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. (Updated May 15, 2024.)
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 wanting to plan ahead for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the good news is that Walt Disney World has now released dates, prices, and select details. Additionally, 2024 tickets are now on sale for all guests. If you want to be notified when full details for the 2024 party are released, subscribe to our FREE email newsletter. For now, here’s everything you need to know about the event…
Not everything has been announced yet, but here’s a rundown of the major highlights for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party:
- Set your sights on the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular! Watch 3 sinister sisters bewitch and bedazzle the residents of Magic Kingdom park.
- Witness Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular—a wickedly wild fireworks display featuring some of your favorite Disney Characters and hosted by Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
- Boogie down at the Disney Junior Jam at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café—featuring some favorite friends from Disney Junior shows. It’s perfect for young partygoers!
- See beloved Disney Characters during Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.
- Collect a bag full of candy as you roam the trick-or-treat trails in search of some of your favorite sweets.
- Revel in the extraordinarily enchanting atmosphere of Magic Kingdom park during this limited-capacity event.
As noted above, tickets for the 2024 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party may now be purchased by anyone. General public sales began on May 15, following about a week of pre-sale for on-site guests. You can purchase 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets by calling 407-939-4240 or online at disneyworld.com. No dates are sold out…yet.
If you’re concerned about 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets selling out quickly…don’t be. Even with the last couple of years selling out every single night of the events (which never happened in any prior years), no dates have sold out before late June. That’s when Halloween night sold out. From there, usually cheaper dates and the first night sell out sometime in July, with more dates selling out in early August. Once content from the first night of the event floods social media, there’s usually a “run” on tickets for subsequent events–and several more parties sell out around then.
Here are dates and prices for every night of the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party:
- August 9, 2024 – $149
- August 13, 2024 – $119
- August 16, 2024 – $119
- August 20, 2024 – $119
- August 23, 2024 – $119
- August 27, 2024 – $119
- August 30, 2024 – $129
- September 2, 2024 – $129
- September 6, 2024 – $129
- September 8, 2024 – $129
- September 10, 2024 – $129
- September 13, 2024 – $129
- September 15, 2024 – $129
- September 17, 2024 – $149
- September 20, 2024 – $149
- September 22, 2024 – $149
- September 24, 2024 – $149
- September 26, 2024 – $149
- September 27, 2024 – $149
- September 29, 2024 – $149
- October 1, 2024 – $169
- October 3, 2024 – $169
- October 4, 2024 – $189
- October 6, 2024 – $179
- October 8, 2024 – $179
- October 10, 2024 – $179
- October 11, 2024 – $189
- October 14, 2024 – $179
- October 15, 2024 – $179
- October 17, 2024 – $179
- October 18, 2024 – $189
- October 20, 2024 – $189
- October 21, 2024 – $189
- October 24, 2024 – $189
- October 25, 2024 – $199
- October 27, 2024 – $199
- October 29, 2024 – $199
- October 31, 2024 – $199
For those keeping score at home, the starting price of 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets increased by $10–from $109 to $119. On top of that, the distribution of dates shifted towards the higher end of the spectrum–for example, a few dates that were previously $169 increased to $189 this year. The maximum remained unchanged at $199.
Honestly, Disney probably could’ve pushed prices even further. Despite costs skyrocketing two years ago, all dates have sold out since then–and prices have plateaued during that time. We expected the range to be $129 to $225 this year, but it seems that Walt Disney World is reluctant to break the $200 barrier. Give it time–when it does happen, they’ll probably “make up for lost time” and go quite a bit above $200.
Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can save $10 per ticket to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party—valid only for event nights in August and September. Cast Members can also save on select nights. More details can be found on Cast Life Web or My Disney Today.
Last year, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was held on 38 select nights August 11 through November, setting the record for most dates ever. So this year starts two nights earlier, but ends one night earlier. For those keeping score at home, August 9 is the earliest the event has ever started.
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…
Walt Disney World has revealed a couple of new additions for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The announcement indicates that you’ll be able to “strike a pose” with Mickey and Minnie in their new costumes during the party, which suggests the dynamic duo are going to be meeting together in Town Square Theater in new looks during the event.
The new meet & greets don’t end there! During the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, guests will also be able to meet Bruno alongside Mirabel in the Fantasy Garden. 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.
Those are the only two new things for 2024 that have been announced so far. Last year’s Boo to You Parade featured a number of changes, the most notable (and publicized) of which was the addition of Minnie Mouse as Winifred Sanderson, Daisy Duck as Sarah Sanderson, and Clarabelle Cow as Mary Sanderson. But that wasn’t all–there were also major changes to the Halloween Hoedown unit (new scarecrow dancers and more) and an expanded Villainous Finale, among other things.
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 3 different months, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party “season” is the longest special event at Walt Disney World. But in fairness, the only reason that Christmas isn’t longer is because the timing of Halloween prevents it. Disney probably would start celebrating Christmas in July–literally–if they could!
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
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
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
Last year, TRON Lightcycle Run used 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. It’s entirely possible that the virtual queues for both that and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are retired before the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party season starts.
At this point, it’s hard to say whether the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will be more or less crowded than last year. It could be worse, 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 prior to that.
We also believe that Disney typically increases the capacity cap in October 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.
From here, we will start with our plan of attack to efficiently accomplish as much as possible during MNSSHP on PAGE 2.
I am looking for some insight from someone I feel like has the FULL knowledge. I have been told by my travel agent that I have to have a park ticket and a MNSSHP ticket to to to only MNSSHP. Is this true? We will be returning from our cruise that morning and thought we would settle into our hotel, take a nap and head to the part at 4:00 for MNSSHP only that day. I don’t want to pay for a ticket for no reason.
Advice?
You only need a MNSSHP ticket in that scenario. (Assuming the party happens in 2021.)
Hi going in october this year hopefully if all goes to plan and I was just wondering if MNSSHP would be to babyish for two 13 year olds a 12 year old and a 16 year old girl thanks
Not a bit! There’s candy, awesome parades that everyone will like (a few mildly scary characters), rides have much shorter lines, the castle shows are great and the fun of people in great costumes and extra meet and greats means that all ages can enjoy.
It won’t be too baby-ish if you can get a nice spot for the parade viewing. The parade has the headless horseman and dancing ghouls that look really cool. As for everything else, it’s not a case of being too childish. It’s more a case of not being worth the extremely high cost of it. You can’t make FastPasses for any rides & a lot of the rides & restaurants are closed down for the ‘party.’ It’s not any less crowded during the party than it is any other night, so without the FastPasses, you’ll be waiting a long time to get on the rides. I know most blogs say you don’t need FastPasses during the party, but they must have gone in late August or in September. We went in October and there were hour wait times for the popular rides. The trick-or-treating’s nice, but you can just buy the candy for way less than the $115 per person price of the party. A one-day park ticket is cheaper & you get the entire day, not just a few hours. We did the party once. We’ve never wasted our money on it since. And we often go for Halloween.
Love the thoroughness and honesty of the post! I’m a bit nervous to attend our first MNSSHP after reading about the crowds, but my son is convinced it will be the highlight of our trip.
There are two parties while we are there – Labor Day September 7 and then Friday September 11. Which one do you think would possibly be less crowded? Any advice on those dates would be appreciated – thank you!!
Go on Monday, it will be less crowed because most people will have to work on Tuesday even after the long weekend. Friday will be busy because locals tend to go then and out of towners arrive that day. Have fun! We have been several times.
We went in 2017. Never again.
We staked seats out for the parade. At parade time, people just butt in front of us & we couldn’t see any of it!
Can’t make any FastPasses after 7:00 because Disney says they aren’t needed. WRONG! Many rides are closed, and some of the ones that stay open still had wait times up to an hour.
The character meet-and-greets may be nice to have, but since they’re only available during the MNSSHP, they come with really long lines. You’ll spend most of your time in these lines & won’t get to enjoy any of the party.
The best thing at the party were the trick-or-treat stations. They lines are long at the beginning, but they move incredibly quickly. And Disney only gives out the good stuff. And they give it by the handful! Kiddo counted her candy back at the resort, and she had over 110 pieces (not including mine). And that was with us missing a lot of stations. We’re glad we ignored most everyone’s advice to save it for last. After the parade was over, most of the stations had shut down (otherwise she would have had more candy). It was, sad to say, the highlight of the entire (expensive) party. We left early bc it was so disappointing.
And one last note – if you’re active duty or retired military (or a spouse) with a valid military ID card, you can get a discounted ticket to the party. Discounted prices aren’t out yet for 2020, but will be soon. Buy them through Shades of Green (the military resort on the WDW property) for an even bigger discount (no tax added). They’ll ship to you via FedEx (for $10) or you can pick them up at the resort.
Absolutely! The decorations are all up and the daytime crowd is lower, Sunday is good. Then head out to epcot for the evening.
We are going to Disney World in September, but we are not going to do Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Is it better to go to Magic Kingdom during the day when there is the Halloween party that night or when there is not the Halloween party that night? I’m thinking more about crowds. Thanks!
If you have park hopper tickets, definitely go during the day of a party night!! The crowds are SO much lighter! However, you have to leave at 6 pm so that’s early if you can’t hop to another park for the evening.
Do I have to purchase day tickets to the park or can I just purchase tickets to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party and attend it that night? Also will any rides be open and if so are additional tickets needed for those?
If you have park hopper option on your tickets, definitely go during the day of a party night!! The crowds are SO much lighter! However, you have to leave at 6 pm so that’s early if you can’t hop to another park for the evening.
Yes!! PLEASE!!!
Many thanks for continually posting truly informative updates and info. We were thinking of getting the Cruella package, as my sis can’t stand too long and would have somewhere to sit. After some research, I found the reserved seating area is around the flagpole. I can only picture the park benches around that area. Is it just that those are the seats and you just pop to the kerb when the parade is coming? Or are there other seats placed in that area for the party? Thanks, hope this made sense (some of it didn’t to me as I was reading it back!!)
It’s curb seating there are no chairs or benches
Let me try to help with your confusion. We went last Sept. Party of 4. 1 ap, 1 adult and 2 child party tickets. I booked the FP wihin 30 days, we did not stay @ wdw that trip. I was able to book 3 FP between 4p & 6:30p for each of us before the official opening of the party event. No FPs are avail after 7p.
Plan on arriving at MK no later than 3p as the event sells out and the crowd is horrible.
Alternative: Eat dinner early and arrive @ 7:30p, crowd has moved to the back of the park, wait times for attractions begin to thin out after 9p, all rides except Haunted Mansion are easy waits. There is virtually no real food available, snack and drinks only + H’oween trick or treat candy. Or just buy the $14.95 giant bag of Halloween assorted candy from your supermarket, same thing.
Was just able to purchase MNSSHP tickets on Disney website.
Me too! It was not on the front page of the site, but I typed it into the search box and the list came up.
If we go, it would be either October 1st or 2nd. I have a blue DVC card, so I’m assuming that I’ll be let in at 2. I was wondering if Disney will offer the season MNSSHP Pass this year. I bought it last year and managed to go 11 times. With a lot of people complaining about the crowds, will Disney kill the season pass?
Thank you for the very detailed posts on this event. I was just wondering if anyone could give me a bit of advice? Myself my partner and our little boy are coming to Disney on 30th October for the week and would love to do this, its my sons first trip to Disney. Our only options will be 31st October or 1st November. The 1st November is about £70 cheaper. I know the 31st October will be busy but I wondered if anything was different as it was actually Halloween night and worth the extra money?
Thanks for your help
Nothing is different and honestly I did both days last year and highly recommend Nov 1st, it was less crowded and I thought just as fun
We are in WDW over the Halloween period. Question – are we insane to go to the party on the night of Halloween? Or should we just go to one of the other parks? Should we go to the party for the full Halloween experience? Will the other parks be just as crowded?
Would love the advice!
S
Sarah, I’ll be in WDW over Halloween too. …taking my niece and her family…1st time for all of us. We made the reservations when a travel agent told us about the Halloween party…we thought the kids would love it….now I have 2nd thoughts. It looks like our only possible nights for the party are Oct 31 and Nov 1.
What I’d really like to see Disney offer on Party nights is an alternative villains or Halloween themed breakfast with characters. Then I would have a reason to go to the park on that day if I could get some photos of characters in their Halloween attire. Then I would leave happily at the earlier closing time and I would pay a premium for the meal. I’m just not super thrilled about fighting the crowds for the party especially if you have little kids, they’re tired at that time anyway.
Great idea!
I know Disney is in a bind with demand for MNSSHP being so high, but good grief, 19 out of 31 evenings in October are going to be given over to this event and 12 of 30 in September, if my counting is correct. This really impacts the guest experience for people not attending the party who have to cope with shorter hours so many nights, inevitably causing more people to attend on those (relatively) few days when MK is open “normal” hours.
The end result is MK is very crowded for 2 months plus the MNSSHPs are very crowded for the people paying a lot extra. Disney is in danger of being loved to death.
Agreed. It just isn’t right. I’ve boycotted all hard ticket events and extras. Going to WDW is expensive enough. I could see the draw if I lived in the area and did the one event and then went home. For us out of state folks forget it. Oh and my boycott isn’t working I guess the amount of disposable income is huge in this country.
Funny I don’t see the fuss as a big deal, if you are a regular ticket holder you are asked to leave the park an hour earlier than normal, I went to 2 Halloween and 1 Christmas party last year, longest line was 5 minutes for space mountain, walked on to so many more, great parade seats in Frontierland, watched the fireworks from a table at Casey’s and had a wonderful time but everyone please lament on how horrible Disney is for holding these events, the old adage if you don’t like it don’t do it
Thank you for the very detailed posts on this event. I was just wondering if anyone could give me a bit of advice? Myself my partner and our little boy are coming to Disney on 30th October for the week and would love to do this, its my sons first trip to Disney. Our only options will be 31st October or 1st November. The 1st November is about £70 cheaper. I know the 31st October will be busy but I wondered if anything was different as it was actually Halloween night and worth the extra money?
Thank you for the help
Thank you so much all the amazing info!!! Please, please, please write an article about ALL of the photo opportunities at MNSSHP- this would be so helpful!
Thanks for your honest article on MKNSSHP! Sun night
9/2019 as an APH, I thought this
would be a great last night for our trip to WDW. WRONG!!! Our family consisted of me= APH and my daughter and two grands ages 10 and 5.
We planned well after reading all the blogs, including yours; spent the morning hotel pool time, quiet ate a late lunch.Made FP for 4:30, 5:30 & 6:15 as per all earlier advice. Arrived @ MK parking 3:30. Gigantic crowds, security taking longer to check because of overwhelming adult costumes. We walked through the underpass@ WDWRR @ 5:45!! We blew our missed our two FP and ran to the third= Peter Pan!! We worked our way around the edges of the crowds. Please well: no FP during the event= long, long waits for everything until 9. The restaurants are NOT open, so food is scarce. We finally divided up the rides, I took the 5 yr old and rode the mermaid, dumbo, buzz, small world, etc multiple times each as the crowds rushed to the and parade & entertainment. My daughter and 10 yr old went to splash, thunder, dwarfs and space at the same time. We met up again at 11p and rose remaining rides together except Haunted as lines were still 60+mins.
We did not interact with any characters, see the parades or entertainment. We left without very hungry and exhausted. The Ticket and Transportation center and MK parking walkway was torn up due to major construction, tempory unfamiliar directional signage to extremely lengthy walk back to outer Villians parking areas ( no trams)!! I’ve been a WDW freak for almost 50 years- this was the worst time I’ve ever had. We thought we did everything we could to be prepared, but we did not know we were completely wrong. Unbearable crowd size, not enough cast members, no real food available. Our last night @WDW was a true very scary halloween nightmare. I would NOT recommend this event for families unless Disney makes changes.
We went to our first MNSSHP last September on a projected low crowd date and it was the busiest I’ve experienced at Magic Kingdom. I mistakenly thought the crowd would be on par with what I experienced at MVMCP events in 2016 and 2017 and I was very, very wrong. 🙂 I don’t foresee us going again until our crowd tolerance changes.
Yes, I would like a post telling about all the special Photo-ops at the Halloween party! Thank you for offering.
Same!!
This does a great job of covering what you should do if you’re GOING to the party, but I am very curious (and confused) about what to do if you are NOT going to the party. How do in-park dining reservations work if you are not attending the party (like dinner at CRT) – what is the latest reservation you can make? How do they get everyone out? or can you stay in the park, you just can’t do any rides? What time do you have to leave by? 6? Thanks.
I am also curious about this! I don’t plan on attending the event but would like to book CRT for a dinner that won’t finish before Magic Kingdom closes for the Not So Scary Halloween Party. Is this allowed? The park is estimated to close at 6; I was thinking of having a 5:30 dinner reservation. Thanks for your help!
Dinner reservations can’t be booked after I think 5pm, I was at 3 parties last year and the last reservation time you could make was 5pm, you must be out by 7pm not 6 though so it gives you plenty of time to be out
Family of 6 doing MNSSHP on Tue Oct 13, 2020. Then two days at Hollywood Studios later in the week. Staying at Fort Wilderness, so want to take advantage of 60-day fastpass booking. If I were to get fastpasses for Magic Kingdom on my MNSSHP day (let’s say ideally 4:00, 5:00, 6:00) am I also going to be able to get fastpasses for both of my later-in-the-week park days? At the sixty-day mark I will already have a MNSSHP ticket and two single-day-single-park tickets. Sixty days from check-in at 7am I’ll start booking fastpasses, probably working backwards from later in the week to earlier. So Hollywood, Hollywood, Magic Kingdom. Will I actually be able to book the Magic Kingdom fastpasses, and if so will I possibly lose one of my Hollywood sets? Trying to avoid 7am snafus.
You have to do the soonest first can’t go backward, and are limited to 3 a day
Thanks for the response!
1. My (possibly incorrect) understanding is that 60 days from resort check-in I’ll be able to book fastpasses for any days of my reservation week. So if I first set up 3 fastpasses for Oct 17, I would afterward not be allowed to book 3 for Oct 15?
2. I realize I’ll be able to book 3 fastpasses on both of my Hollywood Studios days. But will I also have 3 to use specifically for my MNSSHP evening? I will only be at the MK for the party, I will not be there earlier than 4pm.
I don’t think you can book fastpassess for the party. You have to use a day ticket for fastpasses.
Buy your party tickets when you book your hotel. You may enter MK @ 4p book 3 fast passes until 6:30. No FP after 7p during the party, then all attractions stand by only.
Ok…while I very much appreciate all attempts at answering this, the issue I’m having is that I keep encountering contradictory info (on other websites as well). If someone has an annual pass, or is using a day ticket to the MK, I imagine they would definitely be able to book fastpasses during the 4-7 time-frame before the official start of MNSSHP. But in my case, I will have two day tickets, both to be used later in the week at Hollywood Studios (after my MNSSHP evening.) So if I have two day tickets and one MNSSHP ticket, do I have three days of fastpasses to use, or just two days? I get that I would only be able to use them in the 4-7 time, but will I even have them? Sorry it’s a complicated question, and thanks again for any responses.