2026 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Plan
Our 1-night itinerary for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party offers a step-by-step plan-of-attack for minimizing time waiting in lines for character meet & greets, watching the fireworks, Boo to You Parade & Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and avoiding crowds.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is a separately-ticketed event held at Magic Kingdom that features family-friendly fun for guests of all ages. MNSSHP occurs on select evenings in the fall…a “season” that begins at Walt Disney World in mid-August and runs through October 31. It’s a limited-capacity, hard ticket party held after Magic Kingdom has closed to day guests, running from 7 pm until midnight.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party offers an opportunity to enjoy Magic Kingdom’s rides, costumed character meet & greets, and trick-or-treating. There’s also three pieces of flagship entertainment: Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Fireworks, Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, and the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular Stage Show. If you want the event basics, dates & details, and whether it’s worth attending, see our Ultimate Guide to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is an itinerary, focused solely on maximizing time at the event for attendees…
The bad news is that even with this Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party plan-of-attack, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to do everything there during the event. There’s a lot happening during MNSSHP, and pretty much everything has a line or wait time. And we’re talking just the character greetings, trick-or-treating, parade, fireworks, and Hocus Pocus stage show.
Not only that, but MNSSHP is not really a “low crowds” event. While that used to be the case, Walt Disney World raised the capacity cap several years ago. While the last few years haven’t been as bad as October 2019, this year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is busier than Boo Bash or one of the other After Hours events. Additionally, it’s entirely possible that capacity and crowds will increase for the October parties–we’ve seen exactly that happen in the past.
For the last 5 years, every single night of the event sold out. Due to the popularity of MNSSHP, lines for character meet & greets and congestion on Main Street and near Cinderella Castle around the entertainment can be bad.
If you want to be able to ride regular attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or TRON Lightcycle Run, you’ll have to make compromises and cuts. This is especially true if you plan on doing multiple meet and greets, as characters can consume several hours of your party time. If you don’t plan on meeting any characters–or plan on doing the less popular ones–you’ll have far more flexibility.
The good news is that we’ve attended MNSSHP a ton, and have refined this Halloween party plan based on our experiences. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party doesn’t change much from year to year, and the 2026 incarnation of the event will almost certainly be very similar to last year. (We’ll update accordingly once 2026 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party details are released, and again once we’ve attended the event.)
With that said, there are actually more differences than meet the eye, which are due in equal parts to meet & greets and showtime changes. As a result of the parade and stage show shifting their schedules and the lineup of characters back in Storybook Circus, we made several rather major updates to this party plan last year.
Beyond that, we’ve done MNSSHP every year that it’s been held for the last 15 years–multiple times, some years (including over a dozen times in 2019)–learning a lot about the event’s ins and outs. We’ve also put this precise plan through its paces on several occasions, and the itinerary holds up. With that out of the way, let’s start the evening at Magic Kingdom!
Arrive Early – Purchasing an event ticket to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party gives you access to Magic Kingdom for up to 3 hours before the party starts. MNSSHP itself runs for 5 hours, with special Halloween-themed entertainment, attractions, character greetings, and more.
With this in mind, we recommend planning to get to Magic Kingdom by 3:30 pm. If you already have admission for this day in the park, enter even earlier through the non-event turnstiles and get your wristband in Tomorrowland rather than the front of the park.
Line Up For First Characters – Jack Skellington and Sally meet in Town Square Theater starting sometime around 4 pm, so line up for them by 4:05 pm. You read that correctly–you need to be in line no later than 5 minutes after mix-in starts, which is challenging since you’ll need a party wristband. This is the most sound strategy unless you want to wait until later in the evening.
Even if you line up before 4:30 pm, be prepared for a wait time of at least an hour–potentially 2-3 hours. If this isn’t worth it, enjoy some free time. There isn’t anything uniquely Halloween at Magic Kingdom outside of the paid event, so this essentially means enjoying normal park activities. You’ll definitely want to eat an early dinner if you haven’t already. Jack & Sally actually have longer lines during this mix-in time than they do later in the evening, so arriving early–unless you’re at the absolute front of the pack–is not a time-saving move.
Jack Skellington has a slightly new look for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with an articulated head replacing the cut-out mouth and rubber hat previously worn by the performer. This has resulted in the meet & greet being slightly popular this year as repeat visitors want something, anything, new to experience…and there isn’t much else.
A few other popular characters, such as Elvis Stitch and Pooh & Friends begin meeting early, but none start at 4 pm. Those typically begin between 6 pm and 7 pm, but closer to the latter. Our personal preference is to enjoy free time from 4 to 6:45 pm, grabbing snacks or something to eat, and then lining up for one of these sets of characters as opposed to waiting so long for Sally & Jack Skellington. But we’re also willing to roll the dice on them later in the night.
PhotoPass Magic Shots – If you opt for some rides or more character meet & greets, that’s going to take at least until 8 pm, if not 8:30 pm. In which case, you’ll be skipping this step.
If the line is simply too long or you don’t care about characters, consider knocking out some of the PhotoPass Magic Shots in Fantasyland or Liberty Square. See our Guide to ALL PhotoPass Magic Shots at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
First Boo To You Parade – In a hugely positive move, the first Boo to You Parade is an hour earlier than it used to be (this actually started last year). This helps spread out crowds better, and makes the area in front of Cinderella Castle less chaotic throughout the course of the event.
If you plan on seeing both performances of the parade, your spot for this can be relatively low-stakes and last-minute. We do not advise camping out a long time, as it eats into valuable party time during which you could be doing something else. One good and easy option is watching the parade from near where it steps off, around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Frontierland. If you watch from here, “follow” the parade to Cinderella Castle to secure your spot for the next step.
A great alternative is Town Square, which is the end of the parade route and last section of Main Street to fill up. Here, the lighting is brighter and even and if you snag a spot directly under the Main Street USA Train Station, you still have Cinderella Castle in the background. The Headless Horseman comes first, followed by the rest of the Parade much later (especially to Main Street).
Note that this advice only applies if you want to see the Boo to You Parade twice. There are two performances of this parade, and the second is less crowded. If you do elect to just go with the second parade, you may end up kicking yourself, because this is one of the best parades Disney does. We always watch it twice, despite having seen it 50+ times over the years.
If you’re really into meeting characters, you should do that during the first parade. We’d recommend the royalty in Fantasyland or Aladdin and friends in Adventureland. None of those will otherwise be included in this itinerary.
Hocus Pocus – Following either of these options, head to the front of Cinderella Castle for to the 9:05 pm showtime of Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular. This is shown almost immediately after the first Boo to You Parade passes, so you’ll have to hustle to get here from Town Square.
A perfect front and center spot is not necessary, as we’ll be watching the show again at the end of the night. Alternatively, if you’re super into character meet & greets, trick or treating, dance parties…or anything else…use this time to do that instead.
Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular – This is the fireworks show only during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties. It runs only once per night, and is not to be missed. The highlight of this nighttime spectacular is a larger-than-life Jack Skellington puppet that is best appreciated up close.
If this is your priority–and the puppet is so cool that maybe it should be–the ideal viewing spot is going to be between Partners and Cinderella Castle. This is a big reason why we recommended following Boo to You up here and then watching Hocus Pocus is so you’re not scrambling to the castle ahead of the fireworks. Many guests will stake out spots here ahead of the first Boo to You, and stay in the same location until the fireworks are over. Some serious diehards will camp out here for both parades and everything in between!
With that said, the pyro is not best viewed from quite as close. In addition to the normal fireworks shot from directly behind Cinderella Castle (some of which are blocked by that building if you’re front and center), Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular also has perimeter bursts and projections. For the best balance, a location on Main Street USA between Casey’s Corner and Partners is the best option. We cover exact spots for the best view and photos in Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Halloween Fireworks Viewing Guide.
Race for Rare Characters – The best time to meet characters during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is immediately before, during, or after the Boo to You Parade or Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks. Intuitively, this should make sense–most guests are occupied by those tentpole pieces of entertainment.
If you hustle, you can watch the fireworks and also beat the crowd to a character meet & greet. My recommendation for this is Daisy Duck and Goofy in Storybook Circus. This is one of the marquee meet & greets during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (it replaced the Seven Dwarfs). A reasonably wait time for this is anything under 30 minutes. (This used to feature Minnie Mouse and other characters, but she’s now meeting with Mickey in Town Square Theater.)
Failing that, it might be a good time to make a lap of Magic Kingdom, checking out the dance parties or atmospheric entertainment acts. You can also see Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular if you skipped the first showtime–but there’s another chance to see that. It might be good to explore somewhere beyond Main Street.
Fun on the Frontier – If you do opt against catching Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, we’d recommend heading over to Frontierland.
This is a good time to catch the final performance of the Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet, clown around with the Country Bears, and enjoy the moody ambiance along the Rivers of America.
Buccaneer Bash – After getting your fill of the frontier, cut over to Adventureland for meet & greets, Pirates of the Caribbean, or trick-or-treating now that those lines have died down.
One recent addition to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the pirate takeover of Adventureland. There’s a spirited pirate band (Rusty Cutlass) along with their crew, which previously appeared inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Listen for their sea shanties while their shipmates roam the land sharing tales of their explorations at sea. Jack Sparrow also does a meet & greet across from the band, near the ride.
Treat Trails – We aren’t huge on trick or treating during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for the simple reason that your time is worth more than the cost of the candy. (You’re paying ~$30 per hour of the event; candy isn’t nearly that expensive unless you buy it at a WDW gift shop!)
The one exception to that at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is in Princess Fairytale Hall, which is testing a villainous takeover. Ask a Cast Member whether it’s happening during your party night–it should be!
Haunted Mansion – I can’t remember the last time we rode Haunted Mansion during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The line is simply too long and it’s the normal experience you can have any regular ole day at Magic Kingdom–don’t waste the time.
However, you should enter through the exit to see Lady Renata or Madame Carlotta performing on the lawn. There’s also a PhotoPass Magic Shot at Haunted Mansion.
Another Rare Character – If all goes well, you might have time to sneak in one more rare character before the second Boo to You.
Our preferred approach here is going to meet Jack & Sally on Main Street. If all goes well, it should take under 40 minutes. Keep in mind that the parade takes a while to arrive to this point after stepping off, so if you get in line by 10:50 pm, you should still be fine to see all or most of it when you exit.
If you’re not as much of a risk taker, Elvis Stitch is another good option here. But we really like trying for Sally & Jack here. You also might consider arriving even earlier to knock out Minnie & Mickey Mouse and Sally & Jack. Both of these meet & greets are next to one another in the Town Square Theater.
Note that the meet & greet with Minnie & Mickey Mouse is more popular than it used to be, as it’s now both characters meeting together. However, the line moves faster for, ahem, magical reasons–so don’t eyeball the two lines and assume the wait is longer for Minnie & Mickey. It isn’t.
Boo to You Times Two – At this point, it’s probably time to secure a spot for the second Boo to You Parade, if you want to see it again.
There are two options here. Being fixated on photos, we usually do Main Street. There’s something about the projections and moody lighting on Cinderella Castle that just sets the perfect tone of the parade. My favorite spot is between the Emporium and flagpole, to the left of the Sharing the Magic statue. This viewing area is created when a rope goes up across the street, which usually happens less than 30 minutes before the parade starts.
If you didn’t already return to Main Street, you can simply stick to Frontierland, near where the parade steps off. This is going to be the less time intensive option, as you won’t need to wait as long for the parade to arrive and will be able to leave immediately after it’s over.
Terrors of Tomorrow – If you skip the second Boo to You Parade or watch from Frontierland, you should still have time for the terrors of Tomorrow. Okay, terrors is a stretch, unless you find Stitch as Elvis to be a dreadful combination.
There are more PhotoPass Magic Shots, the aforementioned Elvis Stitch, and overlays to both Space Mountain and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Of these options, Space Mountain is the crowd-pleaser, but we don’t think the overlay is anything special. To each their own, though.
Witching Hour – The last showtime of Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular is midnight, which means you can effectively extend the event by another 20 minutes or so. Despite the mass exodus of people post-parade, don’t expect this to be uncrowded–a ton of other guests will have the exact same idea.
Other alternatives for the end of the night include queueing up for Space Mountain a minute or so before midnight, doing more PhotoPass Magic Shots, or a high-priority meet & greet. The problem with this last option is that the lines are cut based on length, rather than at a specific time. If you want to meet Jack Skellington, you should play it safe and line up by 11 pm at the absolute latest.
Serene Spookiness – You’ll be able to linger around Tomorrowland or Main Street for a while after Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party officially ends. This is a great time to savor the spooky ambiance, take photos, or try to get the remaining PhotoPass Magic Shots on your list.
Guests are typically cleared out of Tomorrowland before 12:30 am, but Main Street usually takes longer–often until 1 am. With a slow trickle of guests still exiting meet & greets long after the party ends (and more merch to be sold on Main Street), security is in no rush to push people towards the exit.
Ultimately, you should be able to have an efficient evening with plenty of fun and lots of entertainment (perhaps too much) by following this Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party plan. We really enjoy this special event and have had a blast every year we’ve done it thus far.
As you can probably tell by our preferences and recommendations, what we really love is the party-specific entertainment. There have been some nights when we’ve spent 4 out of 5 hours on Main Street, watching both Boo to You Parades, three performances of Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and the fireworks. For 95% of you, that is overkill. However, the entertainment is the heart of the party, and what you’re paying the big bucks for during the event.
Hopefully this MNSSHP itinerary presented a slightly more balanced evening, with time for character meet & greets, exploring the park, getting photos, doing seasonal ride overlays, and enjoying the atmosphere. Those of you who are really into trick-or-treating might notice there’s not much of that here–we’d recommend saving that for the last couple of hours, as lines are much shorter and Cast Members tend to be more generous with candy later in the night.
In the end, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is incredibly expensive, but can offer a lot of bang for your buck if you have a plan of attack. Go in with realistic expectations, but try to do as much as you can–characters, the parade, fireworks, the stage show, and even some trick-or-treating and more. With that said, this itinerary should also demonstrate why we don’t recommend doing regular attractions during the Halloween Party. You won’t have the time to do it all!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Which character meet & greets and other entertainment are your top priorities? Did you meet Jack Skellington and/or the Elvis Stitch…or were those lines too long for you? Do you disagree with anything in our 1-night MNSSHP plan? Planning on doing the party in October? Planning for the 2026 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? 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!
Hello, we are attending the party tomorrow but unable to be there at 3:30 to avoid the line for the party. What time do you recommend to avoid the line but enter prior to the start of the party? Thank you!
We went to this party for the first time on 09/10/24. They were really on-the-nose with start times, so it ended up being pointless to get there early. And none of the characters we tried to meet early met before 7pm like they supposedly have in years past, so it was kind of a bust for us as far meeting characters.
TRON wait time was only 30 minutes and we Space Mountain was fun in complete darkness. The only characters we were able to meet were Alice and the Mad Hatter and they were delightful.
We were super excited to see Jack Skellington during our the fireworks show, but we never spotted him. Not sure if he didn’t come out because of the light rain??? Or is he so short that you have to be RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM to see him?
Overall, the itinerary we tried to follow from here was a bust and I would never pay the extra expense to go again. Definitely not worth it for our family. Sharing so that people may have more realistic expectations when they go in case they have a night like ours.
Hi Tom, could you reiterate about which MNSSHP parade is less crowded? I think in this article you state the second one and an updated article stated the first was less crowded. Thx!
We did the party on 8/27 and I have a few more tips.
1. They did not even start handing out wrist bands until 4pm, which was a change from last year. We got to the park around 3:15 and were in line in Tomorrowland by 3:30, and had our bands by 4:10. Sprinted to Jack and Sally and got there by 4:17, but line was 160 minutes by then and we opted not to wait.
2. We snagged a last minute reservation at Skipper Canteen at 6:00, when we realized the quick service was all closed from 6-7.
3. My kids are scared of the Boo to You parade, so we got in line for Jack and Sally at 8:00. 60 minute wait time posted, but we were done with the meet by 8:40!
4. The park did not open at 8 am as it has in past years. Nonetheless, the park was still dead and we had low wait times all morning. We took a midday break after having ridden all the coasters and many other rides.
I’m all about avoiding this event. Per your recommendation, we plan on going to MK early on party days the last week of October. Should we leave by 3 pm?
Just went on 9/2 and had a blast – EXCEPT they did not do the Headless Horseman at either parade because it rained earlier in the day (around 4:30-5:00). Super disappointed. It’s Florida and it rains every day here. Cancelling one of the big attractions of the night TWICE is not cool. I get that they want to be safe, but how about the horseman just slow walks or trots down the parade route instead of a faster run? Something would be better than nothing!
I’ve heard this has happened several times this year–including for the first parade at the party I attended (no rain whatsoever that day).
In the past, rain much earlier in the day hasn’t stopped the Headless Horseman from appearing later, so I’m guessing there’s some other issue.
Tom where was your skeleton shirt at mnsshp?
That’s only my California costume! Too hot in Florida for the skeleton shirt–gotta go with a quick drying polo.
Darn it. Could have used this on Monday.
Is there a Mickey meet and greet during MNSSHP? If so where, and when do you recommend going?
Yes there is and he’s in a brand-new costume for 2024 (see top photo). I’d recommend slotting him in right before the second parade, as that’s when his line is likely to be shortest. With enough time, you can knock out both Town Square Theater meet & greets back-to-back then. Good luck!
If your priority is to ride rides, including Tron. What happens after 6. Don’t several stay open throughout the party? I saw that there will be a virtual queue at 6, how long does the ride stay open.
Yes, we will be trying to catch some parade, fireworks, shows. Just trying to plan. Don’t want to spend $800 on a ticket for the day. We have 3 day passes for the other parks the days after.
That opening shot looking down (or is it up?) Main Street USA is gorgeous.
Thanks!
I am angry that WDW does not warn you when you get park reservations that the park you have selected will be closing early to people that don’t care to buy tickets to MNSSHP. In essence you lose almost a quarter of your hours you would normally have in the park. Also, we already have dining reservations that carry over to past the closing of the park and can’t change days and still get the dining reservations. I think people that are made to leave a park early should be allowed to hop to a different park.
Hi Gary, disney does post park hours so guests can plan accordingly.
I have become so disgruntled with Disney’s methods that we gave our membership to our kids. If they choose to continue to waste their money at WDW, that is up to them. The last few trips out to WDW have been major disappointments. Every action that Disney makes now is geared toward either the almighty dollar or woke stupidity. I used to aspire to move to Florida so we would be closer to WDW. Glad I didn’t now.
Nicki, for your information, nowhere is it posted that you have to leave the park when the Not So Scary function starts. You would think that they would warn you when you make a reservation just thirty minutes before they close the park. Just another way for WDW to run the $$$ up.
We just went last night, 9/25/22. it said no rain but rained for like 30 min around 6:30. We got to see Jack Skellington and Sally and Stitch. We aren’t big Pooh Bear fans but they were cute. So, we stood in line for Jack Skellington for only about 45 min, HOWEVER, we stood in line for wristbands at 2:30 and were first in, in our line. a lot of people stood in line at that time. We then were directed to another area with a pool of people. At 550 they let everyone in at once. We were directed to the left and had to circle around for the Theater. We were like 7th in line. They started seeing people at 430. Literally in and out. Awesome character experience and photos. After that went on The Laugh Floor because they were letting people in and we thought, why not? After the show we stood in line for Stitch. Stitch starts seeing people at 630. We were like 10th in line for him. At 630, even though it said no rain, it rained! so he didnt come out until like 650ish. We saw him about 7:05. So we knocked two of the popular characters out right away. To most people’s surprise, our most anticipated character we wanted to see was Gaston. well…no Gaston last night. maybe the actor got sick? We were so bummed. Our 7 year old bought Gaston a mirror for him so he can always see the most beautiful character lol!! We were very sad. We DAS passed the Seven Dwarfs mine ride. We did go on a few walk ons just bc they were walk ons. We got the Raphunzel lantern photo since the line is usually nuts but it wasnt that bad of a wait. I’d say 15 min. The night flies by! By that time, we heard the first parade go by, so we made our way to the front center of the castle and got an amazing view of the fireworks and hologram. It did block a few back fireworks but most launches were to the sides. I think the Holograms were amazing so it was important to us to be up close. We then, instead of seeing the next Hocus Pocus show, got front spots in front, across from the castle for the parade. Amazing parade!! The lightening wasn’t very good for pics so it was more of a live in the moment thing, as it should be. After that, we crossed the street at got 3rd row spots for Hocus Pocus which was hilarious and amazing. I’m not sure if this was always the case but Max did not walk the parade route, rather than walked down main street so if Max is important to you, probably see the first parade, firework show then head to main street. My kids, that are night owls fell asleep after the 2nd parade. they were wiped. We had to drag two sleeping kids and our son that was in a stroller around. All and all, a tiring but still a very fun night. Definitely something to do at least once. We used this article as a guide line and felt we had a successful night. like I said, the night goes by fast. I was sad that we didnt have time to stand in the enhanced photo lines but they were crazy long. If we go next year, I will definitely make time for those.
We just moved to Tampa for my husband’s job…now were waiting on experiencing our first Tropical Depression/Hurricane.
opps, sorry guys. At 350 they let everyone I at once. Not 550. haha.
Thank you so much for this plan. We cannot wait to go in a couple of weeks!
We went to our first MNSSHP on 9/16 and had a good time but definitely made some rookie mistakes. I also can’t say that we would add this to our list of annual events (then again, we love Halloween, so it’ll probably slide in there anyway). One big thing we missed was making our mobile food orders early. We planned on grabbing a snack to eat while staking out a spot for the parade or fireworks, that way we weren’t wasting time eating when we wanted to be more active. But all the mobile food orders were taken up for the night. Luckily we’d eaten a big Skipper’s Canteen meal before the party started, but I was really looking forward to the shake at Sleepy Hollow. It was also a rainy night, so they canceled the first parade but luckily did the second run and the fireworks. I’m wondering if they cut some of the parade because after your glowing review, we were really expecting a lot (we saw the Frightfully Fun Parade at Oogie Boogie last year and were blown away), but the non-character performers were just walking and waving instead of dancing. That was particularly disappointing with the HM ballroom dancers. And your article suggests that the Hocus Pocus show is about 20 minutes. When we saw it, they performed one song and that was it. We were both really underwhelmed. I don’t think it was even 5 minutes (and it was no longer raining then). We also went to your recommended spot for the fireworks and I was SUPER excited about the Jack puppet. He never appeared (there was a light sprinkle but no heavy rain during the fireworks). So based on this and some of your articles, I’m wondering if we got the short end of the stick because of the weather even though only the first parade was actually canceled. 🙁
Oh wow, you definitely got shortchanged.
Did the parade seem like it was moving faster than normal? One possibility is that weather changed after it stepped off and they cut the choreo. I can’t think of any other explanation for that. Yikes!
I was also at the 9/16 MNSSHP and experienced the same. Was the parade issue possibly time? It was delayed before starting, so didn’t if they had to catch up to the regular schedule. Same with the Villain Spectacular.
We went on Sept 9th and had decent luck that the rain passed through before the party. I was very disappointed at how long the waits for rides were, and we only did a few. It seemed they were only running one side (half capacity). Given the number of people there and vast amounts of $ they were raking in, they could have run rides at full capacity to allow guests to experience more during the party. Not sure if we will return.
Going to Boo Bash last year did not prepare me in the slightest for how congested MNSSHP would be. I am very glad for your tips because we barely managed to do most of the things we wanted (but had to miss out on photos completely.) I don’t think I will go back with a large group ever again…it seems much more enjoyable if you have a small number of people who can flit in and out of crowds or snag last minute spots. Definitely didn’t feel like what Disney advertised in terms of low waits for rides or food offerings, though…rides had high waits till the end of the night and all the food we wanted sold out. You definitely have to strategize to get the most out of this event!
I went September 11th and the weather held out. One thing that I wish I knew in advance was that DAS works for the Jack & Sally and Mickey Mouse meet & greets in Town Square Theatre. We waited about 2 hours for Jack & Sally from 4:05-6:05 and only later found that out in passing. This was extremely uncomfortable for my mom. Asked after if it would work for Pooh and was told no (even though the wait was extremely long so not sure of the reasoning). But if you have DAS ask a cast member for a return time for the theatre meets & greets as it’s not available on the app (regular rides still are). Also, on a different note, I was very confused by the Villian show. I was really looking forward to it and opted for the middle performance of the night. But it was only about 5 minutes or so and had just one dance number? Not sure if it was an abbreviated version or something but I was disappointed.
I just called DAS with some questions about our trip. I asked about the Sally and Jack meet and they said it couldn’t be done. How do we go about getting a return time? I am so confused!
@Suzie – Honestly we got conflicting info on DAS during the party. But ask the cast member immediately in the theater for a return time for Jack & Sally. They should be able to help. Same with Mickey in the theater. Found that random other cast members and guest services give conflicting info.
@Suzie We were also told conflicting info but got such good spots in line, we were like “let’s just knock it out”. The cast members told us, “it depends on the cast members running it and the length of the line”. We didn’t use our DAS pass on anything characters though.
We went on September 16th. It rained. No parades , no stage shows. The fireworks were nice.
A number of candy stops were out of tokens for allergies.