A Duo of Delightfully Dead Halloween Parties
The schedule for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party kicks into high gear now that we’re in September, with multiple events per week in Magic Kingdom–in some cases every other night. MNSSHP bumps up to 3 nights per week until October, at which point it’ll happen 4 nights per week, including every Thursday and Friday.
However, the first two parties this September have been delightfully dead, reminding us of the good ole days of these events years ago. On our recent visits to Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, we waited in line less than 10 minutes for the Seven Dwarfs, got parade spots at the last minute, and enjoyed a largely-empty park!
Now, before you get excited about the prospect of low crowds at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party throughout September and October, temper your expectations a bit. There are several simple explanations for the low crowds the last two nights, and why that won’t necessarily be the case going forward…
The first explanation is Hurricane Dorian. These early party nights are disproportionately attended by tourists (locals have more flexibility in when to attend, and most favor the cooler dates that are more in the heart of spook season), and a lot of people canceled their Walt Disney World trips. This is easily the biggest and best way to account for ~70% of the lower crowds.
However, it’s not the only explanation–and these other variables could impact attendance numbers at future Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights. A couple are of particular interest to me…
First, there’s the possibility that Extra, Extra Magic Hours in Magic Kingdom and elsewhere are causing on-site guests to get up earlier, and thus, finish their days earlier.
The idea of leaving a theme park for the day by 6 pm is practically heresy to me, but people entering Magic Kingdom around 7 am could feel satisfied or tired by late afternoon.
This, in turn, could lead to fewer same-day sales of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets. Spontaneous party ticket sales occur when people arrive at Magic Kingdom not realizing they’ll have to leave early.
While savvy planners who read sites like this one couldn’t fathom showing up to Magic Kingdom and not knowing the park hours, this happens more than you might think. (Remember, plenty of guests still don’t use FastPass+ because they don’t know about it, or assume it costs extra.)
Second, there’s more to do in other parks this year. The big one here is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is going to be the big draw for many guests this year now that it’s open.
Obviously, this is just one land (with only one attraction right now), but it’s enough to move the needle. That means it’ll pull at least some people out of the other parks and into Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Third, it’s possible that pent-up demand is starting to be exhausted. The first several parties, which are more spaced out, were pretty busy (albeit not as bad as last year).
Even though many Disney fans grouse about Halloween being celebrated in August, many guests want this, a fact that’s borne out in attendance numbers.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t note that even as of this morning (September 6, 2019), crowds at Magic Kingdom are still really low. We were on hand for Extra, Extra Magic Hours and it was a ghost town. Even after that ended and the park opened to day guests, it’s been really quiet.
With each passing day, the hurricane is less and less of a viable explanation for the low crowds. Whether this translates to low crowds for tonight’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party remains to be seen, but we’re expecting exactly that.
Explanations that I wouldn’t consider particularly compelling are pricing and the parties being too early on the calendar. If either were true, the first several parties would’ve also been impacted, and they were not. At least, not to this extent. If I had to guess, I’d say year over year MNSSHP attendance was down a little (maybe 10-15% lower) at the early parties, but not to a significant degree.
As we speculated in our Unlimited No So Scary Halloween Party Pass post, we suspect that the motivation for selling the Party Pass is not (primarily) to cram more people into Magic Kingdom on Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights. Rather, it’s to help with lagging attendance at the late August and September parties, which are likely seeing slower ticket sales than normal.
Setting this speculation aside, our main reason for this post is simply to share some photos I took during the last two Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties. So…here they are:
Most of these can be presented without commentary, but a couple are worth discussing.
Above is a picture of the waiting area for the Seven Dwarfs. If you’ve seen this on a normal night, you know it’s normally packed with people, and the wait is best measured in hours.
There were 4 parties in front of us, and we waited under 10 minutes.
Even on an off night, I couldn’t believe this. (Later that same evening, Sally and Jack Skellington also had a ~10 minute wait.)
We didn’t do the dessert party, but in walking by, it appeared that maybe 10-15% of the tables were full.
Presumably, there were a lot of cancellations due to the hurricane. (If you’re considering this dessert party, we’d direct you towards our Review & Viewing Tips: Not So Spooky Spectacular Halloween Fireworks post, which covers the best views. Tomorrowland Terrace is not one of them.)
Both nights, this was how Main Street looked about 15-30 minutes before the first Boo to You parade.
Normally, these sidewalks start filling up 45 minutes or more in advance. One night, I snagged a prime flagpole spot after the Headless Horseman ran.
We also took a lot of character and PhotoPass photos, as most of those had no wait. At this point, I think our next Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party posts will be ones dedicated to the PhotoPass photo ops, the various characters at MNSSHP, and maybe a new 1-night itinerary.
If anyone else has ‘requests’, we’ll take those into consideration. (Gotta justify attending so many of these things somehow!)
Turning back to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party attendance and crowd patterns, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. There’s a strong possibility that the lower numbers can be primarily explained by weather-related cancellations. It’s also probable that other factors are coming into play, and we’ll see lower attendance at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party year over year in September and October, too.
Frankly, that needs to happen, as last year was way too crowded. Even if party attendance turns out to be 20% lower, it’s still about 20% higher than it should be. (Last year was out of control.) We’ll keep monitoring the situation, putting those Party Passes to good use, and letting you know what happens with crowds. In the meantime, hopefully you enjoyed this speculation and photos from our last couple of evenings at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Are you hoping for continued low attendance at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Have you done MNSSHP in the last couple of years and found the crowds to be excessive? Do you agree or disagree with our analysis here? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!
Hi Tom, I managed to snag dinner reservations at BOG at 4:05 the night we’re attending MNSSHP. Do you know if we’ll be able to get into MK any earlier than 4 if we have an ADR but don’t have a regular park pass for that day? This is my mother’s first trip to Disney and I don’t want to rush her through MK if we only have 5 minutes to get to BOG. There’s so much to see beforehand and I don’t want her to miss out on the whole sensory experience. I’m wondering if I should cancel our ADR. Thanks for any input!
I think even at BOG they’ll work you in if you’re 10-15 minutes late, in which case you’ve got a little flexibility.
Not quite comparable, but early last December I misremembered my ADR at Biergarten and was almost an hour late, and they seated us after about a 15-minute wait.
Tom and others may be able to offer a better informed opinion, but IMO BOG is such a treat I’d hate to give it up.
“At this point, I think our next Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party posts will be ones dedicated to the PhotoPass photo ops, the various characters at MNSSHP, and maybe a new 1-night itinerary.”… Really looking forward to reading these posts. We are attending our first MNSSHP in October and trying to figure out how to maximize our time. This will be a short trip for us, so we are looking to get as much in as we can during that time. When I have looked for hotels I am finding very limited availability so I am worried that the crowds are going to be very big. We have already purchase the Memory Maker so looking forward to doing the PhotoPass photo ops. Could you please include when they start? I know there is supposed to be one in front of the park that we want to be sure to get, so I am wondering if it will be available for the 4pm park entry.
Love your pictures and really enjoy reading your posts.
I had originally bought tickets to the 11/1 MNSSHP due to 10/31 being sold out however I checked again 2 weeks ago and 10/31 was available again so I switched the dates. I hope it was a wise choice on my part but not sure. I would like to believe that some people may have canceled which created space but they probably added more tickets for that night to maximize revenue. Only one way to find out now. Wish me luck!
We have Crystal Palace breakfast reservations at 6:45am. Does anyone know if we will be able to enter Fantasyland and ride the rides during EMH? Some of us are resort guests and some aren’t…just wondering if they are scanning bands near the castle or at ride entrances?
When we were there last week, they scanned your band on the Tomorrowland side of the castle. If your entire party wasn’t a resort guest, they wouldn’t let you in.
Thank you for that info! That’s kind of what I figured.
Makes me want to jump on a plane from Pittsburgh and just fly down for the party!
We went October 5th last year and didn’t find the crowds to be overwhelming. It was actually the most pleasant crowd experience of our entire week. I think it depends on what you’re going for. We used that night to ride things we’d have to wait in long lines for normally and to generally just soak up the Halloween fun. We don’t do character photo ops and skipped any candy spots with a line. I think the longest line we waited in was the mine train and it was maybe 30 minutes? Much less than the 2 hour wait when we came back later in the week on a regular day.
I never experienced a totally dead/quiet night so I don’t have that to compare it to, but compared to the absolutely insane crowds of the first week of October, it was a nice evening. Off topic, but I will NEVER, EVER go to Disney the first week in October ever again.
We’re going from 9/29 to 10/6. Can I ask the reason you wouldn’t go back the first week in October? Thanks, Kathy
The last week in September & early October start Fall Break for many schools so you can expect the crowds to be there. While it is bearable, bring your patience. At least it is not as bad as the week of Christmas. The lack of availability of FP’s & ADR’s is also a good indicator of what crowds will be like.
I’ve been visiting Disney World for a week every 12-24 months since I was 12 and I’ve never seen crowds like that in my life. I’m sure Christmas is more crowded, but I’ve never experienced this level of insanity myself until that week last year.
I will say, just be prepared and know what to expect. My expectations were just really out of whack, which contributed to me having a really bad few days in the parks. There were so many rides that we didn’t get to do, so many silly things with a 2+ hour wait, and a lot of rides broken or closed (out of our control of course, but made some of our fast passes useless). If I had known it would be like that, I would have planned differently. I was using touring plans and they had the crowd estimates around a 6 or 7 but day of they ended up as a 9 or 10.
I am also attending the first week of October (2-12). What made it so unbearable?
Beautiful photos, so amazing all these low wait times this week. Glad you are able to take a advantage!
Wow at that Moana
Steaming from the Is Disney Erroding Fan Goodwill Post, to the sheer number of posts complaining about Overcrowding……Perhaps it’s beginning to be reflected in current attendance………I do hope so!
Hello! We’re going to the September 24th MNSSHP and looking forward to it! In your opinion, do you that the crowds are going to be big that night? We’re trying to be strategic and what we see!
So are we!! :)) I’m so excited! Hopefully it won’t be too crazy on a Tuesday night.
See now that I see what it could be I will disappointed if our party is crowded. Already decided that if Disney is too crowded during our trip we will avoiding Disney for quite a few years and do other trips.
I’d be interested in what attractions/rides are open during MNSSHP and if you anticipate a similar schedule for MVMCP as I’m planning for a trip in November and have tickets to the 11/24 MVMCP. I want to be sure I see/ride key attractions that will be closed during the party when we arrive for the 4pm entry.
Hey Tom we were there on the 29th and it was semi busy as things were sort of crowded but the whole day was pretty easy going in MK that day, SDMT 3 times, SM 3 times, literally walked on PotC and HM all day! Funny thing was the longest line for us was the Jungle Cruise, odd in that is the one ride that is in SERIOUS need of a renovation! Cheesy, tired old jokes, way too old and VERY tired Animatronics, what a waste of time! Not sure how accurate this is but one of the CM’s we talked too said they sold “only” 19K tickets for that night, and they cap it at 25K and the MK capacity is 85K, so I guess that is lower then expected…..
I also think it is all too funny when people say over and over that they are “wasting valuable party time”, whhhhhaaaaaatttt? What else is there to do in the MK but walk around, ride, dance, ToT, parade, fireworks, but yet if they have to stop and stand in a line and are “wasting valuable party time”, DUH YOU ARE IN DISNEY you WILL be in LINES!!!!! Tom thanks for your blog, love this place so much info , KEEP IT GOING!!!
I’m afraid it’s only due to the hurricane. We will be attending our first MNSSHP 9/10 party and I have heard of many who canceled last week are going then.. really really hoping it’s not a crowded mess as was the MVMCP last year.
This. It’s all about the hurricane. Unfortunately that is the true reason for the low crowds. In my humble but rationale opinion. Haven’t seen “low” crowds in four years.
We were at the Halloween party on Monday and the crowds were amazing. We did every ride with little to no wait times. Space mountain was walk on!! We had such a great time. I love coming the first week in September. The crowds are always light, if you can stand the heat
We went to the DescenDance party during the Aug. 20th Halloween party. It was just alright. My 5-year-old daughter loved dancing and the DJ was okay, but I was anxious the whole time wasting valuable party time! It lasted the whole party. No reservation needed. Us parents waited in a long food line at Cosmic Ray’s, then sat and watched the dance party. But there were no characters or anything that made it super special to me. Look it up on YouTube before you go.
I would still consider Dorian to be a factor even though it is no longer directly affecting Florida. Yesterday the eastern half of SC was being covered by a portion of the hurricane and today NC is still in its path. This is still affecting 95 and people who would be traveling that corridor.
Just a quick thank you to a disney fan who loves halloween and the party but can’t go this year. Great photos! I love living vicariously through you guys this year!
we were supposed to be there at monday’s (labor day) party, but rescheduled our trip due to dorian (overall glad we did. even though the full force wasn’t felt, our whole party came down sick this week and it would have been a miserable week regardless). i understand monday’s party had limited fireworks? we would have been disappointed with that having read all the hype, though obviously safety is the number 1 concern.
we leave tomorrow morning and are now attending tuesday’s 9/10 party. i REALLY hope at least some of what you witnessed is still in play. i totally get why the parties this week were the way they were, but if we can get even a taste of that to where we don’t necessarily have to wait hours for the dwarfs, that’s a win right there. we met jack and sally last year on a halloween cruise (highly recommend, btw so much fun!) but the dwarfs and moana are the top priorities, followed by the alice in wonderland crew since that’s who we are dressing up as. we’re not as worried about the rides since we have 2 other whole days at MK (though we do plan to do those with overlays and of course the Haunted Mansion). i hope the carryover from crowds being too much last year, coupled with people scared by hurricane season, coupled with september being what it is make for an enjoyable party!
My kids are obsessed with Descendants. Any good insights into the DescenDAMCE Party during Not So Scary?
When does it happen? Is it ongoing through the night? Is it a show? Do you need a reservation?
We went last week. Great fun, my niece loved it. It’s at Cosmic Rays, it runs with breaks most of the night. They have an excellent D.J. No reservation is needed.