2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Guide
Our guide to the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party offers tips & info for Magic Kingdom’s fall special event at Walt Disney World. This includes available & sold out dates, ticket prices & discounts, schedule & strategy for seeing the parade, fireworks, and characters, plus our review of MNSSHP and whether it’s worth your time & money.
For those unfamiliar with it, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is a special event that occurs after Magic Kingdom closes for the day. It is separately ticketed, meaning you have to pay extra for the party if you’re already in the park as a day guest and want to stay through MNSSHP.
If you’re already wanting to plan ahead for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the bad news is that Walt Disney World has yet to release dates, tickets, or other details. On a positive note, we do know that MNSSHP will return, with more info coming soon. If you want to be notified when dates & tickets for the 2024 party are released,, subscribe to our FREE email newsletter. For now, here’s everything you need to know about the event…
One of the most common questions we hear from readers is when will Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party dates be announced and tickets go on sale? Our expectation is sometime between now and May 2024. It could occur within the coming weeks or not for several more months. Historical precedent supports both.
Looking back, last year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was announced in late April during “Halfway to Halloween” in each of the last two years. The three parties before that were announced in mid-February, mid-January, and mid-March, respectively. That’s quite the scattering of months, and it’s honestly difficult to say what’ll happen in 2024.
Walt Disney World has been seeing an exhaustion of pent-up demand, and concerns of that dying down further mean tickets go on sale earlier so there’s more time for them to sell out. Then again, every single date did sell out last year, and that was even as the parks were otherwise slowing down. There’s really no reason to believe MNSSHP tickets will sell slower in 2024, so there shouldn’t be a sense of urgency.
With all of that in mind, we’ll just make the very broad prediction that an announcement will come no later than April 20, 2024. Beyond that, it honestly wouldn’t surprise us if they went on sale as early as mid-January; even if there is no urgency, capturing that revenue as soon as possible and locking people into travel plans is win-win for the company.
As for the event itself, our prediction is that the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will start on or around August 9, 2024 and continue several nights per week until November 1, 2024. Last year, dates were August 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29; September 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29; October 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31; and November 1.
Ticket prices for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will likely range from $125 to $225 depending upon the date. Costs have skyrocketed in the last several years, and it doesn’t help that all dates sold out last year. That alone was unprecedented, but the fact that it happened despite huge price increases could mean even more expensive tickets for the 2024 MNSSHP.
With that in mind, what follows is background and planning info for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, based on last year’s event. It’s unlikely that much will change for 2024…
Our tips and tricks for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) are based on our experiences attending the party over 30 times since 2007. You can read about our experience the first night last year in our Review & Photos: Mickey’s Scary HOT Halloween Party Report.
If you’ve already purchased MNSSHP tickets and want something that synthesizes all of the basic info about the event into a step-by-step plan, see our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Itinerary. That’s more concise, leaving out a lot of background and crowd info.
We also have a look at all of the food items in the Halloween Snack & Dessert Food Guide to Magic Kingdom. Finally, if you’re interested in ‘collecting’ all of the exclusive images during the event, see our Guide to ALL PhotoPass Magic Shots at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Now, let’s turn to a brief summary of what’s new at the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party season, just in case you don’t read our MNSSHP report above…
There have been a handful of recent additions to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. First, the Sanderson Sisters as Disney characters. This version of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus appear in Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade. They are NOT meet & greet characters–so you’ll be able to see them, but not get your photos with them. There have also been other changes to the Boo To You Parade that repeat visitors will appreciate.
Additionally, Max Goof and his Powerline party pack will appear at new pop-up parties throughout Magic Kingdom before this popular crew dances onto Main Street U.S.A. ahead of Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade. This is a nice addition, and is a good way to see Powerline up close outside of the parade.
There’s also what’s essentially a “pirate takeover” of Adventureland, with the Rusty Cutlass singing sea shanties while their shipmates roam the land sharing tales of their explorations at sea. This adds atmospheric entertainment to Adventureland, similar to what’s already in Frontierland thanks to the Cadaver Dans and Country Bears.
The big character news is that the Seven Dwarfs have returned to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, appearing in their former meet & greet location back in Storybook Circus. See How to Waste the Least Time Meeting the Seven Dwarfs at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party if you plan on attending to do this meet & greet. It’s insanely popular and will take a ton of party time if you don’t plan properly.
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World and are hoping to purchase last-minute tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party on sold out dates, you might be able to do so outside the park at the Guest Relations window or inside City Hall on Main Street.
On occasion, there are same-day tickets available as a result of cancellations or other circumstances. If so, instead of the ‘sorry folks, tonight’s event is sold out’ sign pictured above, you’ll likely see one advising that a limited number of tickets are available for purchase. For what it’s worth, we are not aware of any same-day MNSSHP tickets being sold recently. The most likely scenario for this to occur is when there are hurricane or other weather scares causing people to cancel their trips or plans. In other words, it’s a longshot–but worth trying, nevertheless!
Spanning portions of 4 different months, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party “season” is the longest special event at Walt Disney World. Last year, the event was held on 38 select nights August 11 through November 1. The 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is likely to start a couple of nights earlier, and have 1 more night over the course of party season. If that prediction is accurate, it’ll once again set another new record for duration and number of parties.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party takes place from 7 pm until midnight on evenings when it’s held. On MNSSHP dates, Magic Kingdom is open to regular guests from 8 am until 6 pm. (Despite the significantly shorter hours, these are good days to visit Magic Kingdom if you’re not attending the party. We explain why here.)
Ticket holders are admitted to Magic Kingdom as early as 4 pm on the valid date of their ticket–giving you more time to enjoy park favorites before the event begins. These date-specific event tickets do not require an additional day theme park ticket or theme park reservation.
Also during the party, you may have the opportunity to experience some of your favorite attractions, including the newly opened TRON Lightcycle Run. Here’s the list of attractions that will be open during the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party:
Adventureland
- Jungle Cruise
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Swiss Family Treehouse
Frontierland
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Liberty Square
- Haunted Mansion
Fantasyland
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- “It’s a small world”
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mad Tea Party
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Storybook Circus
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- The Barnstormer
Tomorrowland
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Space Mountain
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
TRON Lightcycle Run will use a virtual queue during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, allowing guests to enjoy all the festivities while they wait to enter the Grid.
Not only have ticket prices skyrocketed, but crowd levels at the events have also gone up dramatically. With every single night of the event sold out, attendance levels absolutely exploded, and crowds were very bad at times. We would strongly recommend “Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Too Crowded?” for a look at what we mean.
At this point, it’s impossible to say whether the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will follow that pattern. It could, but it’s also possible that Walt Disney World lowered the attendance cap after complaints and price increases. Our anecdotal perception is that MNSSHP has been less overcrowded the last 2 years than it was in October 2019, but it’s still busier than years (or even the two months that year) prior to that.
We also believe that Disney typically increases the capacity cap in October each year when the earlier sunset allows extra entertainment to be added to the schedule. So it’s entirely possible that crowds will feel worse during the October parties than they d0 during the August and September ones. (On the plus side, the heat shouldn’t be nearly as bad!)
If you have questions about what the event does and does not include, crowds, and much more, see our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party FAQ. We wrote that in response to the most common questions in the comments to this post. If you have a question, there’s a strong probability that FAQ answers it.
As for entertainment, here’s the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party schedule:
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular
- August & September: 8:35 pm, 10:45 pm, 12 am
- October: 7:40 pm, 8:35 pm, 10:45 pm, 12 am
Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular
- 10:15 pm
Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade
- 9:15 pm and 11:15 pm
Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet
- 7 pm, 7:45 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:50 pm, 10:30 pm
Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam
- 7 pm until midnight
Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Dance Ball
- 7 pm until midnight
Rusty Cutlass Pirate Band in Adventureland
- 7:15 pm, 8:15 pm, 9:15 pm, 10:30 pm, 11:20 pm
Max Goof’s Powerline Party Pack
- Unscheduled Appearances
The map does not list specific meet & greet locations, but we have you covered:
Main Street USA
- Sally & Jack Skellington – Town Square Theater (most popular meet & greet, line forms at 4 pm)
- Mickey Mouse – Town Square Theater
Fantasyland
- Ariel and Prince Eric – Prince Eric’s Village Market
- Belle and Gaston – Maurice’s Cottage
- Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore – The Thotful Spot near the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Drizella and Anastasia – Fantasyland (roaming)
- Seven Dwarfs – Storybook Circus (second-most popular meet & greet; line forms at 4 pm)
- Timon – Storybook Circus
- Vamprinia – Storybook Circus
- Doc McStuffins – Storybook Circus
- Fancy Nancy – Storybook Circus
- Witch Minnie, Princess Daisy & Pumpkin Donald – Dumbo
- Pirate Goofy – Barnstormer
Adventureland
- Abu and Aladdin – Agrabah
- Genie – Agrabah
- Jafar – Near Agrabah
- Jack Sparrow – Near Pirates of the Caribbean
Frontierland
- Country Bears – Country Bear Theater (roaming)
Tommorrowland
- Elvis Stitch – Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command
As for the enhancements to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party from the past few years, the first is a replacement for Happy HalloWishes: the new “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular.” These fireworks feature projections, pyro, and Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas as host.
Jack’s ghost dog, Zero, flies off to start this trick-or-treating adventure, where four friends — Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy — find themselves drawn into a mysterious haunted house. The journey takes them from one room of the house to another, encountering dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts, and a series of troublemaking Disney villains.
There are also several attractions across the park receive special enhancements just for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – When you follow the treat trail into the Monster World at Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, you’ll interact in spooky ways with the comic cast of monsters, as they learn about the curious Human World holiday we call Halloween.
Mad Tea Party – The teacups take you for a colorful ride with added lighting and effects providing a different nighttime atmosphere.
Space Mountain – Rocket ships hurtle through deep space as a special soundtrack and effects transform the adventure.
So you can prepare for the Halloween Party now, here is our analysis based upon the last several years to help you determine whether this expensive hard ticket event is worth it to you, and if so, what your “Plan of Attack” should be to efficiently conquer the various offerings. Between this party and Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, plus improving weather, the fall months at Walt Disney World are one of our favorite times of year to visit!
Also note that this guide covers Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, not Mickey’s Halloween Party (now Oogie Boogie Bash) at Disneyland Resort. For info about the latter, read our comprehensive Guide to Halloween Time at Disneyland!
Should You Attend?
Given the high cost of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, you might be trying to determine, “is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party worth the money?”
Our opinion on this question has changed over the years. It used to be an unequivocal yes. Then, as prices for the event nearly doubled, it became “yes if you want to splurge.” Now, with prices up and Walt Disney World having raised the attendance cap, it’s harder and harder to justify.
We still love the event. We don’t love the crowds or prices, but we go anyway. Probably in part because of nostalgia and in part because we have a good time enjoying the experience at a more relaxed pace. We don’t follow our own itinerary in this post since we’ve seen/done 75% of these things in previous years, so the stakes aren’t as high for us, so to speak. It’s simply a fun, albeit overpriced event.
If you can approach it from the perspective of not having to accomplish it all and being willing to overpay a bit for a truly fun and spooky evening in Magic Kingdom, we say go for it. Just don’t expect to leave thinking, “that was really worth the money.” At this point, it’s hard to come to that conclusion.
Another question we often receive is whether we prefer the Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We are total suckers for Christmas, so we can’t answer that without bias. With that said, we prefer the Christmas Party, but probably two-thirds of people we know prefer the Halloween Party. Your mileage may vary.
Aside from the higher price, the biggest difference between the two parties is that the Halloween Party offers more special entertainment and character meet & greets. Personally, I enjoy the Christmas Party more, but I think it’s undeniable that there’s more to do at the Halloween Party.
There’s a lot of special entertainment including one of Disney’s best parades and a great fireworks show, a great ambiance to the party including special decorations and lighting, lots of unique character meet & greets, and even seeing other guests in Halloween costumes makes for a fun experience.
If you do decide to do the Halloween Party, make sure to buy your tickets in advance, and use any available discounts (Disney Vacation Club member, Annual Passholder, etc.). Tickets are more expensive on the day of the party, and several nights each year sell out completely. It’s wise to purchase party tickets early if you know you’re going. It would stink to wait until the last minute and have your dates sell out.
As for what you should do during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, here’s our guide to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…
General Tips
The first important tip is to pick the best day on your trip for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Some nights are busier than others, and that post covers our tips for choosing the least-crowded dates. Disney prices these parties based on historical demand, so going on the cheapest party night you can is generally the best idea from both the perspective of saving money and avoiding crowds. Win-win!
In recent years, MNSSHP attendance has been, generally speaking, dramatically higher than previously. The last few years, every single night has sold out. Prior to that, it was common for only the first couple of nights plus most of October to sell out. It’ll be interesting to see whether this trend continues with the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. We’d bet that it will.
The second most important tip is to arrive early to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The Party officially starts at 7 p.m., which is when all of the entertainment actually begins, but guests can enter with their Halloween Party tickets as early as 4 p.m. This is not something Walt Disney World advertises, but it absolutely is true, and you will see plenty of other guests arriving at 4 p.m., and Cast Members in their Halloween outfits at the turnstiles.
This earlier entry offers you potential savings to offset the cost of your tickets. Before we were Annual Passholders, we’d plan on doing Disney Springs or a water park the morning we went to the Halloween Party, which allowed us to purchase 1-day less on our park tickets. We highly recommend that you do the same! In other words, if you normally would buy a 5-day ticket for your trip, buy a 4-day ticket and do something besides one of the 4 theme parks before 4 p.m.
The additional day you’re not purchasing would have only added on ~$30 in cost to your total package, so we’re not talking a substantial amount here, but it makes the Halloween Party more economical. To save even more money on multi-day Walt Disney World tickets, we recommend buying from an authorized ticket broker selling cheaper tickets than you can buy directly from Disney.
Read our Tips for Buying Discount Walt Disney World Tickets Guide for more information about saving money on park tickets. You can’t buy Halloween Party tickets from these authorized ticket sellers, but the amount you save on your regular park tickets plus the savings on that extra day you’re not purchasing will help offset the added cost of the party tickets.
The next biggest tip is to wear a costume! Although Disney has had some tweaks to its security policy over the last few years, costumes are allowed for all guests.
Here’s Disney’s official word on costumes: “while costumed attire may be worn, guests ages 14 and older are strongly discouraged from wearing layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body as they may be subject to additional security screening. Additionally, costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.”
At least half of the Guests who attend the party wear costumes, and it’s a lot more fun if you do. You’re spending a fair chunk of change to attend one of these parties, make sure you get as much value for your money as possible by wearing a costume.
You don’t need to buy some expensive costume from the store–make one at home from items you buy at a thrift shop. Sarah and I attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party as the following: astronauts; an elf and princess; and “Cute Minnie” and a Toy Story Alien, among other things. Most of the time, our costumes are pretty lame as compared to other guests, but we still have a lot of fun!
For costumes, go inexpensive, simple, and most importantly…LIGHTWEIGHT. We have a Guide to Halloween Costumes for the Disney Parks that covers the nuts and bolts. Suffice to say, we have worn heavier costumes, and let me tell you what a mistake that was. It may be cooler at nighttime in the fall, but it’s still Florida, and it’s still humid and hot.
A final tip is to pass on the Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. This is comparable to the regular fireworks dessert party, except with Halloween-decorated desserts. (Read more in Dining & Dessert Parties During Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.)
Beyond being a waste of money, the dessert party is a waste of time. There are just too many other great things to do at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (it’s unlikely you can do all of the regular entertainment in a single night) to justify attending a dessert party. It’s just not worth taking the time from the regular awesome entertainment of the Halloween party to do this. Plus, the idea of another upcharge event within an upcharge event just makes us cringe.
With that said, let’s start to get into the details of arriving at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with a plan for how you should approach the evening entertainment and characters. We have a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Itinerary on Page 2.
Arrive at 4 p.m., grab an event map for a refresher as to what is located where and entertainment showtimes, eat an early dinner, do an attraction or two, and knock out a couple of daytime PhotoPass Magic Shots for Halloween. Once 6 pm hits, it’s time to get ready to party, and time to initiate your Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party attack-plan to do and see as much as you can.
If at all possible, find a way to avoid trick or treating or save it until the end of the night. It is a major time drain, and you could buy a bag of candy yourself for like $3. It may be difficult to convince kids not to trick or treat, but if you can, find a way. There is so much entertainment during the Halloween Party that you won’t get everything done even if you don’t trick or treat and don’t do any attractions.
I was at the MNNSHP last night August, 20th and to say it was a mad house is an understatement. Be prepared for peak crowds if you decide to go. That is the bad news. The good news is that the event, entertainment, fireworks, parade, and special effects all make it worth going (at least once).. This was our first time at this event and it was so cool. The instructions you provide Tom, are very helpful. For example, we waited until the very end to collect candy – breezed through and our girl’s candy didn’t melt in the 90 degree heat. We focused on going to spooky or enhanced rides vs ones we will ride other days. We tried to see a few characters but the lines were sometimes 90 minutes long. All in all, I do wish Disney would limit the number of tickets sold to something less than peak season and this might be heretical to say on your blog, but I would pay more to have less crowds! I will think twice about going again if they don’t reduce attendance numbers.
Magic kingdom has a daily average attendance of 52,000 but the Halloween party is limited to 20,000 tickets per night, while that may seem like a lot I have seen the park way more crowded during reg daily operations than I have ever for a Halloween or Christmas party
Same! Aug 20th party was the craziest I’ve seen the Magic Kingdom- including Halloween last year, spring break crowds and the 4th of July. The lines for characters were LONG- even goofy, was wrapped around the the barnstormer. This killed my 4yr old. The Minetrain, Space Moutain, & pirates were never less than 35+ min and even the Mad Tea Party which is never more than 10 was 20! Grown adults were pushing our kids out of the way in candy lines (You can buy an enormous bag of candy for $10 people)! To me, it was a huge disappointment. We’ve been to the parks twice a year the last 3 years & I’ve never experienced it this busy- or this annoying. For families with younger kids who want a little Halloween “magic” + rides with shorter lines, I’d skip it! You can see the decorations in the day & kids don’t care about “special” characters. Every day there is special enough We’ve done early morning magic (around the same price to add) and it’s far more enjoyable. No crowds + breakfast, and when it’s over you jump right on the other because you’re already in the park.
* Just wanted to piggy back your comment because these are so helpful to me & I hope it helps others!
As a mom with two kids, ages 3 and 5, visiting in October and debating about whether or not to attend the party, I really appreciate this tip. Thank you so much.
I agree. We spoke with a cast member who said they do not count the employee front desk tickets given out so employees can hype the event or the annual Halloween passes. We witnessed a verbal fight between two mothers before the fireworks – both were in large groups with one mother very upset with anyone standing in front of her. does anyone know how the viewing points were at Cruella’s party? Was that oversold as well?
Hey Tom! I’ve read some conflicting party descriptions; are you able to clarify if the Nightmare Before Christmas characters are in the parade and Haunted Mansion parties at WDW, or just DL?
Hey Tom–I’ve read a couple conflicting parade/party descriptions: are the Nightmare Before Christmas characters at the WDW party, or just DL?
Excellent tips! I’ve been going to the Party for several years & just recently figured that out! Thanks for sharing!
I found out (through reading comments on blogs and putting it into practice) I am able to book Fast Passes for the day of MNSSHP even though I am ONLY attending the party that day. I have three Fast Passes booked between 3:30 PM-5:30 PM. When I am able to enter the park at 4:00 PM, I will have a half hour left to use my first Fast Pass and I will be able to use my last pass until regular park closing at 6:00 PM:
3:30-4:30: Big Thunder Mountain
4:30-5:30: Splash Mountain
5:30-6:00: Space Mountain
I thought this was a pretty good tip to share! Others have said it is important to book your regular passes first before you try booking pre-party passes. For example, I have regular park tickets for 9/30, 10/2 and 10/3. I booked all of those days before I tried booking my pre-party passes for 10/1. If I had tried booking my passes in chronological order by date, I may have not been able to book passes for my last day on 10/3 because MDE would deduct from my regular park day tickets (as if I were going to Magic Kingdom during regular hours on 10/1).
I booked my pre-party Fast Passes less than 24 hours ago, so we’ll see how it all shakes out. I think the fact MDE even let me book passes is very promising though!
Thanks for posting! This worked for me as well.
I sure hope are able to use them when we get there.
Thanks for sharing this… what an awesome tip!
I would love a post about all the Photopass options/locations for the party!
We have to be out of our home for unexpected construction this week and decided to make lemon aid out of lemons and go to Disney last minute- although we’ve never been in August and now I’m beginning to think it was an awful decision! We have been many, many times in the last few years and have done just about everything there is to do besides Mickeys not so Scary. Can I get recommendations as to what would make more sense for us (considering it may rain during the party), a park hopper that day or take a chance on MNSSHP? I feel like with a park hopper (staying at the Poly) we would be able to bounce around to many indoor attractions if it pours half the day. With MNSSHP we will be stuck at MK in the rain- and most likely with a crowded party being that it’s the first. what to do?!?! We will most likely only go to the parks one other day with a park hopper as my kids are 6 & 4, love the pool, and have been twice a year for the last few years. Thank you for any suggestions! Also any for rain activities would be wonderful!
So if I have a vacation package with 6 days with park hopper, I can drop to 5 days and just buy the Not so Scary ticket for 85.00 or whatever the price is that day? I don’t plan on going to any other park that day since we will be out late that night.
Would you recommend buying the park tickets with the Halloween party ticket?? I have a 6 and 11 year old… and my 6 year old is wanting to see the princess characters especially Ariel not sure if they are there for character greetings during party
You mention you can get in at 4pm. Does that mean we should show up at 3:30 to get in line or earlier? I have a 3:15-4:15 fast pass, which I know we might not make, but just curious if we can line up earlier than 4 or if that’s not necessary. Thanks!
That is a good question that I’d like to know the answer to as well. I’m in a similar situation with a 3:20-4:20 fastpass (but I also remember reading somewhere that you get 5 minutes before and 10 minutes after the posted fastpass time??).
We just got back and I had the same 420 fastpass set up and we got there a little before 4. They let us in and we had no problem making the fastpass time to space mountain. I used all three before 7. Great tip to book fastpasses prior to the 7pm party time because our night was sold out. I think most of them are!
Staying at Contempory 5 nights w/park hopper. We purchased a ticket for 10 year old for Mickey’s Halloween Party-do the adults have to have separate tickets too?
Everyone must have a separate ticket to attend, if you do not have a purchased mnsshp ticket you cannot stay after 6pm so unless you plan to leave your 10year old alone in the park you have to get tickets too
Hi There! My partner and I are going to Disney over Halloween but do not wish to attend this party on any day as we just have general entry tickets. Will the party affect the day to day people who just want to go one rides and eat???
You will have to leave the park by 7pm if you do not have party tickets, but you can go to one of the other parks on party days instead
The Halloween and Christmas specials are worth doing at least once…enjoyed them both about the same, but highly doubt I would do either of them again UNLESS the cost was not an issue…also, if you have young children, I wouldn’t bring them unless they were 5 or older as they probably wouldn’t enjoy themselves as much as older children would…just my opinion…
We have dinner reservations at the Crystal Palace during the NSSHP in early October. I thought it would be good way to do a character meet and greet. Do you have any info on the Crystal Palace during the party?
We love Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
My then 9-year old son and I attended the Halloween Party in August 2017, and it was SO WORTH IT— for the shorter lines alone!! We got on-and-off Splash Mountain six straight times, with minimal wait times; Thunder Mountain four straight and Seven Dwarves Mine Train three straight times. This simply could not have been done during a typical August day (unless, perhaps, it was raining and most of the visitors had left).
And these shorter wait times free us up to go to other parks for at least half of the ‘party day’ (and with our being at WDW for only three full days, the party’s lower attendance sort of gives us an extra day).
While we didn’t make trick-or-treating a priority, we did go to 4-or-5 stops, and the candy given out is very good, name-brand stuff (though I realize that is a matter of taste–pun intended, I guess).
The décor, especially at night, is most definitely an added bonus, and the treats reflect the sheer artistry of WDW chefs and bakers. They can be a little pricey, but are still nice to look at.
I would suggest you look at your calendar; the crowds and prices will get larger as you get closer to Halloween (thus, minimal wait times aren’t so “minimal”).
Also, don’t try to do it all. Do your research and do your best to figure out why you’re going (or thinking of going) to Mickey’s NSSHP.
We are returning in early September of 2019 and plan on doing it again.
Went last year and was so not worth it. The place was over crowded. We found 2. Trick or treat spots but could not get through the crowds for much else . We saw the castle show but was not much different than the shows on other nights. I think it’s horrible how they have the parks close so early 5 nights a week when I am spending a fortune on this trip. The 2 nights not having the trick or treat is overly packed since there isn’t any options to see the park at night all lit up.
At what time do the rides start to Have the special attractions, for example Haunted mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, 7pm or earlier?
I would love to hear your thoughts on the outsized impact having this long of a party schedule (essentially August through December, when you combine dates for the Halloween Party and Christmas Party) has on Magic Kingdom crowds.
We’ve done both. The Halloween was a one and done, I think we will swallow the bitter pill and pay for Christmas once more because the kids liked it so much, but when you are the busiest theme park in the world and you cut your operating hours for 4-5 months of the year to pad the margins….it’s not so magical.
Hi! We’re headed to Mikey’s Not So Scarey Halloween Party October 14th. My family always does family costumes for Halloween and we let our girls pick. They decided, since we’re headed to Disney, to do a Toy Story theme this year with our youngest, (4) being Buzz, our oldest, (9) being Jesse, my husband being Woody and then I could be Bo Peep; however I am concerned about our costumes. I know the kids will be fine, but I don’t want us to show up dressed up and then not be allowed in the park. I was buying them off of Amazon. Can anyone tell me if these costumes will be allowed or if we should pick something else?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N7LXFQ6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2QICQIKTA4BNJ&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CUFWMJ4/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2XWASYGS7D1G9
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01596A6XA/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWTVN3BNE3NEZ
THANK YOU!
I would pick something else, adults are not permitted into the park dressed as Disney characters, children can mistake them and ask for pictures and essentially they don’t want anyone misrepresenting the brand, that is why they don’t allow it, plus unless you are from a southern area you don’t realize how hot it still is in October dress cool but with the ability to put on a jacket it is always easier to add than subtract clothes
They have always let adults dress up for the party as long as they aren’t pretending to be Disney employee characters. But it is HOT. I’ve worn short costumes each year and sweat thru them in a matter of minutes and I rarely sweat in heat. Humid as heck.
That is just simply not true. You can absolutely dress as a Disney character – you are just not allowed to pose for photos with or sign autographs for other guests. Here’s the link: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/parks/dress/
When we were there last year we saw several adults dressed as Jedi, Princess Leia, Han, various Marvel super heroes, tinker bell, Mrs. Incredible, Jack Sparrow, etc. Feel free to dress as Woody and Bo. The only potential issue will be how hot it is on the night you are there.
My question is: Is it worth it if my objective is to try to ride the most rides with the least wait times? Because the after hours regular events are almost $50 more expensive. But I haven’t done either of these before and it’s my first time back to Disney World since I was 4.
Yes, it is worth going for the shorter lines. We have been several times and we had so much fun with shorter lines. Especially during one of the parades, you can jump on rides as everyone is watching the parade.
Would we be crazy to try to do the party the night of our arrival? Our flight is supposed to get in at 2pm on October 29. The other 2 nights that week are going to be crazy busy I would assume.
We did the party the night we arrived (From Ireland) I booked it for that day as it was $85 instead of $100+ each. It was brilliant BUT a very bad idea!!! my eldest 8 loved it but my 2 youngest age 2 +4 were out cold in the strollers by 7pm! they missed absolutely everything from the shows to the trick or treating they were just exhausted from all the travel! to be fair i was exhausted myself the following day but i still really enjoyed it. On a plus note It was great to get some quality time with our 8 year old as you can be very pre occupied in a Disney park with toddlers . We had a memory maker which I have to say was the best thing ever for magic shots at the party, also as previous readers said the lines for rides were non existent (Oct 25th). We are returning in Oct 2020 and at the moment we are in 2minds about whether to go to MNSSHP this time round …….it was an experience but to be honest I preferred trick or treating in Celebration, time your arrival well and it is just fantastic.