Still far away, but... is Disney Halloween worth it?

[triciambe]

My family and I are booked on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise in October. We were originally going to do 3 days WDW, then 4 day cruise, but then we thought we'd be in too much of a rush trying to do so much that we went with the 7-day cruise to just relax, etc.

That said, however, I'm contemplating surprising the kids (ages 10, 8, and 5) with a "bonus" after our cruise: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I've heard great things from friends about it. We get back from the cruise in the morning, drive to Disney area, maybe check out Downtown Disney, check into hotel, then go to MNSSHP from 4 to closing. Then we fly out the next morning.

Is it worth it? There are 8 of us (including my parents and brother), so it's $80ish per ticket for MNSSHP, plus hotel, plus rental car to get us from PC>WDW>MCO. I'm guessing around $1K+ for about 24 hours.

On the other hand, I'm not sure we'll ever get a chance to do Disney MNSSHP again b/c of the school year. But then will it be overkill coming off of a 7-day cruise? Is it worth it?

Thanks for any thoughts!

PS - Does anyone know around when MNSSHP go on sale? Do they sell out quickly? We'd be going on Halloween itself, so wondering if that day would just be too crazy/packed, too.

 

[mesaboy2]

My family and I are booked on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise in October. We were originally going to do 3 days WDW, then 4 day cruise, but then we thought we'd be in too much of a rush trying to do so much that we went with the 7-day cruise to just relax, etc.

That said, however, I'm contemplating surprising the kids (ages 10, 8, and 5) with a "bonus" after our cruise: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I've heard great things from friends about it. We get back from the cruise in the morning, drive to Disney area, maybe check out Downtown Disney, check into hotel, then go to MNSSHP from 4 to closing. Then we fly out the next morning.

Is it worth it? There are 8 of us (including my parents and brother), so it's $80ish per ticket for MNSSHP, plus hotel, plus rental car to get us from PC>WDW>MCO. I'm guessing around $1K+ for about 24 hours.

On the other hand, I'm not sure we'll ever get a chance to do Disney MNSSHP again b/c of the school year. But then will it be overkill coming off of a 7-day cruise? Is it worth it?

Thanks for any thoughts!

PS - Does anyone know around when MNSSHP go on sale? Do they sell out quickly? We'd be going on Halloween itself, so wondering if that day would just be too crazy/packed, too.

Party tickets go on sale around May 1 or so. Halloween pretty much always sells out first, but should last a few weeks at minimum.

Worth is entirely subjective, but my family has gone 4 times (and for a lot less money as semi-locals).

 

[triciambe]

Party tickets go on sale around May 1 or so. Halloween pretty much always sells out first, but should last a few weeks at minimum.

Worth is entirely subjective, but my family has gone 4 times (and for a lot less money as semi-locals).

Thanks - good to know about Halloween tickets.

I know that worth is subjective, but given the cost, I was just looking for any opinions about what made MNSSHP enjoyable (or not) for those who had first-hand experience so I'd have a better idea if it's something my family would like.

 

[ConnieB]

This was our first year going to MNSSHP (though we have done the Disneyland version a couple times). The biggest draw for MY family was the character meet and greets....ones that aren't normally out and about. The biggie was the 7 Dwarves all together (we've got lots of Snow and Dopey, but this was the first time with the rest of them). And many other characters that are not out and about. The parade with the headless horseman was also a highlight.....though the fireworks were a bit disappointing as being "pretty much ordinary".

The candy was the least important to us....they grabbed it as they went past but it was definitely not a focal point, and they still came home with more than we could possibly eat. But we gave it away and made other people happy,lol.

I do think it's one of those things that everyone should do at least once....because otherwise, you will always wonder if you should done it. But in your position that's a lot of money for some characters, a parade and some candy, especially since your cruise was probably character overload (though not in Halloween costumes?).

Since you are going on Halloween night it WILL be crowded....it's usually the first to sell out.

Also, keep in mind that the party goes until midnight.....if I was paying that much I'd definitely want to do the characters and parade and then hit the rides until they forced me out, lol. An early morning flight the next day may not be the most pleasant to have to get up.....but hopefully it's a long enough flight for a nap.

If you can afford it, and the chances of returning some other year for it are nil, I'd say go for it.

 

[GoofyinBuffalo]

How much do tickets cost for this event? We'll be down there the first week of September and may check this out if it happens while we're there.

 

[SullyWully]

I will be one of a few to say MNSSHP was the biggest disappointment and waste of $350 for my family. We went on Halloween and it was packed. Trick or treat lines were up to 30 minute waits, character meet and greets even longer. We didn't meet one character due to long lines. Only ride we got to do was Haunted Mansion which was at least 30 minute wait. Only took four photos for MM because lines were long. Parades were packed, lines to get pumpkin spiced waffle were long, and had to abort getting one because the parade was about to start and needed to get back to the family. The lines to most rides probably were okay, wouldn't know since I spent time in all the other lines.

The decorations, music and overall vibe is awesome. If we decide to do MNSSHP again it will be early October during a weekday. Way too crowded on Halloween and too little time to get everything done. And we entered the park at 4pm.

 

[mesaboy2]

How much do tickets cost for this event? We'll be down there the first week of September and may check this out if it happens while we're there.

Figure about $65 or so.

 

[anniemae]

I have always wanted to do the Halloween party and would do it in a second if I could. But, I have been hearing more and more reports like SullyWully's for the special ticketed events. It only would work for me if it was limited tickets so it would not feel crowded. Who wants to wait 30 mins for candy? Lots of folks complained the lines were too long for character meets too.

 

[cakebaker]

We've done it twice. The first time was years back, the 2nd was last year. We loved the first one, eagerly anticipated the 2nd and were highly disappointed. I'm convinced they sell many, many more tickets than they used to. It was over crowded, impossible to do much of anything and the fact that they moved characters out of the park into a hard ticket event bothered me a great deal. We won't be doing it again. That said, I wouldn't advise against giving it a try at least once. Some people who went the same night we did had a ball- so it's all in your expectations I think.