"Official" 2019 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - A Frightfully Festive Celebration

[MonaMN]

It seems like quite a few of us on the Dis, myself included, will be there tonight. I was at this same party last year and it wasn't crowded at all, so I am curious to see how different tonight will be, I will let everyone know.

We are going tonight too - will try to report back afterwards!

 

[MommaBerd]

We'll be in Orlando Oct 7-11 and looking to go to a party either Tues or Thurs. Weather shows a 30%-50% chance of rain Tues and 30%-40% chance Thurs, depending on which forecast I look at. I realize it's still far out, but I am anxious to purchase tickets so I can arrange some fast passes and to make sure we get them in case of a sell out. Which date would you pick? And, should I pick Today or wait until Tuesday (which is the next chance I'll have to buy)?

Undercover Tourist is now showing 10/8 sold out too (day we're going), if it follows the 10/1 pattern then the official website should show it sold out within a day.

@curseofcurves - My Family will be there that week and my plan was to wait to purchase our tickets once we were closer to our trip or even once we got down there. But now, I’m nervous about a sell-out on the 8th, which is our preferred date, especially with @golex’s report. So, we will probably purchase them today.

 

[cakebaker]

We’re headed to the party tonight. I fully expect a miserably crowded party. We’re going to find a spot to watch the parade, fireworks and show as soon as we arrive and just trade in out trying to do a few things. We’ll make the best of it, but it’s definitely my last party. We’re going to stick with DAH’s from now on- or at least till they start over selling those too.

 

[gillep]

In MK we are DVC so we got our wristbands early. Not too bad as far as crowds...yet. Using our Peter Pan FP then probably back up to get our sorcerers cards and go through the bypass. If you see Russel with a Kevin in a tutu with beak headpiece say hi, I am Kevin!

 

[gillep]

FYI it is 3:25 and seven dwarves is closed.

 

[gillep]

It is 4:24 we rode Peter Pan with our FP, bought Halloween party merchandise at Big Top, walked through the Main Street shops, got our Sorcerers cards, went through the bypass, got pictures in front of the castle, used our Mansion FP and are now in a 20min line for Pirates, so far so good! Everyone keeps yelling ‘Kevin’ at me!!!!

 

[gillep]

It is 6:15, we finished Pirates which was a much shorter wait than posted, tried Jungle Cruise but that was obviously a much longer line than posted so we bailed. Got water at Caseys and used our Space FP. Rode The Peoplemover then Little Mermaid, now we are on Small World and Peter Pan only has a 25 minute wait.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

So, the last 4 parties have sold out.

Anyone have reports from Friday's (Sept 27) party? Anyone going tonight? Curious to know if Disney is perhaps holding back spaces based on how many party passes have sold...

We were at the MNSSHP Friday night 9/27 and it was absolutely miserable. We've done these parties in the past and never, and I mean NEVER was it this crowded. We had heard tickets were limited to 30,000, but with the selling of the passes for residents (or very frequent visitors) to go to every party (even allowing access to sold out parties) it made this really unpleasant. We will not be repeating any of these seasonal events in the future if Disney wants to continue to sell those passes. To say something is " a limited ticket event" but then allow masses of extra people in when it is already considered "sold out" makes it no longer "limited". I don't believe any comments regarding them "selling less tickets in order to accommodate the passes" or any of that propaganda based on what we experienced either.

We've been to MK during all different times of year and this party was more crowded than even regular busy days at MK. They were making announcements asking for volunteers with the passes to leave (yeah right!!) due to it being so crowded. It wasn't even so much the wait times as just trying to make your way across the park, enjoy the parade, get candy, or be in the hub. People were frustrated, nasty, and it was hot so that didn't help the overall mood of the guests. We really felt that the difference was likely all the people that had purchased the passes and were granted admission even with the party being sold out. Even the cast members were commenting on this being an issue and seemed frustrated. Long, long, long, lines at the treat stations. HM had a 50 min wait at 9pm which was right before the parade so the masses sitting and waiting for the parade and watching the shows in the hub didn't even help ease the lines. Needless to say it was very disappointing for us and we ended up just leaving at about 10pm, total waste of money. Additionally, people were still entering the party when we were leaving at 10, and clearly those are not people that paid for a one time event. We had originally planned on waiting for the people with the young kids to leave and ease the crowds a bit, but after seeing all the people still heading in, we were glad we didn't.

Not that it will do any good, but I plan to write Disney and let them know that calling this event a "limited ticket event" is false advertising. Going forward we will use our Extra Magic Hours (we were able to do everything using these!) or splurge for one of the actual limited ticket events rather than do any of the seasonal parties. If anyone is planning on doing the MVMCP this year I would wait to see if they announce a similar unlimited party pass again before spending money on the tickets.

No blame at all placed on the people that have the tickets, it's an awesome deal for them and if I lived there I would buy it too, but this is just a warning for anyone that is only getting one opportunity for the party, especially anyone that is using the party as the only visit to MK during their trip, or thinking of saving a day's ticket cost by buying the party ticket. I'm sure there were many who enjoyed the party and don't agree with my assessment (though I have no idea how you could argue it), and that's fine, but this party is not what it has been in the past. IYou can see it for yourself if you go on youtube and search for MNSSHP crowd levels, or view any of the live streams listed on the sold out dates.

 

[vinotinto]

They were making announcements asking for volunteers with the passes to leave (yeah right) due to it being so crowded.

Wow! What were they offering for the Party Passholders to leave? That’s crazy!

 

[theHEN]

Just found out our party date is sold out. October 1st. This is my first year taking my kids without my husband. I'm disabled and my son though 21 is high functioning autistic and does not drive. My daughter is 10. Would it be absolutely ridiculous of me to cancel our party tickets and hotel reservation at this point? I'm really panicking about how we can go do this AND have a good time with the high crowd level. We always avoid MK because if the horrible crowds. Our interests will be the Hocus pocus show, the parade, candy, and a few rides. I want so badly to take them but I'm freaking out!
Please talk me down!

 

[FoxC63]

We were there Friday night 9/27 and it was absolutely miserable.
I plan to write Disney...

Wow! I'm so sorry you went through this. I'm glad you plan on writing Disney. All that you posted here should definitely be included.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

Wow! What were they offering for the Party Passholders to leave? That’s crazy!

Lol nothing that we heard of, that's why it didn't help at all!

 

[AliceandPete]

We were there Friday night 9/27 and it was absolutely miserable. We've done these parties in the past and never, and I mean NEVER was it this crowded. We had heard tickets were limited to 30,000, but with the selling of the passes for residents to go to every party (even allowing access to sold out parties) it made this really unpleasant. We will not be repeating any of these events in the future if Disney wants to continue to sell those passes. To say something is " a limited ticket event" but then allow masses of extra people in when it is sold out makes it no longer "limited". We've been to MK during all different times of year and this party was more crowded than even some regular busy days at MK. They were making announcements asking for volunteers with the passes to leave (yeah right) due to it being so crowded. It wasn't even so much the wait times as just trying to make your way across the park, enjoy the parade or be in the hub. People were frustrated, nasty, and it was hot so that didn't help the overall enjoyment. We really felt that the difference was likely all the people that had purchased the passes and were granted admission even with the party being sold out. Even the cast members were commenting on this being an issue and seemed frustrated. Long, long, long, lines at the treat stations. HM had a 50 min wait at 9pm which was right before the parade so the masses sitting and waiting for the parade and watching the shows in the hub didn't even help ease the lines. Needless to say it was very disappointing for us and we ended up just leaving at about 10pm, and people were still arriving for the party. Not that it will do any good, but I plan to write Disney and let them know that calling this event a "limited ticket event" is false advertising. Going forward we will use our Extra Magic Hours or splurge for one of the actual limited ticket events rather than do any of the seasonal parties. If anyone is planning on doing the MVMCP this year I would wait to see if they announce a similar multi ticket pass again before spending money on the tickets.

That’s terrible.
I would be politely but firmly asking for a refund and taking it up the chain if I had to. I completely agree that selling people a pass to a “Sold Out” event is ludicrous. I can’t blame locals for taking advantage of the pass at all.. it’s a great deal. But if it significantly reduces the enjoyment of the one party I had to pay full price for , people need to be asking for their money back. When they are asking for volunteer party pass holders to leave ..it’s way out of hand.

 

[AliceandPete]

Just found out our party date is sold out. October 1st. This is my first year taking my kids without my husband. I'm disabled and my son though 21 is high functioning autistic and does not drive. My daughter is 10. Would it be absolutely ridiculous of me to cancel our party tickets and hotel reservation at this point? I'm really panicking about how we can go do this AND have a good time with the high crowd level. We always avoid MK because if the horrible crowds. Our interests will be the Hocus pocus show, the parade, candy, and a few rides. I want so badly to take them but I'm freaking out!
Please talk me down!

I would hate to tell you not to go and I think with a solid plan and managed expectations you could do the things you are looking forward to. But I don’t know if the nature of your disability or your sons autism would make the crowding a big issue for you or unsafe in any way. I hope you are able to go . Maybe we could all come up with tips for you guys to make the most of your party to-do list ? We could try

 

[Chisoxcollector]

So, the last 4 parties have sold out.

Anyone have reports from Friday's (Sept 27) party? Anyone going tonight? Curious to know if Disney is perhaps holding back spaces based on how many party passes have sold...

We went on the 27th. It was our 6th party this year, and probably our 20th over the last 7-8 years. It was by far the busiest party we've ever attended. However, we had a great time. We found if you timed things right you could experience relatively short waits. We did the Pooh and Friends M&G with a 30 minute wait right after the fireworks. The Tiana and Rapunzel M&G had a 40 minute posted wait, but it was a walk-on. Big Thunder Mountain had a 40 minute posted wait, but was really 10-15 minutes. Mine Train had a 30-35 minute posted wait for much of the second half of the party, which is pretty close to normal. And trick or treating had virtually no lines after 10pm, just like normal.

The only bummer about the night was navigating certain areas of the park. It was SO congested, you would be doing the slow moving shuffle instead of actual walking.

 

[FoxC63]

We went on the 27th. It was our 6th party this year, and probably our 20th over the last 7-8 years. It was by far the busiest party we've ever attended. However, we had a great time. We found if you timed things right you could experience relatively short waits. We did the Pooh and Friends M&G with a 30 minute wait right after the fireworks. The Tiana and Rapunzel M&G had a 40 minute posted wait, but it was a walk-on. Big Thunder Mountain had a 40 minute posted wait, but was really 10-15 minutes. Mine Train had a 30-35 minute posted wait for much of the second half of the party, which is pretty close to normal. And trick or treating had virtually no lines after 10pm, just like normal.

The only bummer about the night was navigating certain areas of the park. It was SO congested, you would be doing the slow moving shuffle instead of actual walking.

Did you hear the announcements too?
"They were making announcements asking for volunteers with the passes to leave (yeah right) due to it being so crowded."

 

[cakebaker]

We’re here and it’s just as crowded as I thought it would be. We’re in line for pirates and I can’t see where the line ends. We’re riding this, then off to the hub to sit for the night waiting on parade, show and fireworks. Disney should be embarrassed. We knew what we were getting into and we’ll do our part by never attending another one.

 

[emily nicole]

Oh my goodness. These reports are making me worried. I do hope all of you with bad experiences are communicating with Disney.

 

[SpecEdismyLife]

Just found out our party date is sold out. October 1st. This is my first year taking my kids without my husband. I'm disabled and my son though 21 is high functioning autistic and does not drive. My daughter is 10. Would it be absolutely ridiculous of me to cancel our party tickets and hotel reservation at this point? I'm really panicking about how we can go do this AND have a good time with the high crowd level. We always avoid MK because if the horrible crowds. Our interests will be the Hocus pocus show, the parade, candy, and a few rides. I want so badly to take them but I'm freaking out!
Please talk me down!

I'm not trying to talk you out of anything at all, but being very realistic based on what we experienced, and knowing that it gets more crowded as it gets closer to Halloween I'm not sure this will be a good idea for you. I have a 21 year old Autistic son who has some sensory issues and he would not have been able to handle these crowd levels at all (we went without him this trip). Having that to deal with along with your own disability and a 10 year old to keep an eye on will be challenging. Before cancelling though I would look to see if they will be doing any of the other after hour ticketed events at MK during your stay.this week In hindsight we should have done that (they had one this last Wed) rather than the party. If you go, definitely have a plan to maybe get a bit of candy and then park yourself in the hub for all the shows and the parade and then try to hit the rides if crowds ease up.

 

[Best Aunt]

Just found out our party date is sold out. October 1st. This is my first year taking my kids without my husband. I'm disabled and my son though 21 is high functioning autistic and does not drive. My daughter is 10. Would it be absolutely ridiculous of me to cancel our party tickets and hotel reservation at this point? I'm really panicking about how we can go do this AND have a good time with the high crowd level. We always avoid MK because if the horrible crowds. Our interests will be the Hocus pocus show, the parade, candy, and a few rides. I want so badly to take them but I'm freaking out!
Please talk me down!

Well, here's the thing. People think they or others should do things at Disney World because they have heard that the particular things are fun. Adults badger children into going on rides that the children don't want to do. People talk themselves into going on rides that they know will make them motion sick.

I think you need to be realistic. Do you think you will have fun at the party? If the answer is no, then I don't think you should go, no matter how much other people have enjoyed it. If your gut reaction is that it won't be fun, then I don't think you should try to talk yourself into it. I think you're going to have trouble moving through the crowds, you will have long waits for candy, long waits for rides, and will have a hard time finding a place to watch the show and parade.

OP, if you think I'm wrong, that's perfectly fair. I'm sure people here will help you come up with a game plan if you provide more details. Which rides? Which parade?