE app) and I would imagine this would be a pretty big project.

 

[SquashBanana]

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Orlando for this Friday's 9/14 party and I feel like I'm cramming for a final exam lol! I thought I read an earlier post that mentioned Alice and Hatter taking a break around 7:30ish. My current plan to get in line around 6:30 for Queen/Tweedles and immediately get in line for Alice/Hatter afterwards. What are the chances I meet Alice and Hatter before their first break?

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I can't offer much on timing from my party (8/28) because the rain really threw everything off but here's some photos! We look like drowned rats in most of them because of standing in Jack and Sally's line in the rain for hours but we made the best of it!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

 

[AngiTN]

Love your pics!.

We are going to a 2nd party, on 10/9. I had planned on doing EMM at MK and EMM at HS but DH and I talked and we decided that between the two, MNSSHP and EMM at MK, we'd rather do the party again. I think we get a lot more out of it. Plus, I left half of DH's costume at home last week. So round 2 I'll get his right, dang it. We'll still do EMM at HS too

I don't understand the complaints. We are still at the party and it has been fun. The rain was minor and over pretty quickly. The trick or treat trails have dwindled, so not long lines. We skipped the early parade in favor of the 11:15 one. Currently in line for Moana. It is a bit long but I expected that. I don't understand what people expected, the crowds are low -ish and many rides are
walk ons.

My jaw dropped at the complaints related to the weather to be honest.
Folks, you can't go around buying tickets to things at Disney and then go about complaining if the event you bought a ticket to is rained on.
Yeah, it sucks. I know, I've had events rained on. Namely a Dessert Party and rain that started and was so bad by the time we could get to the park, the party was over. It wasn't Disney's fault so yeah, we had to blow off the tickets, because that's the way it works. Disney doesn't owe me a refund because Mother Nature stormed so badly we couldn't make it.
It's a gamble you make when you make the decision to buy the ticket. What's the new phrase these days, Suck it up Buttercup?
Rain is a fact of life at Disney. If you know you aren't going to enjoy an event, or rain will dampen the experience so much it isn't worth it, whatever it is, then you probably ought not buy the ticket in the first place.
Wanna know one of the many reasons why Disney offers less and less these days, one of them is folks who go in to complain that they need a refund from rain (when they have a ticket that says it's rain or shine).
I know some will say it's too harsh and maybe it is. But sorry, it's the truth too. Even if it's not what you want to hear.