"Official" 2024 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

[scrappinginontario]

I have never been. Excited to try it for the first time. Do people seriously dress up for this in summer or just the October months? lol

I just booked my tickets through Undercover tourist to get a refund back to my card if the weather looks crappy the day I am supposed to go

Many, many people dress up for all parties!

 

[SmallWorld71]

DH and I are disneybounding Han and Leia.
DD21 and her friend are Pain and Panic. They bought rompers that were the right colors and are making horns, tails, and wings so they are kind of in between a costume and a disneybound.
DS25 has a Halloweeny looking t shirt based on the partners statue from the LostBros. He will also be wearing his Jack Skellington ears.
Going to the Aug 16th party. Our first party as we can never travel in the fall and decided against it last August since we had my nieces, one of whom was in a wheelchair with a broken leg. I did attend a Pirate and Princess party many years ago.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Anyone do the firework desert party? I have went to plenty of sold out Christmas parties and never had a problem finding a prime firework spot 5-10 mins before showtime.

Any different for Halloween party? Never saw the need to do the desert party for this kind of party

Thanks

 

[VAtink]

Anyone do the firework desert party? I have went to plenty of sold out Christmas parties and never had a problem finding a prime firework spot 5-10 mins before showtime.

Any different for Halloween party? Never saw the need to do the desert party for this kind of party

Thanks

We like to do it mostly just for a break and to get off our feet for a bit. The wine and dessert doesn't hurt as well!

We started doing the dessert parties after the crowd craziness of the 2018 party as a way to get away from the crowds for a bit, and realized that we actually really enjoyed having an intermission during the party to rest for a bit and get some food, so we've continued the tradition every year.

 

[123SA]

I do the garden view dessert party (I don't like the view from the terrace). I can't remember the last time I was able to get a spot I liked for the FW at MK without the dessert party. I like the projections; I want to see them. I'm short so most of Main Street just doesn't work for me. Someone tall or a kid on shoulders always blocks my view. Even in the hub, if it's very crowded, I can't see the projections very well if I get trapped behind tall people or kids on shoulders -- and of course, you don't know about the kids on shoulders until it's too late to move since they tend not to go up there until it starts.

I did two garden dessert parties last year in August, one I booked the day of. The first one was about 1/2 full, the second one maybe 1/3 full? It was a nice break from crowds. (I have been to dessert parties that were max capacity, this was surprising)

 

[run_Disney]

I do the garden view dessert party (I don't like the view from the terrace). I can't remember the last time I was able to get a spot I liked for the FW at MK without the dessert party. I like the projections; I want to see them. I'm short so most of Main Street just doesn't work for me. Someone tall or a kid on shoulders always blocks my view. Even in the hub, if it's very crowded, I can't see the projections very well if I get trapped behind tall people or kids on shoulders -- and of course, you don't know about the kids on shoulders until it's too late to move since they tend not to go up there until it starts.

I did two garden dessert parties last year in August, one I booked the day of. The first one was about 1/2 full, the second one maybe 1/3 full? It was a nice break from crowds. (I have been to dessert parties that were max capacity, this was surprising)

Can you explain how the timing works with the garden view party? It's available for my night and it says 8:30. I know the fireworks are at 10:00. Do we have to check in at 8:30 or can we come later, say 9:15? Would there be a disadvantage to coming late? After the fireworks, can we stay in our spot for the 10:35 Hocus Pocus show, or would that not be a good spot to watch anyway?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I have never been. Excited to try it for the first time. Do people seriously dress up for this in summer or just the October months? lol

I just booked my tickets through Undercover tourist to get a refund back to my card if the weather looks crappy the day I am supposed to go

Yes, they seriously dress up at all parties. The smart ones dress for the blazing hot sun of the afternoon and rain potential. The ones who don’t think it through… you feel sorry for them. It’s pretty obvious who is melting.

Others, like myself, don’t dress up. I’ll probably wear a Disney Halloween themed shirt but that’s as dressed as I get. Otherwise it’s my waterproof shoes and lulu shorts for comfort as I am not used to the FL heat.

 

[DJFan88]

Yeah, add me to the Halloween shirt and ears crowd and thats it.

 

[cveeders]

I have a vague pirate themed costume planned with a red skirt and some sort of top, but that's as far as I've gotten.... should probably look into that more vigorously

 

[LoveToDisney]

Although I always just wear a Halloween themed tshirt, I LOVE seeing all the creative costumes people wear and ask to take pics of many of them. Besides the parade and fireworks, seeing the costumes is what I enjoy best!

 

[Smugpugmug]

Most people are talking about wearing simple costumes or just a t shirt due to the hot weather, meanwhile my costume has fur sleeves and gloves because I want to torture myself for some reason

 

[123SA]

Can you explain how the timing works with the garden view party? It's available for my night and it says 8:30. I know the fireworks are at 10:00. Do we have to check in at 8:30 or can we come later, say 9:15? Would there be a disadvantage to coming late? After the fireworks, can we stay in our spot for the 10:35 Hocus Pocus show, or would that not be a good spot to watch anyway?

You can come and go as you like once it opens. You can check in at 9:15. I'm really sure you can check in at 9:50. I have arrived early had a few snacks, sent my kids off to trick or trick or ride Buzz, and come back for the FW. I have also arrived close to fireworks time. You can arrive at 830 to get your band, go do stuff, and come back at 930 for a quick snack and drink.

The disadvantages to arriving late:

The food is put away before the fireworks. It is possible to arrive too late for food.

The viewing area -- the best spots are against the rail, all the way into the garden, so you are most centered to the castle. Either the front rail because the area in front of that part of the garden is kept mostly empty - -shoulder kids are not allowed in the garden and in front of that part of the garden -- the garden area that is closer to the entrance, the area in front is not kept clear, so I'd avoid that area.

The back rail of the garden is nice too if you are tall (I am not). My son & husband tend to use the back rail as a seat or back rest.

Usually people are sitting when waiting. I have had both of the following happen:
1. The attendant warns you that you need to stand once it starts. My experience is people follow these directions. They sit while waiting and jump up when it starts
2. The attendant tells you to remain seated -- this never works -- if for no other reason than I will not sit at all and I am not the only one. I'd have a really hard time getting back up. But it's not just me....it doesn't work, people get up.

So, the disadvantage to arriving late is, if the dessert party is fully or mostly booked, (preCOVID it was) you might not like your spot in the garden. I like to be centered. So, I arrive early enough for this. I was really very surprised at how empty the garden was last year. We arrived very late to the 2nd party and the spot I prefer was still wide open. For reference I went to the parties on Aug 15 and 18th 2023- the 2nd and 3rd parties of the year, both sold out I think.

The disadvantage to arriving early is "wasting" party time. AT the first party last year, we arrived early, rushed through food, and raced out to the garden. Well, my daughter and I did. THe boys went elsewhere and came back. There was no need to rush, so we wasted time.

It's not a great spot for the castle show. You can hear it and see the stage, but you are too far away to see well. After the FW, you can stay in the garden, and it is open to anyone who for whatever reason wants to be in there.

You can only see bits of the parade from the garden. The timing of the parade is different this year so this might not be relevant.

I think the food and drinks are just acceptable, nothing special.


I think my plan this year is dessert party/FW, push forward to find a spot for the castle show, one that would be good for the parade as well so I can just stay put. If I can't, then I'll skip the show, head towards Liberty Square/Frontierland for a parade spot and come back for the last show of the night.



I'm kind of bummed about the earlier parade time. It messes us with with the timing I know so well, and I'm just not on board with the parade occurring before full dark. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure it will not be fully dark during the first parade on Aug 13th.


Post if you have any more questions. I am attending the Aug 13 and 16 parties this year.

 

[run_Disney]

You can come and go as you like once it opens. You can check in at 9:15. I'm really sure you can check in at 9:50. I have arrived early had a few snacks, sent my kids off to trick or trick or ride Buzz, and come back for the FW. I have also arrived close to fireworks time. You can arrive at 830 to get your band, go do stuff, and come back at 930 for a quick snack and drink.

The disadvantages to arriving late:

The food is put away before the fireworks. It is possible to arrive too late for food.

The viewing area -- the best spots are against the rail, all the way into the garden, so you are most centered to the castle. Either the front rail because the area in front of that part of the garden is kept mostly empty - -shoulder kids are not allowed in the garden and in front of that part of the garden -- the garden area that is closer to the entrance, the area in front is not kept clear, so I'd avoid that area.

The back rail of the garden is nice too if you are tall (I am not). My son & husband tend to use the back rail as a seat or back rest.

Usually people are sitting when waiting. I have had both of the following happen:
1. The attendant warns you that you need to stand once it starts. My experience is people follow these directions. They sit while waiting and jump up when it starts
2. The attendant tells you to remain seated -- this never works -- if for no other reason than I will not sit at all and I am not the only one. I'd have a really hard time getting back up. But it's not just me....it doesn't work, people get up.

So, the disadvantage to arriving late is, if the dessert party is fully or mostly booked, (preCOVID it was) you might not like your spot in the garden. I like to be centered. So, I arrive early enough for this. I was really very surprised at how empty the garden was last year. We arrived very late to the 2nd party and the spot I prefer was still wide open. For reference I went to the parties on Aug 15 and 18th 2023- the 2nd and 3rd parties of the year, both sold out I think.

The disadvantage to arriving early is "wasting" party time. AT the first party last year, we arrived early, rushed through food, and raced out to the garden. Well, my daughter and I did. THe boys went elsewhere and came back. There was no need to rush, so we wasted time.

It's not a great spot for the castle show. You can hear it and see the stage, but you are too far away to see well. After the FW, you can stay in the garden, and it is open to anyone who for whatever reason wants to be in there.

You can only see bits of the parade from the garden. The timing of the parade is different this year so this might not be relevant.

I think the food and drinks are just acceptable, nothing special.


I think my plan this year is dessert party/FW, push forward to find a spot for the castle show, one that would be good for the parade as well so I can just stay put. If I can't, then I'll skip the show, head towards Liberty Square/Frontierland for a parade spot and come back for the last show of the night.



I'm kind of bummed about the earlier parade time. It messes us with with the timing I know so well, and I'm just not on board with the parade occurring before full dark. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure it will not be fully dark during the first parade on Aug 13th.


Post if you have any more questions. I am attending the Aug 13 and 16 parties this year.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Your reply was all that and much more. Appreciated!

 

[TCRAIG]

I go to the Halloween party every year - usually at least twice if not more…it’s my favorite WDW holiday time! I bought my DVC/AP discounted ticket for 9/29 today - trying to figure out which other date(s) to add.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Does anyone know which order the parade route runs? I think last year the first parade started over at the edge of Frontierland?

 

[Suger Mag]

Most people are talking about wearing simple costumes or just a t shirt due to the hot weather, meanwhile my costume has fur sleeves and gloves because I want to torture myself for some reason

 

[gottalovepluto]

Most people are talking about wearing simple costumes or just a t shirt due to the hot weather, meanwhile my costume has fur sleeves and gloves because I want to torture myself for some reason

You better be going on Halloween itself hoping for cold weather while being a FL native if those sleeves aren’t removable. I’ve literally seen people tearing off hot parts of their badly planned costumes as the party goes on during my Sept trips…

 

[gottalovepluto]

You can come and go as you like once it opens. You can check in at 9:15. I'm really sure you can check in at 9:50. I have arrived early had a few snacks, sent my kids off to trick or trick or ride Buzz, and come back for the FW. I have also arrived close to fireworks time. You can arrive at 830 to get your band, go do stuff, and come back at 930 for a quick snack and drink.

The disadvantages to arriving late:

The food is put away before the fireworks. It is possible to arrive too late for food.

The viewing area -- the best spots are against the rail, all the way into the garden, so you are most centered to the castle. Either the front rail because the area in front of that part of the garden is kept mostly empty - -shoulder kids are not allowed in the garden and in front of that part of the garden -- the garden area that is closer to the entrance, the area in front is not kept clear, so I'd avoid that area.

The back rail of the garden is nice too if you are tall (I am not). My son & husband tend to use the back rail as a seat or back rest.

Usually people are sitting when waiting. I have had both of the following happen:
1. The attendant warns you that you need to stand once it starts. My experience is people follow these directions. They sit while waiting and jump up when it starts
2. The attendant tells you to remain seated -- this never works -- if for no other reason than I will not sit at all and I am not the only one. I'd have a really hard time getting back up. But it's not just me....it doesn't work, people get up.

So, the disadvantage to arriving late is, if the dessert party is fully or mostly booked, (preCOVID it was) you might not like your spot in the garden. I like to be centered. So, I arrive early enough for this. I was really very surprised at how empty the garden was last year. We arrived very late to the 2nd party and the spot I prefer was still wide open. For reference I went to the parties on Aug 15 and 18th 2023- the 2nd and 3rd parties of the year, both sold out I think.

The disadvantage to arriving early is "wasting" party time. AT the first party last year, we arrived early, rushed through food, and raced out to the garden. Well, my daughter and I did. THe boys went elsewhere and came back. There was no need to rush, so we wasted time.

It's not a great spot for the castle show. You can hear it and see the stage, but you are too far away to see well. After the FW, you can stay in the garden, and it is open to anyone who for whatever reason wants to be in there.

You can only see bits of the parade from the garden. The timing of the parade is different this year so this might not be relevant.

I think the food and drinks are just acceptable, nothing special.


I think my plan this year is dessert party/FW, push forward to find a spot for the castle show, one that would be good for the parade as well so I can just stay put. If I can't, then I'll skip the show, head towards Liberty Square/Frontierland for a parade spot and come back for the last show of the night.



I'm kind of bummed about the earlier parade time. It messes us with with the timing I know so well, and I'm just not on board with the parade occurring before full dark. I could be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure it will not be fully dark during the first parade on Aug 13th.


Post if you have any more questions. I am attending the Aug 13 and 16 parties this year.

Are you able to bring food and drink from the party into the garden?

 

[123SA]

Are you able to bring food and drink from the party into the garden?

I don't know. I've never seen anyone do it, which makes me think no. But, I'm not sure about this at all.

 

[ellbell]

Most people are talking about wearing simple costumes or just a t shirt due to the hot weather, meanwhile my costume has fur sleeves and gloves because I want to torture myself for some reason

That's a very good way to be taken out of MK on a stretcher. Heat stroke is a real thing and over dressing can be a contributing factor.