MNSSHP

[tmaxwell]

Rumor has it - first party is August 17th. With that being said, we will be down there on that day. Is it really worth the almost $300 for a family of 4 to attend the party? And historically, how busy is the first party? I know a lot of FL schools are back in session but it still makes me nervous about the crowds.

Thanks!

 

[rteetz]

Rumor has it - first party is August 17th. With that being said, we will be down there on that day. Is it really worth the almost $300 for a family of 4 to attend the party? And historically, how busy is the first party? I know a lot of FL schools are back in session but it still makes me nervous about the crowds.

Thanks!

First party usually has a lot of the Disney internet community covering it for their viewers and readers so it can get busy. It really depends what you make out of it. Meet and greets can have long lines but then most rides have shorter waits. You are allowed to enter at 4PM for the party to make the most of it.

 

[Disneylover99]

We found the first party last year to be busier than previous parties. Still fun, just busier.

 

[samsteele]

As a solo guest, I love MNSSHP but I'm just footing the bill for one & the single ticket price makes it reasonable. For a family of four, I just wouldn't do it. I don't think the few hrs are worth the price tag. Esp if traveling with young children who are already tired, cranky & worn out from a very busy WDW vacation. If it's unlikely they can stay up late until party closing, you really have to look hard at the per hour cost of that party. I'd bank that cost (literally put it in a savings account) as a good pay forward for your next WDW trip.

 

[pens4821]

I was thinking of going, but not really sure it's worth it for us. The adults aren't really into halloween and my nephew is but he wouldn't really want to meet the characters. He'd enjoy the trick or treating part though. I would love to see the fireworks and the parade though, but as you said I just can't justify spending that much just to see a parade and fireworks (we'll have plenty of park time so the low waits for rides aren't a must either).

 

[Sugart]

I usually don't mean mind holidays encroaching, but damn this is early. I mean I leave for a beach house in the outer banks the next day. It's still summer vacation.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

It is early. Wish Disney would just come up with a different additional cost party for a different time of year and then they can cut back a bit on the Halloween ones.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I think MNSSHP is one of the best up-charge offerings that Disney does.

The guests wear costumes and the entertainment is top notch. Go! Concentrate on the parade, the Fireworks, the Hocus Pocus stage show, the Cadaver Dans, Madam Carlotta and friends performing on the lawn of the Haunted Mansion and the character meet and greets and finally the candy. Save the rides for another park day or the times in between your party agenda.

I think that because so many guests participate by wearing costumes the fun is really amplified.

MNSSHP is a not to be missed experience.

~NM

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We did 2 parties last year. Even after a long day at the park, my girls (3 & 6) Stayed up till the end. It’s a must do for us.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I am saying this as a person who buys only her ticket, so to me the expense is worth it. I have been to different Disney hard ticket parties and Halloween was BY FAR my favorite. The parade is FANTASTIC, and the atmosphere is really fun. At the time I was 27 (29 now) and I was a bit nervous to trick or treat as an adult despite it is encouraged...with a little encouragement from CMs, we had an absolute blast trick or treating, which I hadn't done in maybe 12 years or more!! Sitting in the hub grass eating a ton of candy and watching fireworks was honestly a Disney magical feeling! I would definitely vote for you to go if the tickets work into your budget. It was a really great experience and I am going again this year - in fact it was one of the bigger factors for me in deciding when to go again.

ETA: we weren't super big on waiting for characters so we did avoid those lines that seemed lengthy and focused more on candy and rides, and had a great time. Also, outside Haunted Mansion was an actress doing a super cute "ghost" skit and interacting with the crowd! It was so cool we let people go ahead of us in line just to watch.

 

[Moliphino]

I usually don't mean mind holidays encroaching, but damn this is early. I mean I leave for a beach house in the outer banks the next day. It's still summer vacation.

Over two months of Halloween parties seems completely nuts to me. Who's really thinking of Halloween in mid-August? Granted, I'm not a Halloween fan myself since outgrowing trick or treating (and even then it was really just the free candy I wanted, dressing up was an afterthought).

 

[Disney.Denise]

We've been in Sept 2016 and Oct 2017. Sept crowds were lower. Oct was too crowded for us. The parties have become increasingly popular. By far, the best parade Boo to You

 

[mab2012]

With the way Disney's ticket pricing is going, I think it can be pretty easily justified if you would otherwise buy a four or fewer day ticket. You can more or less cover the cost of your party admission by cutting a day from your multi-day ticket; with early admission and shorter wait times during the event it can make sense, even financially.

If you're on a longer ticket, it's a harder sell. We went last year and I'm glad we did it once, but I'm not sure if we would do it again. $300 is a lot. Whether it's "worth it" is a very individual thing. If it's within your budget and Halloween is something you enjoy, I'd say try it once and see for yourself!

 

[rileyz]

I’ll be down there at that time, but costumes in that humidity? No thanks lol

 

[Evilrubberducks6]

We had an amazing time in 2016 at MNSSHP! I would recommend that you do it at least once. Trick or treating throughout the park was fun for my daughter (and us too), and my favorite part was the parade and the special fireworks show. The extra characters are cute, but you'd waste your entire night in line if you waited to see all of them. There are shorter waits for rides though so that is a plus. Our family really loves Halloween, but even I had no idea the costumes would be so complicated. People go all out for them, and it was fun to see, but not my thing. There are also free snacks! In the end I am glad that we tried it, even for the high price tag.

We will be trying out the Christmas party this year just because we have never done it before. I feel like with either party I want to get to experience them at least once.

 

[jsand99]

We're going the last week in October and I'm sure those Halloween week parties are going to be crowded. Probably going to cost about $400 for our family of four that week. It's probably not worth that ticket price but we feel like it will be a good memory for our kids. I think they will always remember that they got to go trick or treating at MK.

 

[SPJoeG]

Does anybody know what other dates in August they are rumored to be holding MNSSHP? When do they usually announce and put tickets on sale?

 

[rteetz]

Does anybody know what other dates in August they are rumored to be holding MNSSHP? When do they usually announce and put tickets on sale?

8/17, 8/21, 8/24, 8/28, and 8/31

Usually Spring I think is when they announce it.

 

[Lola10]

I’ve never been so I can’t speak for value for money, however for the September 2018 trip we are planning to go. Our group is all adults and some of the group having going to Disney World since ‘94 (I know that’s not that long in the grand scheme of things) but have not been to MNSSHP even though September is their preferred trip time. We’re doing it as a surprise for the Halloween fan in the group (my MIL) so I expect it to be pretty special. From my point of view even though it is an add on and can be costly, sometimes it is worth spending that extra to add some extra magic and memories.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I went on the first night last year and the park did not seem much less crowded than a regular night at Magic Kingdom. While I did have a nice night in Magic Kingdom, it is a lot of money to spend. Lines for things, and especially meet and greets are still very long, and we did have to line up an hour before the parade for a good spot.

I have heard Kevin Close of the Podcasts mention that these events used to come with the perk of lower crowds, and that is no longer the case.

However, I will say the park is very cool and the parade and show are awesome!! Fantastyland were packed, and Frontier and Fantasyland seemed to have the bulk of the activity. Tommorowland and Adventureland were much more manageable (i.e. 15 minutes for Space Mountain).