"Official" 2019 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - A Frightfully Festive Celebration

[ENJDisneyFan]

Question for anyone who also attended last year, or may have an idea - our party is Oct. 26 this year. Should I expect most of the party exclusive merch to be sold out by then?

I'm assuming it's just a typo, but just so you know there is no party on Oct 26 this year.

 

[Cinderella94]

I'm assuming it's just a typo, but just so you know there is no party on Oct 26 this year.

sorry, you’re right! I mean the 25th

 

[rlessig]

Yes, we agree it's being done, what we're both saying/asking - What time can we do this? Is it earlier than 2pm, like last year?

Sorry, i didn't see what time the purchases were being made. Only that the individual showed a party ticket.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

sorry, you’re right! I mean the 25th

I only know that because I'm going the 27th and also hoping all the cool merch isn't sold out by then. Good luck to us both!!

 

[Dug720]

It was a little troubling and the fact that the allergy plate had all gone stale rubbed me the wrong way.

That's just how nasty Erin McKenna stuff tastes all the time.

FWIW, the ROL dessert party gluten-free stuff was AMAZING! SOOOOOO not Erin's stuff.

(I do agree that if fish/shellfish is your allergy, there is probably no need to mention it for a dessert party. I've never heard of fish or shellfish being in desserts. I guess it *could* happen, but I can't think of anything.)

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

That's just how nasty Erin McKenna stuff tastes all the time.

FWIW, the ROL dessert party gluten-free stuff was AMAZING! SOOOOOO not Erin's stuff.

(I do agree that if fish/shellfish is your allergy, there is probably no need to mention it for a dessert party. I've never heard of fish or shellfish being in desserts. I guess it *could* happen, but I can't think of anything.)

I'll keep that in mind. We just listed it on everything because I had a terrible reaction at one of the restaurants in EPCOT (which was handled very poorly) earlier in the trip, and we didn't realize everything was prepackaged.

 

[Laura's Dad]

If you are in line at the park entrance at 3:30 and get in with the first wave of party goers, how long do you estimate that it would take to meet Jack and Sally?

 

[mommy-3]

Does this look ok?
Not interested in spending time waiting for characters. First time party, Thursday, Oct 24
4:00-4:30 - enter through bypass, fast pass for 7DMt
4:30-5:30-fast pass for Buzz, Monster Inc
5:30-6:00- fast pass Jungle Cruise
6:00-7:00- Eat at Casey's
7:00-8:00- Tea cups & ToT on way to HM
8:00-8:45- HM
8:45- garden dessert party
10:15- fireworks
11:15- parade in Fronterland
Pirates and ToT on the way out
Maybe catch midnight castle show

Any glaring issues, any suggestions?

 

[Mom2Stitch]

If you are in line at the park entrance at 3:30 and get in with the first wave of party goers, how long do you estimate that it would take to meet Jack and Sally?

Not from experience, just from what I've read/watched so far from the parties this year-it looks like they start meeting around 4:30ish. The quicker you get in line the better off you are. Keep in mind that DVC'ers can get in line at 2 if they wanted.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I am concerned about the 2 and 6 year olds being able to see over people's heads, and we grandparents aren't able to hold them up that long anymore! The boys are the main reason for this visit, first time to WDW for the 2 year old. We have decided to watch the fireworks from behind the castle if the hub is crowded and not worry about the projections, but we do need a close view of the parade for them without having to encourage them to sit on the curb for an hour when everything else going on beckons! We also know they would LOVE the parade if they were able to see it-first world problems if ever! So we will try to just keep an eye on things around Frontierland and Liberty Square before the parade starts. I was fairly soundly chastised when I asked how people felt about holding places in ride/character lines even if littles needed to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure holding parade spots is equally frowned upon!

We're a party of 4 most of the time, we've saved parade spots while one adult takes one (edit: child) to the restroom, get a Mickey Bar, whatever. We'll usually put our bags in their spot, make friends with the neighbors, watch over it, etc, or whatever the circumstance calls for.

I know you're focused on Frontierland and Liberty Square, but one thing that's worked for us if we're striking out on front row/curb spots is to head up Main Street towards Town Square. It's not always ideal to head all the way back to the front of the park, but sometimes we've needed to do it to get a curb or close to curb spot. There is something really fun and magical about watching little ones so close to the action.

I'm also not one to sit around waiting for a parade, so I'm always threading the needle on our timing when it comes to this.

 

[micheleq]

Coming to the party tonight! We are staying off site and have a car—any recommendation on if we should drive (we’d take the ferry from TTC) or take a Lyft/Uber to the Contemporary? Not worried about arrival, but wondering about congestion at departure.

 

[Cluelyss]

Coming to the party tonight! We are staying off site and have a car—any recommendation on if we should drive (we’d take the ferry from TTC) or take a Lyft/Uber to the Contemporary? Not worried about arrival, but wondering about congestion at departure.

Personally, I’d Uber. Getting out of MK on party nights is the worst. The bus lines, the boat lines, the monorail lines are all chaos. Unless you plan to hang out and let the park empty until 12:30 or so, then you should be fine driving and getting back to TTC. Have fun!!!

 

[trishadono]

Personally, I’d Uber. Getting out of MK on party nights is the worst. The bus lines, the boat lines, the monorail lines are all chaos. Unless you plan to hang out and let the park empty until 12:30 or so, then you should be fine driving and getting back to TTC. Have fun!!!

Is it easier to walk to CR and then hop on the mono for Poly?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Is it easier to walk to CR and then hop on the mono for Poly?

I would say probably not just given the monorail has the potential to be pretty full when it gets to CR.

Just a one moment in time example, but last year at a mid/late Sept party we left just after midnight heading back to GF. Express monorail was closed (either intentionally or due to closure, I’m not sure), so all monorail traffic was routed to the Resort line. Line was long. GF/Poly boat line was really long too. I flipped a coin and chose monorail, which was a bad idea. While the boat line was super long (longest I have ever seen), several came in a row (including a big one) which churned through the people in line relatively quickly. I sat and watched crammed in the Resort monorail line kicking myself for my decision.

So, for Poly I’d either GF/Poly/MK boat, or the Ferry Boat to the TTC and just walk.

 

[Michael188]

hought I'd share my party experience. Attended the first party on 8/16. It was the final night of my solo trip and my first MNSSHP. My main focus was the parade, fireworks, Hocus Pocus show, and snacks. I am not big on character meets and wasn't super interested in trick or treating.

I was at the park all day and found the crowds to be really light up until around 4pm when party ticket holders arrived and then it did get really

Tuesday was mostly ridiculous for us but we made do with the ridiculous crowds. Some notes to help anyone:

-As posted earlier, I got into the party with my wristband as a DVC member around 3:00 and got in line for Jack and Sally immediately. I was around the 25th person in line and they started greeting guests around 4:35, I was done at 4:55. Great interaction as usual.
-Family arrived at the parks as soon as I was finished. They wanted to watch the Flag Retreat, then we went through the party bypass. We stopped at 3 or 4 photo ops in the bypass and picked up our first bag of candy.
-We got into the Standby line for Buzz and waited about 30 minutes at 5:45.
-Picked up the pumpkin spice milkshake at Auntie Gravity's. Crazy behind the counter but a short wait. PS Milkshake was AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! I hated the holiday "cookie butter" one last year but knew I had to try the pumpkin spice one and I was correct to do so. Best Halloween treat I've ever had in my three MNSSHPs.
-We headed to meet Donald and Daisy at around 6:40 and there were maybe 10 people in front of us. They came out at 7:00 and we finished up around 7:15. Great interaction! Tons of fun. These ended up being our last characters of the night.
-We split up for a little bit since I really wanted to do Space Mountain but the rest of the family doesn't do it. Posted wait was 40 for Space, I waited about 20. AMAZING experience! So much fun and I was genuinely scared at points. LOVE those unexpected drops in the dark! In the ~40 minutes it took for me to reach my family again from start to finish, they had done 3 separate treat trails in Fantasyland and had just gotten off Winnie the Pooh.
-We did the treat trail in Philharmagic. The line looked long, but the entire experience took maybe 5 minutes. Also-- as you're leaving, the Philhar gift shop has a board with a bunch of Disney villains. If you can name them all, you get a prize! (It's a lollipop)
-Haunted Mansion area was packed as expected. We waited maybe 20 minutes to do HM and saw Madame Carlotta interact with guests for a little while. We also waited about 15 minutes for the lantern pic.

This is where the party unfortunately went downhill for us. We battled the crowd waiting for the first parade by "swimming upstream" on that bridge across from the Frontierland shops/CBJ/Pecos, and that's when we realized we were all exhausted already from battling the park crowds. We bought the Mickey Pumpkin balloon popcorn bucket and had dinner at Pecos Bill, then caught the fireworks show from an obstructed view next to the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square. DSis wanted the headless horseman pumpkin cheesecake from Sleepy Hollow and waited 15 minutes for it once the fireworks were over. Everyone took a bite of it and agreed it was pretty bad. Then we headed towards Main Street. I waited 20 minutes to buy a MNSSHP halloween shirt and then left after catching a glimpse of the Headless Horseman. In my 3 parties, this is the first time I've ever seen him, so that was awesome! The rest of the family caught the Boo to You Parade near City Hall, but I went home. I was completely exhausted and a little cranky, and while I love Boo to You, the crowds had not thinned out as usual in time for the 11:15 parade and I was ready to call it a night. The rest of the family had no trouble leaving the parks at the end of the parade, as they were towards the very front of the park and therefore at the front of the "herd" leaving after the second parade.

The only thing we did not get to do that we really wanted to do was go on PotC with the live actors. We also missed out on a few snacks we wanted to try, but that didn't bother us as much. I love the Villain's Spelltacular, but the family had no interest, so I didn't push it. Hub was a mess from start to finish.

I give our party experience a 6/10. Certainly the worst out of the parties I've been to, but having fair expectations going in, it "feels" like we did more than I thought we were going to do, and it's still my favorite time of year to be in Magic. I think I'm mostly upset that my family's first MNSSHP was too crowded to do a few more things we wanted to do, but they insist that they had a good time and I also had some great moments, so all's well that ends well, I guess! We also have Moonlight Magic planned for tonight, which we're really looking forward to, but our experience at MNSSHP has definitely curbed our expectations for it. Thankfully, MM tickets are distributed well in advance and heavily capped, so the party pass people and the "last minute SWGE crowd" won't be an issue tonight.

There was a time where I recommended every single person I came across to do MNSSHP at least once, but now, I'm not so sure I do. If you love Halloween with all your heart, and let's face it-- there are some pretty cool things to eat, characters to meet, and entertainment to watch at this party-- I say go for it as long as you know that you're not going to find smaller crowds than a regular week day. In fact, I thought the party was more crowded than Magic Kingdom was on Sunday or yesterday... and yesterday was supposed to be the most crowded day at MK this week! But if you're looking for a unique MK experience with shorter lines, skip it and go to DAH.

Sorry for the essay If you're going to the party this season, have so much fun! Will be watching to see how/if crowds change at all this season.

As a DVC member were did you get your wristband at 3:00pm? Was it in front of the Magic Kingdom or at your resort ? Thanks.

 

[lilmape]

I am concerned about the 2 and 6 year olds being able to see over people's heads, and we grandparents aren't able to hold them up that long anymore! The boys are the main reason for this visit, first time to WDW for the 2 year old. We have decided to watch the fireworks from behind the castle if the hub is crowded and not worry about the projections, but we do need a close view of the parade for them without having to encourage them to sit on the curb for an hour when everything else going on beckons! We also know they would LOVE the parade if they were able to see it-first world problems if ever! So we will try to just keep an eye on things around Frontierland and Liberty Square before the parade starts. I was fairly soundly chastised when I asked how people felt about holding places in ride/character lines even if littles needed to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure holding parade spots is equally frowned upon!

We most definitely hold our parade spot! Please do it’s our favorite parade. We like the spot btw country bears and the outpost because we can make a quick exit into Adventureland when the parade passes. We also have entertainment (cadaver dans, costume promenade and trick or treating in country bears to keep the little ones busy) and we pick up some popcorn to enjoy while we wait. Have a great time!

 

[Mom2Stitch]

We most definitely hold our parade spot! Please do it’s our favorite parade. We like the spot btw country bears and the outpost because we can make a quick exit into Adventureland when the parade passes. We also have entertainment (cadaver dans, costume promenade and trick or treating in country bears to keep the little ones busy) and we pick up some popcorn to enjoy while we wait. Have a great time!

How soon do you stake out this spot? Sounds like a perfect spot and would help me in our plan after the 2nd parade to get to Pirates quickly.

 

[joviroxx]

I am concerned about the 2 and 6 year olds being able to see over people's heads, and we grandparents aren't able to hold them up that long anymore! The boys are the main reason for this visit, first time to WDW for the 2 year old. We have decided to watch the fireworks from behind the castle if the hub is crowded and not worry about the projections, but we do need a close view of the parade for them without having to encourage them to sit on the curb for an hour when everything else going on beckons! We also know they would LOVE the parade if they were able to see it-first world problems if ever! So we will try to just keep an eye on things around Frontierland and Liberty Square before the parade starts. I was fairly soundly chastised when I asked how people felt about holding places in ride/character lines even if littles needed to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure holding parade spots is equally frowned upon!

I dont have an issue with a family making an effort for there spot, 1 or 2 people walking away temporarily and coming back. What I don't like is 1 person saving spots for an entire family, then at the last minute 6 people show up.

 

[j2thomason]

Does anyone have pictures or a list of the desserts offered at the plaza viewing dessert party? I have done a google search for this year's party, but haven't been able to find an updated list, pictures or video. If they are serving miniature versions of the other party food, I think I may want to go because I know I will get too full eating the normal size versions of everything. Also, for those people who attended....were you able to see Jack Skellington and the castle projections well from the viewing area? I am short and have a very hard time getting a good view through all the tall people around me.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I'll keep that in mind. We just listed it on everything because I had a terrible reaction at one of the restaurants in EPCOT (which was handled very poorly) earlier in the trip, and we didn't realize everything was prepackaged.

If you are comfortable sharing, I think this would be a helpful thread for people on the dining board.

I’ve been hearing some troubling stuff lately.