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

[bpesch]

I would love to do this dessert party but there is something about a paying for a party within a party that makes me feel like I've got the words "sucker" written on my back not to mention stamped on my forehead. I really want to do it though. DH wants no part of it.

I am SO glad to see someone else feels this way!

 

[LilyStar]

I got the mini wedding cake! It was surprisingly big (maybe I’ve just become cynical about Disney treat sizes) and the cream was fresh and light and the cake wasn’t bad either. In my opinion, it could have done with more chocolate than just the axe, and it melts super quickly, but it’s good. A bit too much for one person, but good to share.

Wow, I wasn't expecting "big" to be in that description either! Good to know. Thanks for your review. The picture of it is so super cute so I am thinking I'll definitely try it!

 

[LilyStar]

The general consensus on what I've read on Disney Tourist Blog, Disney Food Blog, and Easy WDW (and another popular blog we're not to mention on here) is that the 3 you mentioned are winners. Some said the wedding cake is strawberry and some said raspberry and mostly icing instead of cake, but it was good. The Amuck cupcake is apparently super messy and making people green/black from the icing, but delicious. I cannot wait to try ALL 3 PLUS the pumpkin spice milkshake!

Well that's good to hear! The Amuck cupcake sounds like it might be a little TOO sweet though, so I'm wondering if that isn't the way to go for me. It's so cute though. Definitely trying the mini wedding cake.

 

[FoxC63]

WDW LINK

 

[Love Tink]

I'm very much debating whether to purchase a MNSSHP ticket. We've been to WDW 4 out of the last 5 years but never attended a hard ticket party, so it's been on my list. But given these reports and how much we're trying to pack in over Labor Day weekend (Thursday through Sunday), it seems like it might not be worth it this year. Especially if we try to be at Galaxy's Edge the day before for the grand opening, I can only imagine how tired my 6 and 8 year old would be on day 2. What do you all think? Skip it this year?

Since you asked: I would skip it. We got to WDW pretty much every year and never tried MNSSHP until last year. I absolutely couldn't believe how crowded, tiring and stressful it was. (There were also really fun parts of it, but the ughhhhhh was what I came away with.) We decided to try again this year because we felt we must have somehow done it wrong; also, the weather was much better for our possible party night this year. Well, we had lower expectations and were therefore less stressed and overwhelmed...but it was still really packed, frustrating, and reallllly exhausting. It didn't help that we had to wait for six - count em' - six buses to get back to the resort.

My takeaway: a party might be great if you hit one of those magical less-crowded nights, have few expectations, and have lots of energy. It would also help if you could rest all day beforehand and then again the next morning. But they just don't work for us. We always seem to be in wall-to-wall crowds, waiting in long lines, missing things, and ending up completely worn-out husks of humans. If you are just there for a few days, I would save the energy for other things.

 

[FoxC63]

So you had no problem with the 4 o’clock entry? Did you have regular park tickets for the day or only MNSSHP tickets? We only have party tickets that why I ask. Thank you for the info!

MNSSHP entry time is between 3:45-4pm with party ticket.

 

[lilmape]

Alright I'm posting this again to see if everything looks good. Let me know if you see any flaws, have any advise, or if I'm missing something. Also we are AP's so we will be there around 11am or 12pm.

1. FP for Space Ranger Spin @ 11:30-12:30
2. FP for Space Mountain @ 12:45-1:45
3. Change from normal park clothes to costumes around 2pm
4. Head to Big Top for merchandise (AP can purchase MNSSHP merch with proof of ticket at 2pm)
5. FP for Peter Pan Flight @ 2:05-3:05pm
6. Jack and Sally 3-5pm (fingers crossed)
7. Firehouse for party exclusive SMK card
8. Bypass for candy and pumpkin pic
9. Mobile order hades nachos and sipper right at 7pm
10. oak outpost for Hitchhicking ghost donuts container and pretzel
11. pooh if line is not too long
12. pics with Jafar, Jasmine, and Aladdin (me and the hubby are dressing up as Jasmine and Aladdin)
13. Sundae from Sleepy Hallow
14. Haunted mansion lantern shot
15. ride HM
16. pirates
17. Fireworks at 10:15pm
18. Boo to you @ 11:15pm
19. HP Spelltacular @ 12 or trick a treat a little bit (we have seen this show about 3 times so it's not new to us, but it is one of the best IMO)
crawl into an Uber back to resort

Just be aware that Aladdin and jasmine rotate so you may have to do the line twice. May want to ask the cm who you’re going to meet when you get in line.

 

[FoxC63]

Right there with you! I'm not really sure what to do with my life after this trip is over...I've spent over a year planning it and reading Disboards all day long. Guess I'll just have to work on the next trip after we get back

Yep! Read all the posts from where you left off and you'll be all set for next year!

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

The general consensus on what I've read on Disney Tourist Blog, Disney Food Blog, and Easy WDW (and another popular blog we're not to mention on here) is that the 3 you mentioned are winners. Some said the wedding cake is strawberry and some said raspberry and mostly icing instead of cake, but it was good. The Amuck cupcake is apparently super messy and making people green/black from the icing, but delicious. I cannot wait to try ALL 3 PLUS the pumpkin spice milkshake!

Yeah, my lips and tongue where blue/black apparently for awhile
I tried all at the dessert party. Amuck was the yummiest.

 

[GraveKelly]

Thought 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 crowded. Here's what I got to do during the party

4:00 BTMR stand by (40 min posted, waited 37 min)
5:15 Splash stand by (40 min posted, waited 23 min)
5:45 checked in and got my wrist band, map, trick or treat bag & starter candy at Tortuga Tavern. Took all of 5 minutes.
5:50-6:15 ate at Pecos Bills, did mobile order which took about 15 minutes, crowded and hard to find a seat
6:30 Haunted Mansion
6:45 Checked out the line for the wedding cake in Liberty Square but it was crazy long (thought I'd come back later but never did make it back)
7:00 Arrived at the Hub on the dot at 7 pm to hear the party kick-off announcement and see the CMs really start cracking down on wrist bands and sweeping out day guests
7:08 Monsters Inc Dance Party, was on my way to Space and it was too cute not to stop and get my groove on with Sully for a minute
7:12 Space Mountain (35 posted, waited 19min) Because I was solo, I was re-directed at the FP merge point as a single rider which cut 15 minutes off the wait. Loved the overlay! So much better than regular SM. The dark and the music really amped up the whole ride!
7:25 checked the wait time on the app for Pirates and it showed 30min but by the time I got over there it was up to 50min so decided to try later
7:30 stopped at Aloha Isle for a Pirate's Horizon, orange & pineapple juice with passion fruit syrup. Refreshing & tropical, wasn't very sweet which I liked.
8:15 Haunted Mansion, loved seeing the ghosts on the lawn. Some excellent heckling going on. Very funny!
8:50 Arrived to watch the first parade at Liberty Square, beside Ye Ol' Christmas Shop and across from Sleepy Hollow
9:05 Headless Horseman. SO cool! One of my favorite parts of the whole party
9:20 Boo to You Parade. I LOVED IT!! So cute! By far the best Disney parade I've seen (WDW or Disneyland). Loved the song, the costumes, the characters, the dancers. Just brilliant!
9:50 Arrived at the Hub for fireworks, stopped at the popcorn cart for a Jack Skellington Cake Push Pop. It was delightful. Chocolate, buttercream, and sugar pearls, what's not to love! Cute too. Grabbed a spot behind and slightly to the left of the partners statue, between it and the castle. Had a great view of Jack, the castle & the fireworks, crowded but not claustrophobic. Sat on the ground and enjoyed my cake pop and people watched while I waited.
10:20 Fireworks. I was blown away! Jack Skellington was fabulous. Loved the projections, the music, the storyline, and the fireworks. Having never seen Hollowishes, though, I don't have anything to compare to. Sounds like those who have may feel differently.
10:45 Pirates (15-minute wait). Loved the live pirates! So fun interacting with them. It was a great last ride of the trip. Did my only trick or treating of the night at the exit and got some chocolate gold coins
11:13 Boo to You, round 2. I'm such a big parade fan, had to watch it twice! This time I got a spot in Frontierland, across from the Diamond Horseshoe. Because I walked up so late, the view wasn't as good but was able to see just fine.
11:15 Headless Horseman
11:20 Parade
11:52 Back to the Hub to grab a spot for Hocus Pocus. Found a spot right against the fence/wall around partners, near where I watched the fireworks. Was able to sit and watch the show with a great view
12:05 Hocus Pocus. Such a fun show! Love the Sanderson Sisters and all the Villians. Gave me good, nostalgic 90's vibes. I can see if you've been to several parties, not necessarily needing to see this show every time but as a first-timer, loved it!
12:45 Bus Stop to CBR. This was the only pain point of the night for me (and the worst bus experience of the whole trip). Took until 1:27 am to get on a bus. Was in my room at 1:54 am.

I had a really fantastic time and would not hesitate to do another party. Loved seeing all the guests in costumes. People are SO clever and creative. The whole vibe of the night was so fun! Next time I think I'd want to do a little trick or treating and definitely try some more snacks.

Happy Halloween!!!

 

[FoxC63]

Alright I'm posting this again to see if everything looks good. Let me know if you see any flaws, have any advise, or if I'm missing something. Also we are AP's so we will be there around 11am or 12pm.

1. FP for Space Ranger Spin @ 11:30-12:30
2. FP for Space Mountain @ 12:45-1:45
3. Change from normal park clothes to costumes around 2pm
4. Head to Big Top for merchandise (AP can purchase MNSSHP merch with proof of ticket at 2pm)
5. FP for Peter Pan Flight @ 2:05-3:05pm
6. Jack and Sally 3-5pm (fingers crossed)
7. Firehouse for party exclusive SMK card
8. Bypass for candy and pumpkin pic
9. Mobile order hades nachos and sipper right at 7pm
10. oak outpost for Hitchhicking ghost donuts container and pretzel
11. pooh if line is not too long
12. pics with Jafar, Jasmine, and Aladdin (me and the hubby are dressing up as Jasmine and Aladdin)
13. Sundae from Sleepy Hallow
14. Haunted mansion lantern shot
15. ride HM
16. pirates
17. Fireworks at 10:15pm
18. Boo to you @ 11:15pm
19. HP Spelltacular @ 12 or trick a treat a little bit (we have seen this show about 3 times so it's not new to us, but it is one of the best IMO)
crawl into an Uber back to resort

Not sure if you read this:
"Aladdin and Abu also do not meet during the parades. So it is easier to get Jasmine and Genie - the line gets shorter during the parades. You can time Aladdin and Abu because they come out on the hour after the parade." Post #3971, Page 199: LINK

 

[disney mom of 6]

Should be fine. I have seen reports of people lining up for Jack & Sally as early as 3:00 and theirs is one of the meet and greet locations where Castmembers are checking you into the party and giving out wristbands when you enter.

Thank You!

 

[Newsies]

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.

 

[inspectorgadget]

Hypothetically, if you started at 7 and did not watch the parade, fireworks, or shows, did not meet any characters, and did not get any photos, would you have time to ride all of the available rides? I am not saying that is my plan, just gathering info to help with managing expectations. I know if I ask my kids which rides are their priorities, they will say all of them

We do this every year but we enter at 4:00. We like the Halloween atmosphere but do not watch the parade (other than what we see as we walk), parade, shows, do not meet characters or photos - we focus on rides. We do trick or treat if we pass a treat location that is walk up. Luckily it has never rained for our parties and we go in late September, always a Tuesday night. We avoid the Hub and also make sure we don't get cut off by the parade. While the overall crowds have increased over the years - and I have noticed that - we have not noticed a bump in ride wait times. Maybe we have just been lucky?

Each year is a little different but here is our basic plan:
3:45 entry
FP Space Mountain
Carousel of Progress or Tiki Birds or Philharmagic or Pirates
FP Peter Pan
Small World
FP Haunted Mansion
Eat at Columbia Harbour House
Little Mermaid
Dumbo
Barnstormer
Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain again w/overlay
Buzz Lightyear
People Mover
7 Dwarves Mine Train
By this time, parade is going on for 2nd time and we are in the back in Frontierland. Sometimes we will watch a few minutes of the parade, but the kids get antsy for rides.
Thunder Mountain
Splash
Thunder Mountain (2x or 3x - sometimes they let us stay on!)
11:45 Pirates again w/overlay
12:00 watch few minutes of Hocus Pocus on our way out.

I hope I have remembered everything. Throw trick or treating in between rides, but ONLY if it is a walk up. Usually by the end of the night, all trick or treat lines are walkup and we get a ton of candy!

 

[Krios16!]

Not sure if you read this:
"Aladdin and Abu also do not meet during the parades. So it is easier to get Jasmine and Genie - the line gets shorter during the parades. You can time Aladdin and Abu because they come out on the hour after the parade." Post #3971, Page 199:

I think I missed this! Thank you!

 

[monkeymostpurple]

We do this every year but we enter at 4:00. We like the Halloween atmosphere but do not watch the parade (other than what we see as we walk), parade, shows, do not meet characters or photos - we focus on rides. We do trick or treat if we pass a treat location that is walk up. Luckily it has never rained for our parties and we go in late September, always a Tuesday night. We avoid the Hub and also make sure we don't get cut off by the parade. While the overall crowds have increased over the years - and I have noticed that - we have not noticed a bump in ride wait times. Maybe we have just been lucky?

Each year is a little different but here is our basic plan:
3:45 entry
FP Space Mountain
Carousel of Progress or Tiki Birds or Philharmagic or Pirates
FP Peter Pan
Small World
FP Haunted Mansion
Eat at Columbia Harbour House
Little Mermaid
Dumbo
Barnstormer
Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain again w/overlay
Buzz Lightyear
People Mover
7 Dwarves Mine Train
By this time, parade is going on for 2nd time and we are in the back in Frontierland. Sometimes we will watch a few minutes of the parade, but the kids get antsy for rides.
Thunder Mountain
Splash
Thunder Mountain (2x or 3x - sometimes they let us stay on!)
11:45 Pirates again w/overlay
12:00 watch few minutes of Hocus Pocus on our way out.

I hope I have remembered everything. Throw trick or treating in between rides, but ONLY if it is a walk up. Usually by the end of the night, all trick or treat lines are walkup and we get a ton of candy!

Thank you! My kids are unimpressed by the lineups for candy and meet and greets we've seen on YouTube. This plan is super helpful for me to show them that a ride-centred MNSSHP is possible!

 

[inspectorgadget]

Thank you! My kids are unimpressed by the lineups for candy and meet and greets we've seen on YouTube. This plan is super helpful for me to show them that a ride-centred MNSSHP is possible!

You're welcome! I'm happy to help! We don't even eat the special Halloween treats either, so there's no need for us to scout out lines for that. My kids are perfectly happy with Mickey Bars and so am I.

 

[Ashmishgab]

MNSSHP entry time is between 3:45-4pm with party ticket.

Yes I am aware of the entry time I was asking about on Halloween specifically because of what I was told about it being a holiday and the park reaching maximum capacity. I believe you had responded that you had gone several years ON Halloween and never heard of that. That’s why I was asking if when you attended the party on Halloween if it was just with party tickets or did you also have park tickets for those days.

 

[Best Aunt]

Hello!! I've been searching this thread for a bit and don't see a lot of reviews on the specialty treats. I'm curious how the Mickey Waffle sundae is, also the sanderson sisters cupcake and mini-wedding cake!

I got the mini wedding cake! It was surprisingly big (maybe I’ve just become cynical about Disney treat sizes) and the cream was fresh and light and the cake wasn’t bad either. In my opinion, it could have done with more chocolate than just the axe, and it melts super quickly, but it’s good. A bit too much for one person, but good to share.

The general consensus on what I've read on Disney Tourist Blog, Disney Food Blog, and Easy WDW (and another popular blog we're not to mention on here) is that the 3 you mentioned are winners. Some said the wedding cake is strawberry and some said raspberry and mostly icing instead of cake, but it was good.

I got the wedding cake. Strawberry? Raspberry? I could not tell which it was. It comes in a plastic dome so that you can carry it, but PP is correct that it melts super quickly so buy it when you want to eat it; don't plan to carry it around. I had to ask for silverware; they had spoons but forgot to put them out until I asked. It's not really something you can eat while walking and there aren't a lot of places nearby to sit down. There were two benches and I was able to sit on one of them. I thought it was pretty good.

I wanted to try the cupcake but by the time I got back to Main Street it was late and I was trying to leave before midnight. I didn't feel like waiting around in Starbucks.

Last year the cupcake was available all day, not just during the party. I'm not sure if that is the case this year or not.

 

[MarBee]

WWYD? I swore never to go again after battling last year’s crowds at the September Halloween party we went to. Buuuuuut here I am now planning to give it another try.

Our two party date options are Sunday 9/29 and Tuesday 10/1. Which would be my best bet for less crowds?

Although I’m assuming Tuesday would be less crowded, I’m wondering with exactly how much less of a crowd... Our flight home on Wednesday leaves at 6:30 AM, so magical express would get us before 4:00 AM.

Given these factors, what would you all do?