What to expect OCT 31st MNSSHP?

[DanaHesson]

I know from reading lots and lots of other posts that the party will be fun. I am mostly curious about the crowds, and any "trip planning" advice for the greater crowds on Halloween night. It will be just my husband and I , and this is our first party! We plan to eat counter service or before we arrive, and will have five additional days at the parks in addition to the party.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yes, it will be crowded but it still a lot of fun!

Have a game plan of what you want to get done.

For us it's the photo, parade and trick or treating. We usually get the photo over with first before we start looking tired and messed up. We usually go to the second parade but last year tried the first one which worked out great. We did almost every trick or treat location last year! Toontown is one of the best locations.

The lines for trick or treating seem long but go very fast. As the party ends, they start giving you handfuls of candy!

From 6:00p to 7:00p, they'll make you stay in Tomorrowland but at 7:00p you can go anywhere. At first some locations will be dead and then everything gets crowded. It will die down a lot after the second parade so if you stay till the end, you can get some rides in with NO wait during and especially after the second parade.

Don't miss the headless horseman!

So even though it is crowded, there's no place I'd rather be on Halloween night! Depending on which part of the park you are in, it could be packed or dead. It just depends. YMMV on crowds. Some think its packed all night and some say it wasn't that bad. I didn't think it was that bad. Most people are just wandering around taking in the atmosphere and it just so much fun and magical.

Enjoy!

 

[DanaHesson]

we dont have any kids, and probably wont dress up.....
will I feel awkward trick or treating, or will there be lots of others like us doing the same?

thank you for your excellent and informative response! we will be skipping the picture I am sure, so that will save us some time... Do you have a recommendation on where to catch the parade from? I have never seen any of the parades at WDW and have told my husband that this trip the parades, especially this one, are a must!

 

[ReneeDisney]

We will be there too MNSSHP on Oct. 31st! We are not dressig up, but instead have decided to wear halloween themed shirts!
I can't wait to get our picture taken and enjoy the decorations, parades and halloween experience!

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Biggest piece of advice : skip trick or treating. It's going to be a mob-scene. Every party I have ever been to the lines for candy took longer than the lines for rides, and all they give you are little tootsie roll or mini-bite sized candies like you can buy a huge bag of for $1.89 at the grocery store. It never ceases to amaze me - I know there is a certain romance to "trick or treating", but waiting in HUGE lines for store-bought candy worth a nickel each (and doesn't even say Disney on it) just seems silly when all those rides are out there to ride.

N.E.D.

 

[pandamom]

We were there halloween last year and didn't think it was bad at all. The parade and headless horsemen are a must see. dd4 and dd6 loved the trick or treating but we skipped lines if they were long. Most were fairly short and moved very fast.

DanaHesson: Don't feel awkward about trick or treating! I wasn't collecting candy but many cm's insisted (nicely) I take it anyway. 2x when I wasn't even in a trick or treat line I was handed treat bags half full of candy by cm's. Have a great time and lots of fun!

 

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

When we were there, it was just DH and myself too. We also wore Halloween shirts. The picture is really cute, and if you time it right, there won't be a long line. You pose in front of the big MNSSHP logo sign. Then they send it to you in the mail. We got ours the day after we got home. I think they sent 1 photo per person too. It was definitely worth it. We didn't do much trick-or-treating either. A few times the CM's handed us handfuls of candy as it was getter later in the night. The Headless Horseman is great too...don't miss it!

I love the spooky music and Halloween objects projected onto the Castle and Main Street. We're going next October and can't wait!!

 

[beattyfamily]

we dont have any kids, and probably wont dress up.....
will I feel awkward trick or treating, or will there be lots of others like us doing the same?

thank you for your excellent and informative response! we will be skipping the picture I am sure, so that will save us some time... Do you have a recommendation on where to catch the parade from? I have never seen any of the parades at WDW and have told my husband that this trip the parades, especially this one, are a must!

No, you won't be out of place trick or treating!! They'll give you bags as you enter the park! Again, the lines may seem long, but they go very fast.

I have seen the parade (Halloween and others) from Main Street and also sitting right in front of Country Bear Jamboree. I liked both locations really. My priority is that I have a curb to sit on (less chance to get squeezed out of my spot by late comers) so most of the time I watch from Main Street but last year I watched the Halloween parade in front of Country Bear Jamboree and there was a little curb there. I enjoyed this location too. For some reason the Headless Horseman was easier to see from this location then the last time I saw him on Main Street; must have been better lighting. The parade will start on Main Street and end by Splash Mountain so if the parade starts at 8:30p, and you are sitting by Country Bear, you won't see the parade will about 8:50p. Be sure and get a spot, especially on Main Street, at least 45 minutes early...even earlier if you do the first parade. If you sit at the other end (Country Bear) then you can probably arrive about 15 minutes/30 minutes before the parade starts.

 

[mom2cinderella]

I thought the trick or treat lines moved really quickly. DO NOT MISS the "Alice and Mad Hatter's Treat Party"! It started in Toontown and ended in Tomorrowland - you basically walked down a long path and four or five times along the way they gave out candy. We got so much candy in a matter of minutes!

Michele