Getting the Most Out of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

If you have ever done any research about a trip to Walt Disney World in the Fall, I am sure that you have heard of a little something called "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party." What is MNSSHP, you ask? Well, it is a special, hard ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom, occurring a couple of times per week, on designated dates starting in late August running through the end of October.  Commonly, these dates fall on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays with Thursdays getting added in October.  There are occasionally some Mondays as well and of course Halloween night!  The party admission is NOT included on a regular Magic Kingdom ticket. In fact, if you are visiting the Magic Kingdom on a night that the Halloween Party is scheduled to take place, be prepared that if you do not have tickets to the party, you will be escorted out of the park, promptly at 7pm. Wristbands are given out to clearly identify paying party guests. Party tickets run $85-$149 per adult and $80-$144 per child. (Prices vary a bit depending on whether or not you pre-purchase, and the date you plan on attending. September dates are the least expensive.) The party runs from 7pm-midnight. For official information, click HERE.  Tickets for 2020 party nights are available now, so if you are considering adding this to your trip, reach out to your Kingdom Konsultant Agent today for more info. So, why would you shell out extra money to attend this event, when you already have park tickets? I'll tell you why... (lean in)..... IT'S AWESOME!!!! I've loved every single one I have attended, and I think The Hubs and I went to about 10 of them before we even had kids. We have done three with the kiddos and plan on doing at least one this year. So, yes, the rides and attractions are open for you to enjoy, with minimal waits, but let's start off with what's unique about the party and then I will give you a couple of tips to help you plan. The Halloween party has ALL sorts of special things happening that you will not get to see during regular park hours. The first thing you'll notice is that there's not only cool Halloween decorations all over Main Street, but there are special lighting effects, spooky background sounds and music, and more. You'll be given a free Halloween goody bag to fill up, as you Trick-or-Treat your way around the park! That's right! Trick-or-Treating IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!! All over the park you will find glowing orange globes, marking the Treat Stations where you can line up and collect your candy. And it's like, awesome candy! No crappy raisins here. Everything from Nerds and Wonka candies, to Snickers, M&M's and more! The Cast Members are generally pretty generous too, especially as it gets later in the night. You can easily fill up the small treat bag they give you, and then some. In fact, feel free to bring a larger bag with you. That's a must for this family. We trick-or-treat like it's a sport! And if you've got someone with allergy concerns, no worries! There's even a special location where you can pick up an allergy bag for special trick-or-treating, and get items guaranteed to be nut free, egg free, dairy free and so on. No one has to miss out on the fun! 'But wait, Tink', you're saying to yourself. 'If I am going to trick-or-treat, I need a costume!' Well, dear readers, have no fear! You are welcome to get all done up in your Halloween finest, whether you're an adult or child, and whether you want to do it low key, and wear a Halloween t-shirt and Mouse Ears, or you want to do it up and wear an exact replica of Everest around your body and dress as a yeti. However, costumes that surround the entire body might be subject to additional security screening. You will see anything and everything in the park that night. In fact, my absolute FAVORITE thing to do at Not So Scary is to people watch and check out the costumes other guests come up with. Nothing like watching a bearded Ariel walking around the park, or seeing beautifully hand-made Wizard of Oz costumes on an entire family. Just remember that the weather may be really hot, or chilly, or rainy. Be prepared for all options. And keep in mind that you may want to board ride vehicles in your costume, so make it something easy to move in and easy to pack in your suitcase. For obvious reasons, costumes should not include weapons, sharp objects or be offensive and should not include most masks. (Keep it "Disney", Kids!) Additionally, if your costume is so lifelike you are mistaken for Cinderella, Disney asks that you do not pose for pictures or sign autographs. You can check out the costume guidelines, using the "official" Disney link above. Like getting your pic snapped with the characters??? There are tons of characters out during Not So Scary, including some rare ones, like Jack Skellington and Sally. Plus, you'll see Mickey, Minnie and pals in their Halloween costumes! There are some super fun photo opportunities, Magic Shots and meet and greets! Some of the unique characters of past years have included: Moana Jack Skellington and Sally Agent Maci with the ever-popular Moana Mickey and Friends in Halloween Costumes All Seven Dwarves Pooh and Friends in Halloween Costumes Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear a.k.a. Lotso Stitch (dressed in Elvis costume) Tarzan, Jane and Terk Jafar There are also opportunities to have "magic shots" taken by Photo Pass photographers, where magical things are added into your picture. For example, in front of the Haunted Mansion, you can pose for a photo, and ghosts will be magically added to your shot. Last year they also did a magic poison apple shot in front of the Castle. These pictures make super fun souvenirs! Oh, and there's Halloween entertainment all over! The Dapper Dans become the Cadaver Dans. You can dance alongside your favorite characters at a DJ dance party next to Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. It is themed to Monsters Inc. K and D LOVED dancing the Cha-Cha Slide with Boo! The Cadaver Dans in Frontierland Everyone's favorite witchy sisters, Winnie, Sarah and Mary, The Sanderson Sisters from "Hocus Pocus",  put a spell on Guests with an incredible live stage show in front of the Castle. In "Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular", the sisters invite their Disney Villain friends like Oogie Boogie from "Nightmare Before Christmas" and Dr. Facilier from "Princess and the Frog", to conjure the spell of all spells, and make Guests dance into the wee hours. I can't even put into words how fantastic the show is. Like, I can't. Even. (Fangirl moment, sorry.) The sisters are all dead ringers for their movie counter-parts and MAN, can they sing! The show is WILDLY popular though, so, fair warning.... you're gonna have to work hard to get a spot to see it. We will get back to that in a bit, though. The Sanderson Sisters will blow you away! Did I mention the food???? Special Halloween themed treats are sold all around the park, like Candy Corn flavored Cotton Candy or Soft Serve Ice Cream, or a Pumpkin Spiced Waffle Sundae. Halloween? More like Yum-O-Ween, am I right?!!?!!! Disney is always coming up with fun new treats to try each season! Photo courtesy of DisneyParksBlog.com Photo Courtesy of DisneyParksBlog.com Oh, and there's special Halloween merchandise items sold exclusively at the party, like pins, t-shirts, plush and more. Not convinced yet? Well I've saved the very best for last! Exclusively at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, you will get to enjoy one of the best EVER Disney parades, "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade". The parade runs twice nightly, and starts off with the traditional running of the Headless Horseman on his mighty steed. You'll get to see fantastic floats and unique characters and scenes, like Captain Jack and Barbosa on a pirate ship, the ballroom dancers from The Haunted Mansion, Christopher Robin and his friends in the 100 Acre Wood, and even Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope. Oh! And Bowler Hat Guy from "Meet the Robinsons" was there!!! That's a crazy-rare sighting! (If you have no idea who I am talking about, go rent "Meet the Robinsons" right now. In fact, buy it. You'll want a copy. It's awesome.) It's a fantastic parade, and worth the entry ticket in itself. But it gets even better.... There's also a special Halloween version of the you've got to see-it-to-believe-it fireworks show, Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular!  This show is hosted by Jack Skellington and is a wonderful way to cap of your night of Halloween fun! The party is truly a remarkable and memorable night and totally worth going to, even if you are traveling with all adults! Now, let's get into how to make the most out of your not-so-spooky night. I will start with this recommendation: To make it more worth your while, don't buy a park ticket for the day that you'll be attending the party. Use this day as a "chillin' out day". Hang by the pool, do an elaborate breakfast out, walk around Disney Springs, or do something else fun outside of the parks. Make sure your kids, (even older kids), get a good nap in, and then head to The Magic Kingdom early. Your Not So Scary ticket will grant you entrance to the park as of 4pm, even though the Halloween festivities don't begin until 7pm. In the hours before the party starts, get in some rides and attractions. That way you can use more of your party hours to enjoy the actual themed events. I recommend knocking out the most popular character meet and greets early on, as lines get HUGE! And only do them if you feel like you absolutely MUST see them! There have been waits of up to three hours to see Jack and Sally. That's a waste of a perfectly good Halloween party. Not that Jack and Sally aren't totally awesome. No offense, guys. It's just that, I didn't pay $85 to meet two characters. The most popular meet and greets tend to be the more unique ones, like Jack and Sally and Moana, so pick your favorite, and head there first, if you must. (Note that while the characters aren't out before the 7pm party start time, Guests will queue up well in advance, in order to be among the first in line.) Once you've hit up your "must do" character meet and greets, next, head on over to the Castle forecourt stage, and grab a spot for one of the Hocus Pocus shows. You will not be alone.  It was hard to find a good spot to stand, but it's TOTALLY worth seeing, even if it's at a bit of a distance. In whatever downtime you have, visit the dance party, grab some cute pics, and try a Halloween snack or two. Do some trick-or-treating as you go, but hold off on the majority of it until the end of the night. I say this partially because you won't have to carry a heavy candy bag around all night this way, and partially because I personally found the Cast Members' candy-giving hands to get heavier as the night wore on, thus filling your bag quicker at the end of the night. Use the time during the first parade to hit up the attractions and meet and greets that you haven't gotten to, but are still high on your priority list. You'll find lines much shorter, because the first parade is always the busier of the two, therefore, a good number of guests will be occupied during it, freeing up space elsewhere in the park. Make sure you are in front of the Castle for the fireworks, since most of them are designed to incorporate effects on the castle too. Then, when it's time for the second parade, make your way to Frontierland, which you will likely find far less crowded than on Main Street. Enjoy Boo to You from there, and then, right before the party is over, trick-or-treat until you DROP!!!! This is also a great time to check character wait times if some of the lines were longer earlier in the night. If you can, stay until the very end of the night. You could maybe catch the very last Hocus Pocus show, or get the opportunity to take some super cool park photos, with very few Guests in the background. Just know that unlike when the Magic Kingdom normally closes, Main Street does NOT stay open beyond the party hours, so make sure you have already done your shopping and grabbed your snacks. You won't find so much as an ice cream cart operating after midnight. And there you have it! Best Not So Scary EVER!!!!! OK, so this is the way WE do Not So Scary. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's how I have found we get the most out of the party ticket price. No matter what, it's good to go into it with a plan. Look at info on last year's party, and earmark what attractions, meet and greets and entertainment are most important to you, and plan your night around those things. Know that you will NOT get to do everything. The parties have gotten spectacularly popular over the past couple of years, and Disney has upped the number of tickets that they will sell per event, leading to longer lines, busy dining locations, and crowded streets. You will still have a blast, as long as you keep the expectation for yourself that you're going to miss one or two things. OK, now contact the team at Kingdom Konsultant Travel to purchase your tickets and plan your night! Have a Spelltacular time!!!!! - Jenn aka "Tink"