What’s New at 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: Good & Bad Changes
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a hard ticket special event that occurs after Magic Kingdom closes for the day on select nights in Fall 2024. This post covers what’s new and different during the 2024 MNSSHP, with our assessment as to the good and bad of various changes, additions and subtractions.
The first thing you need to know is that not much changes from year to year. If you’re planning on attending the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and last did it 5 years ago, it’s still going to about 90% the same. In fact, you may not notice any changes whatsoever, as a bunch of the differences are fairly minor and easy to miss…or you simply may have forgotten specifics due to the passage of time.
Nevertheless, there are “a lot” of changes for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party–at least, a lot relative to normal years when next-to-nothing is different. Compounding matters is that several of these seemingly insignificant shifts have a big impact on strategy and how you should approach the event. That’s where this post comes into play–so you know what has changed (since several of these things are unadvertised and aren’t even listed on the map or in the app!) and how to plan accordingly…
Basically, this post is for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party veterans who want to prioritize the things that are different for the 2024 event. Since you cannot possibly meet every single character and see all of the entertainment at MNSSHP in a single night, this type of prioritizing is paramount. You’re going to have to make difficult decisions, because you simply cannot do them all.
With that said, if you’re a first-timer attending the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, this post is not your best or singular resource. For everything you need to know about this event–beyond what’s new–see our Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
On that note, let’s turn to what’s new & changed at the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…
More Villains – From the moment the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party begins, you’ll be able to spot your favorite sinister villains and ghoulish foes throughout Magic Kingdom. Many of them are available for selfies or quick interactions.
This begins in the Main Street bypass corridor, which once again serves as the opening act of the event–and a way to separate party guests entering the park from those exiting. At the end of this path, you’ll find Cruella de Vil.
This is a nice addition, but honestly, we feel like Walt Disney World oversold the villains presence at the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. With the exception of the next entry, all of the other villain meet & greets aren’t new.
Villains Treat Trail – During the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Princess Fairytale Hall is not a meet & greet location for the princesses, but instead a treat trail. If you look at the MNSSHP map, there’s no distinction between this and the rest of the trick-or-treating locations.
In actuality, it’s an enhanced treat trail that features two villains, Maleficent and the Evil Queen. Each villain is placed in the queue in front of a portrait of their tale’s princess, as they mingle with guests and pose for selfies. There are two separate lines here, so you’ll want to do this twice if you want up close photos with each of the villains.
This is an excellent little surprise plussing, especially later in the evening (anytime after the fireworks) when treat trail lines start getting shorter. There’s no PhotoPass or even a character attendant, but you should have time for selfies and brief interactions. Again, this is especially true later in the night when the crowd is more sparse–earlier you’ll need to move through faster so you don’t hold up the line.
It’s my understanding that this is a test for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and I really hope it goes well and is expanded upon in 2025. One huge advantage Oogie Boogie Bash has is its immersive treat trails with villains that improvise and interact with guests. This is still not even remotely on par with that, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Mickey’s New Costume – Mickey Mouse has an all-new costume this year, featuring a neon spider web design. While this costume has been redesigned and look quite good, it follows a familiar formula and doesn’t really reinvent the wheel. Mickey isn’t the one one to receive a fresh look–Minnie also got one.
Frustratingly, it’s still only Mickey Mouse meeting in Town Square Theater. This caught me by surprise, as Walt Disney World made a big deal out of the new costumes and featured Mickey & Minnie together in their official publicity photos. Accordingly, I expected Mickey and Minnie Mouse to finally meet together again. They do not. Mickey greets guests at Town Square Theater and Minnie continues to appear in Storybook Circus.
Seven Zero Dwarfs – Speaking of Storybook Circus, we might as well bounce back there because there are a lot of changes to these character meet & greets. The first is that, after making their triumphant return last year amidst much fanfare, we’re sad to report that the Seven Dwarfs do not have a meet & greet at the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
That’s right, layoffs hit Disney’s dwarf department hard, reducing the headcount from seven to zero. As it turns out, concerns about automation replacing labor are well-founded, as an abundance of Audio Animatronics dwarfs (more than seven, even) can still be found at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Joking aside, it remains to be seen whether the Seven Dwarfs will return for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party–nothing has been announced one way or the other. Our hope is that they’re back, as the other changes back in Storybook Circus do not justify the loss of the Seven Dwarfs.
And for what it’s worth, we’re on the record saying that Walt Disney World should replace the Seven Dwarfs with separate meet & greets. That, cool as it was, having all of the dwarves together wouldn’t be as good as a half-dozen or so separate meet & greets in their place. The problem is that this is not the trade Disney has made.
Minnie and Friends Meet & Greet – To that point, the other meet & greets back in Storybook Circus have also been consolidated. In previous years, you could meet Pumpkin Donald and Princess Daisy Duck, as well as Witch Minnie Mouse in one meet & greet–in the interactive queue for Dumbo. Separate from them, Pirate Goofy appeared outside Barnstormer in Storybook Circus.
For the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, all of these characters have been consolidated inside Pete’s Silly Sideshow where the Seven Dwarfs used to meet. The only character receiving a new costume is Minnie Mouse, who is still a witch but has the new neon green color scheme. The backdrop is nice and it’s cool to have something fresh, I guess, but the tradeoff just isn’t worth it.
In a nutshell, there’s now one meet & greet back here instead of 3, and the character count has been reduced by 7. That’s a bad change, in my book. There are fewer meet & greet characters at the 2024 MNSSHP, and that’s unfortunate.
Hitchhiking Ghosts Materialize – On a positive note, the Hitchhiking Ghosts now appear as a character sighting during the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. These grim grinning ghosts can be found above the breezeway between Frontierland and Adventureland, adjacent to Country Bear Musical Jamboree. The Hitchhiking Ghosts alternate with the Cadaver Dans for the duration of MNSSHP (7 pm to midnight).
Ezra, Phineas, and Gus are among the most iconic characters in the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom, so it’s awesome to see these spectral spirits at the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The character sighting is a lot of fun, as they perform pantomime and interact with guests while music plays.
Interestingly, I was quite surprised to hear a certain song as part of the Hitchhiking Ghosts’ set that I previously thought was outlawed in the frontier and all around Walt Disney World. I’m not going to mention the name of said song, as it seems like a reverse-Beetlejuice kinda scenario where saying it gets it removed. So my lips are zipped…but if you know, you know. Oh, and this wasn’t the only time I heard it during the night–or during this week at Walt Disney World. Coincidence, or has Disney backed down on its verboten status?
All Standby Lines – TRON Lightcycle Run and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are the two newest attractions in Magic Kingdom, and both use virtual queues (for now) during regular operations. Last year, only TRON Lightcycle Run was open during MNSSHP, and it used a virtual queue. For 2024, both offer standby lines (only) during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Not-so-coincidentally, they’re also the two longest lines throughout the party, and among the only wait times that are usually hover above 30 minutes throughout the entire event. However, I’d expect actual wait times to be much lower, assuming no breakdowns (big assumption).
I didn’t do either TRON or Tiana’s during the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party because I’ve done both a dozen-plus times, and party time is limited, so its unique entertainment is my emphasis. Nevertheless, I view this as a positive change–not every party guest has the same priorities as me (which is a good thing!), and if others want to ride TRON Lightcycle Run or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on loop, they should have that option.
New DescenDANCE Party – Get ready to let loose and show off your best villain DescenDANCE Party, taking place at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. This new rave is inspired by the Disney Original Movie “Descendants: The Rise of Red” on Disney+, so trust me when I tell you this is a date you don’t want to be late for.
Actually, don’t trust me. I copied and pasted the above from Disney’s press release about the DescenDANCE Party. I did see it myself, but I have no clue who any of these people are or what they’re from. Well, I guess I know they’re from the Disney Original Movie “Descendants: The Rise of Red” on Disney+, but I haven’t the slightest inkling as to what that’s about. Villains, dancing and teen angst, probably? Regardless, I have no opinion on this.
More Merchandise – I’m not really a merchandise person, so I’m not the best person to report on this (I basically just buy Tervis cups and coffee mugs, save for Figment stuff), but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety, quality, and clever designs of the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party merchandise.
Just a couple years ago, both the Halloween and Christmas parties had a limited number of very basic designs that seemed to purposefully shy away from the name of the event so they could be sold during regular hours, if necessary. Not the case this year, and I hope MVMCP follows suit. (We still need a Tervis from that.)
Bruno Madrigal Meet & Greet – Yes, we’re going to talk about another verboten topic: Bruno. For the first time during the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, you can meet the clairvoyant character from Encanto alongside Mirabel at their Casita in Fairytale Garden across from Cosmic Ray’s at the edge of Tomorrow(land).
Oogie Boogie Bash has had Bruno for the last few years, and he’s a shockingly good face character for meet & greets. We’re not the biggest fans of Encanto, but really have enjoyed meeting him at the event–he’s a fun character with a sly personality who’s great for amusing interactions. Having just met Bruno a few days before with only a 5 minute (photo above), I elected against joining the quoted 45+ minute line during MNSSHP.
Since Encanto remains popular and this is truly a new-for-2024 addition to MNSSHP, this will remain one of the highest demand meet & greets with average wait times around 60 minutes throughout the Party Season. On the plus side, Bruno and Mirabel is one of the meet & greets that starts before Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party officially begins, so you can meet them as early as (approximately) 6 pm. Just beware that the line will be long even then.
Earlier Start Time for Mickey’s Boo to You Parade – This year, the fan-favorite Boo to You Parade takes place a full hour earlier, at 8:15 pm. That’s when it steps off, meaning you might see it at 8:30 pm or later if you’re on Main Street. According to Walt Disney World, this is perfect for those guests attending with little ones who want to enjoy the spooky fun before it’s bedtime. Typically, the first parade is at 9:15 pm and the second parade is at 11:15 pm.
This is a hugely positive change. Obviously, it’s great news for families that already struggle to make it halfway through the event. I’ve seen so many strollers with sleeping kids by the first parade in previous years. It’s also a potentially big win for photographers attending the earliest parties–shooting in Frontierland would mean photos just after sunset. Even the thought of Headless Horseman on Main Street at dusk made me salivate (sadly, he didn’t run during the first parade when I first attended).
The earlier Boo to You Parade is also a big win for park operations. Since 2018-2019, we’ve bemoaned the downright dangerous crowds in front of Cinderella Castle between the first Hocus Pocus and fireworks, since there are multiple stage shows, Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, and the fireworks all essentially presented back to back.
That’s no longer the case for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This area is still congested between performances–we’re not suggesting otherwise. But spacing them out more means fewer people are camped out for the duration, which helps mitigate the issue in a major way. Kudos to Disney for finally doing something about this (and killing two birds with one stone in the process). Better late than never.
Busier Second Parade – For years, one of the “secret hacks” of the event was watching the second Mickey’s Boo to You Parade. Patience paid off, as crowds would typically be half the size–perhaps less–during the later showing. That hasn’t been nearly as pronounced in recent years, at least in part because Disney has proactively shared the “secret” with in-park announcements encouraging guests to do the later parade for easier viewing.
With the move to the 8:15 pm performance of the first Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, this difference is gone entirely. Even though the earlier showing is easier for families with small children, this is more than offset by it being so early in the event and being less convenient for everyone else. Guests are still making their way through meet & greet lines, treat trails, eating dinner, etc–at 8:15 pm, resulting in a less busy first parade and a busier second. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I found slightly larger crowds for the 11:15 pm parade.
Don’t expect this to last forever. Walt Disney World fans are creatures of habit, and it takes a long time for word to get out and behavior to change. Meaning that many of the guests doing the 11:15 pm parade are still operating under the old assumption that it’s far less busy. That’ll change over time. Probably not before the end of the 2024 MNSSHP season…but in 2025 or 2026 if these showtimes stay the same.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you attended the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? What did you think of the new additions and changes? Disappointed that there wasn’t more to the villains presence, or the loss of meet & greets? Which character meet & greets are your top priorities? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of the changes? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
If anyone reading has a kiddo who loves Descendants, like mine, the Descendants dance party was a HUGE disappointment. Kiddo, age 6, was expecting the actual VKs (Villain Kids) – Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, etc., or at least people dressed up like them. The marketing from Disney wasn’t clear, and since it said “the VKs” would be there and Mike and Sulley were at the old Monster’s Inc dance party, we were hopeful but trying to manage expectations regardless.
The actual party is terrible – they had two random “dance leaders” dressed in the style of the VKs but not trying to be one of them. They were also doing a bad job of engaging with the kids that were there. My daughter was really sad-one of the worst moments of the trip. So bottom line, we are the target audience for this dance party, and it was very unappealing.
I attended the first party and being able to photograph the Headless Horseman at dusk was AWESOME!!! I also appreciated the spreading out of the parade and fireworks. Made for a less stressful time. It did seem that the party was much more crowded than last year’s first party. Hopefully, that is not a sign that they are packing out the parties more so than last year. One thing that made the extra price for tickets more palatable was the lower crowds. Time will tell I suppose.
We attended the MNSSHP on Monday 9/2/24, and here are some additional thoughts on the changes:
o Park Entry – (Good) Separate park entries for day visitors and event attendees was a great improvement. The Event Entry signs were easy to spot and follow.
o Hitchhiking Ghosts – (Good) A nice addition. I don’t know if it was because of the threat of rain (fortunately it did not rain during the party), or if they move around throughout the night, but the Hitchhiking Ghosts were on the stage in the Diamond Horseshoe trick-or-treating station.
o Party Maps and Trick-or-Treating Bag Availability – (Bad) In the past, wristbands, party maps and trick-or-treating bags could all be obtained at any of the party checkin locations (this was convenient if you were already in the park prior to 4:00). This year, wristbands were handed out at the ticket turnstiles, but maps and bags had to be picked up at other checkin location(s). We headed to Tortuga Tavern in Adventure Land, but were only able get the party map there, but no trick-or-treating bag.
o Bad Information – (Really Bad) When we obtained the party map at the Tortuga Tavern checkin location, and asked about where to get the trick-or-treating bags, the cast member handing out the maps told us there were no bags this year. We asked a second time and were told the same thing. Layer, after seeing people with bags, we asked a third time – again at the same location – we were told that the official bags were only available at another checkin location (maybe Tomorrow Land, but they weren’t sure), but that the cast member at the candy barrel could give us temporary bags – which they did and we used the rest of the night.
o Rusty Cutlass Pirate Band Performance Schedule – (Really, Really, Bad) Or, more accurately, the “Unscheduled” performances. Unlike in past years, there was no set performance schedule for Rusty Cutlass, and instead was listed as “intermittent” from 7:15 to 11:50. We waited at the stage from 7:15 until 7:30, but the band never appeared. This was odd seeing how *spoiler alert * it’s the same band as the Christmas Party’s Reindeer Wrangles, and their performance schedule has already been published for this year’s Christmas party.
In summary, the party was fun as always, but it was way more disorganized than in the past. Last year we attended in the second week of September, but I’d be surprised if attending a week earlier this year was the cause of the issues we experienced.
I’ve never related more to one of your posts than your analysis of the DescenDance party. As a fellow dad with a very young kid, I always skip over those songs on the Disney Spotify playlists. I’m continuously wondering who the target audience is for that, and I’m certain it’s not for me or my 2 year old.
When does Mickey change into his new costume? We were just at the MNSSH on Sept 2, 2024 and we stopped to take pictures with Mickey inside Town Square Theater first thing. 20 minute wait for him and 20 minutes for Sally and Jack. Mickey was still in his regular outfit.
We got in line for Tron just after 5:30 and rode at 6:00. It made our regular MK day much more manageable. We did the Alice characters, a couple rides, magic shots, both parades and the shows. Honestly the whole night did not feel crowded at all, even lining up for the parades.
Zip a dee do dah, indeed. Nice to hear it’s back. Now I can belt it out guilt free while wandering around.
Perhaps Disney still feels awkward (as mentioned in 2022) about the dissonance of the fictional dwarfs in Snow White vs the use of actual little people to portray them. Perhaps a bit like the awkwardness in describing in detail a tween-themed dance party? Perhaps it’s best to just avoid certain conversations.
Speaking of things that are “not so scary”, I found the NYT’s “snake pit” Disney article from earlier today pretty dull. I read a portion of it, but by the middle I was skimming and making a mental note to not bother next time. It was telling that they had to re-hash the hippo story in an attempt to add some interesting detail, even though that story is old and had been covered plenty already. Chapek wanted to pop off, again, and they obliged. I wish they hadn’t bothered. When it’s time to actually time for “Big Bob” to pass the baton, here’s hoping it goes ok. Seems like the Gossipiest Place on Earth will provide plenty more grist for the mill, once a change does happen.
So you upon entry to MNSSHP you can use the Main Street bypass and at the end is Cruella near Tomorrowland entrance?
Yes. Not only “can” you use this entrance, it’s encouraged by the double decker bus emblazoned with a huge banner. This is where you’ll get maps, and the “good” treat bag with the movie theater size bag of mega peanut butter M&Ms.