Sorry this is early- MHP dates- avoid or worth it w/ a 4 yo?

[bayareadisneyland]

HI,

Sorry this is so early, but we are anxiously planning our trip in Sept!

I think we are going to be going from Sept 18-23rd. I know this saddles up pretty close to the MHP timing. I don't know if we would want to attend that extra event (already will be getting 5 day park hoppers) or should we move our trip up a week? My 4 year old will only be able to stay up until 9pm at the latest. Is it good for younger kids?

Please let me know what you think!

 

[tlovesdis]

Last year the parties didn't start until the 28th.

I think a 4 year old would love it, but the parties don't start until 6 during the week or 7 on a Friday or other weekend date so you wouldn't get much time for enjoying everything the party has to offer.

Just my thoughts! Whatever you decide have a magical time!!

 

[SMD]

The parties have never been every night, so if they happen to start during your trip, just hop to the other park.

 

[figment_jii]

For the last several years, the parties have started on the last Friday in September. However, this year, that's 9/30 and we don't know if DLR will want to wait that long. It seems likely that the parties will either start on 9/23 or 9/30 and they usually happen 3 to 4 times per week through Halloween. We probably won't know the dates until sometime in late June/early July (assuming they release the information on a similar schedule to past years). Weeknight parties (Mon to Thu) have started at 6:00 pm (ended at 11:00 pm) and weekend parties (Fri to Sun) have started at 7:00 pm (ended at midnight).

In terms of ages, I went with a three year old last year and he enjoyed it. He liked the trick-or-treating and the entertainment, but he was used to staying up fairly late at Disneyland. I posted a photo of the guide from 2015 in this thread and it'll give you a sense of when things happened. Trick-or-treating and special character meet and greets started with the start of the party, but other things (like the parade and fireworks) happened later. If you're child doesn't really stay up past 9:00 pm, you'll miss out on fireworks (and possibly the parade) if you are aiming to be back into the hotel by 9:00 pm. Personally, I really like MHP, but I wouldn't go unless you can stay for the entire party (or at least most all of it). I have a fairly detailed report (mostly pictures) from MHP in my Halloween Trip Report thread. That might give you a sense of whether there will be things you're little one would like or not.

 

[Abbey1]

We went with my 4 year old to one of the parties last year and he LOVED it! There was no way he was going to let us take him back to the hotel before the party was over. We didn't do the parks that morning, took a long nap, and were ready to party the night away when the party started. A steady stream of dole whips, popcorn and Mickey Rice Krispie treats does wonders for keeping my kid wide awake

 

[Mysteryincorp]

At 3 years old my daughter loved it but fell asleep in her stroller at 9. At 4 years old my daughter loved it but melted down at 9 and we made a hasty, unpleasant exit. At 5 years old my daughter loved, loved, loved it and we made it to almost 11pm.