"Official" 2018 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - A Spooktacular Celebration!

[ILoveMyDVC]

Attended last nights party. Overall can’t complain but definitely dislike that they are selling to more and more people.

Already at smother lark in the morning so arrived at about 3:20 and headed to Jack & Sally line by 3:30 and already about 6 groups in front of us, swapped out for wristbands, started meet just after 5 and we where out by 5:15. Stopped to get a party pin afterwards very short wait.

Went to check out Stiches line but was told wouldn’t come out until 7:00, not the case. Quick ride with FastPass on Pooh than back over to stitches line, shortly before 6 and about 7 groups in front, at 6:05 let indoors to wait, stitch out at 6:30, done by 6:45.

Next meet was Tweedles & Queen because dressed as Tweedles. Maybe 4 groups sitting on the wall waiting. Started to rain in line and told they couldn’t come out until done rain. At this point past 7pm and cosmic ray didn’t have candy yet.

Lost track of time but we finished Tweedles just before 7:20 and missed Mad Hatter/Alice set so waited for them to come out again at 7:30 and done by 7:50.

Watched parade in Frontierland. Pirates was done before the parade and didn’t check out it later in the night.

After parade swam our way up to Huanted Mansion doing photopasses along the way. Way to crowded at HM so just went to grab firework spot. Garden area in front of Casey’s pretty crowded at 9:50 but found a spot for two.

After fireworks went over to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland trick o treating and getting magic shots.

Meet with Goofy around 9:50, short line. The hit up the Drwafs around 10ish for a 15min wait.

Than trick or treated some more. Rode SM. trick or treated. BUzz and then one more trick or treat stop (got lots at this one). Castle show to end the night.

Anyone else having issues getting there Photopass pictures?

Sort of! No special effects yet despite days of having them taken.

 

[ksromack]

Just a thought - some people are going to be attending MNSSHP on nights when it is raining. I'm wondering if perhaps Page 1 should have a list of things which happen even if it's raining. I'm thinking of regular part attractions which will be open during the party, as well as party-specific things.

Maybe it also should show which things will not happen if it's raining.

For example-
Headless Horseman: not going to ride if the pavement is wet.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: it's going to close if there is lightning in the area. I don't know what the rule is if it's rain but not lightning, but I bet other people here know.
Peter Pan's Flight, Haunted Mansion, Small World: you can do them during the rain. They are inside.

Some characters are inside (Elvis Stitch, Moana) and some characters are outside (Gaston & Belle, Jack & Sally).

People could look at the list and then create a Rainy Night Itinerary for themselves. It also would prevent disappointment for people who don't happen to know off the top of their heads which things will be closed if it's raining.

I suppose that would maybe give people options if it rained but really we are all responsible for our own happiness, right? I do understand that weather dampens spirits....our last MVMCP poured on us.....but we just lessened our expectations and got wet! Of course, we didn't have to contend with children as it was just DH and myself. I know when kids are unhappy parents are unhappy too. It's tough!

 

[OldSchoolReasons]

Attended last nights party. Overall can’t complain but definitely dislike that they are selling to more and more people.

Already at smother lark in the morning so arrived at about 3:20 and headed to Jack & Sally line by 3:30 and already about 6 groups in front of us, swapped out for wristbands, started meet just after 5 and we where out by 5:15. Stopped to get a party pin afterwards very short wait.

Went to check out Stiches line but was told wouldn’t come out until 7:00, not the case. Quick ride with FastPass on Pooh than back over to stitches line, shortly before 6 and about 7 groups in front, at 6:05 let indoors to wait, stitch out at 6:30, done by 6:45.

Next meet was Tweedles & Queen because dressed as Tweedles. Maybe 4 groups sitting on the wall waiting. Started to rain in line and told they couldn’t come out until done rain. At this point past 7pm and cosmic ray didn’t have candy yet.

Lost track of time but we finished Tweedles just before 7:20 and missed Mad Hatter/Alice set so waited for them to come out again at 7:30 and done by 7:50.

Watched parade in Frontierland. Pirates was done before the parade and didn’t check out it later in the night.

After parade swam our way up to Huanted Mansion doing photopasses along the way. Way to crowded at HM so just went to grab firework spot. Garden area in front of Casey’s pretty crowded at 9:50 but found a spot for two.

After fireworks went over to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland trick o treating and getting magic shots.

Meet with Goofy around 9:50, short line. The hit up the Drwafs around 10ish for a 15min wait.

Than trick or treated some more. Rode SM. trick or treated. BUzz and then one more trick or treat stop (got lots at this one). Castle show to end the night.

Anyone else having issues getting there Photopass pictures?

Thank you for this! My only must-do character meets are Stitch and Tweedles so I'm going to get to Stitch for 6 now then bomb it over to the Tweedles.

 

[Horizons-1]

My DW and I attended the 9/9 party. I wanted to give it a couple of days before forming an opinion.

We were at MK earlier that day to take care of some of the bigger ticket rides that we knew would still be popular during the party. Throughout the late morning visit we kept noticing that the crowd level was very manageable. It wasn't empty by any means, but you could easily walk around without touching someone at arms length. We left around 12pm to go back to the YC to have lunch and rest.

We returned that evening around 6pm and got our wristbands without much trouble. The day crowds were still there, and a good number of people were in line for the party. Initially I thought that the rides were going to have long lines due to what I saw as a more crowded party than in previous years. It certainly felt more crowded during the party then when we were there that morning. However, my concerns quickly vanished as the wait times were not unreasonable for most of the party. SM only had about a 25min wait during the entire night, and other attractions were walk-ons. Only 7DMT & Peter Pan had wait times over 30min.

The bigger issue was the weather. It was overcast when we arrived, and started to rain/lightning around 7:30. This caused some rides to close temporarily, but we were still able to walk around to the candy locations and take in the decorations. Being in Florida during the summer you're guaranteed for an afternoon/evening rain, and this storm lasted till roughly 9:30-10pm. I decided to stay later into the night than my DW so I made an extra loop around the park. When most of the rain had stopped I happened to be near BTM at that point, and it was a walk-on. Obviously I chose the back of the train to enjoy the wildest ride in the wilderness!

I didn't participate in any of the specialty Halloween treats this time. I had read/watched reviews from the DIS team on what was offered, and decided to stick with the classics. The candy corn ice cream was basically vanilla flavoring with orange coloring. There wasn't enough time to appreciate the look of the ice cream before the Florida heat started to make it look like a melted mess. Afterwards I went for a Mickey ice cream sandwich. Nothing adventurous, but always hits the spot. I already had an ice cream bar earlier that day so I didn't want to completely go on a sugar rush. This is all of course ignoring the 10lb bag of candy I was carrying around with me all night.

Normally we enjoy character meet-and-greets, but during parties we would rather spend our time doing other things than waiting in long lines. It's possible to see characters and still do other attractions, but that's just not our style. We also forgot our autograph book at home so we couldn't cheat and get a new one.

To wrap things up I went on SM to check out the changes for the party. Aside from being pitch black dark there wasn't much in the way of decorations. However, it was still a lot of fun. Even if you have ridden it several dozen times. The major downside with SM at this time is the long walk to leave the ride while they are renovating the exit. Especially if you get stuck behind a crowd.

Overall I still enjoyed the MNSSHP. The crowd size was a bit disappointing compared to previous years, but honestly we still did everything we wanted and more. At most we waited 15-20min for any given ride. With most being walk-ons. One negative impact with the crowd size was that navigating the park was tight at times depending on where you were. Especially when compared to the standard park hours prior to the party earlier that day. For me it takes a bit of the excitement away when I have to dodge crowds when going from Land to Land.

It's also a roll of the dice when it comes to the weather. We just happened to choose a party that rained for half of the time we were there. Planning ahead though made it tolerable since we had our rain jackets & shoes that could get wet.

If what we experienced is the new norm than I would suggest that anyone who is planning to go to a MNSSHP should temper expectations of low crowds, but also should realize that ride wait times will not be terrible. Just be flexible!

 

[Rich M]

The common thing I keep hearing with trip reports is that the party is getting more and more crowded and people are complaining that they sale too many tickets. Would everyone be more happy if they raised the prices and allowed less people in? If you wanted to attend the parties and they were all sold out then would you feel that they should have sold more tickets to accommodate more guest? I just wonder with Disney as a business how they can win in this situation. Sale to many tickets and its over crowded. Sale to few of tickets and people get upset that it sold out. On top of that a business see a spike in demand so they add more parties and sale more tickets. I believe that's what most business owners would do in that situation. If people didn't go then they wouldn't keep expanding it.

Personally I am going on Oct 16 and I like many hope to get my money's worth. That being said that if it is too crowded to where I don't believe my money is well spent then I will simply not go again but I am also not someone who would stand in line over 10 minutes to get a photo with a character and I don't plan on waiting an hour to get a place to watch the parade or fireworks. I will do as much as time allows and I will see the parade and fireworks from somewhere in the park. I just want to have a good time and see the different costumes that people wear and go on some rides and grab some candy for my Grandson. Everything else is just a bonus to me. I have been going to Disneyland's Halloween Parties for years and find them far superior to WDW and you will find Space Mountain with an hour and half wait sometimes even longer.

I hope everyone who still has there parties coming up have a great time and to those who are posting their experiences of the parties thank you very much at helping us all plan our own evenings. Much appreciated.

 

[Best Aunt]

I suppose that would maybe give people options if it rained but really we are all responsible for our own happiness, right? I do understand that weather dampens spirits....our last MVMCP poured on us.....but we just lessened our expectations and got wet! Of course, we didn't have to contend with children as it was just DH and myself. I know when kids are unhappy parents are unhappy too. It's tough!

I think there is a difference between having a good attitude and having good information. I think a lot of people read this thread to gather information. (Others may read it just for fun.)

 

[FoxC63]

I think there is a difference between having a good attitude and having good information. I think a lot of people read this thread to gather information. (Others may read it just for fun.)

I think your idea of having a "Rain/Lightning" planning section is valid but it would be difficult. I've read reports where someone would say they closed BTMRR due to rain then someone else would write I rode it during the rain. You can suggest go to Storybook Circus Train Station to meet Minnie & Goofy and they might not be there. Which now brings us to the indoor characters, those queues do get filled up and once they do everyone else has to stand outside in the rain and hazardous lightning, would those standing outdoor be happy?

If Disney had a "Rain/Lightning" party policy stating the following characters will be moved to XXX and they can accommodate all the guests and their safety that would be something worth requesting via email. It would be wonderful if we could get FP's for the characters as well that way no one is left standing in the rain and lightning.

I will make changes on my Itinerary thread, I do agree we should do more to make it easier for planning during inclement weather.

 

[Haley R]

I think your idea of having a "Rain/Lightning" planning section is valid but it would be difficult. I've read reports where someone would say they closed BTMRR due to rain then someone else would write I rode it during the rain. You can suggest go to Storybook Circus Train Station to meet Minnie & Goofy and they might not be there. Which now brings us to the indoor characters, those queues do get filled up and once they do everyone else has to stand outside in the rain and hazardous lightning, would those standing outdoor be happy?

If Disney had a "Rain/Lightning" party policy stating the following characters will be moved to XXX and they can accommodate all the guests and their safety that would be something worth requesting via email. It would be wonderful if we could get FP's for the characters as well that way no one is left standing in the rain and lightning.

I will make changes on my Itinerary thread, I do agree we should do more to make it easier for planning during inclement weather.

The FPs for characters during the party really would be such a good idea.

 

[Disneylover99]

I think there is a difference between having a good attitude and having good information. I think a lot of people read this thread to gather information. (Others may read it just for fun.)

What I have learned from going to 6 rainy parties in a row is that some of the information changes each time. It may be difficult to post rainy party strategies. My best advice is to check the wait times to see what is up or down.

Unfortunately, when rides go down, other rides get crowded, walkways get clogged up and trick or treat lines tend to slow down.

I’ve also found that sometimes meet and greets get delayed, cancelled or moved, and sometimes they move to different locations from one rainy night to the next. Maybe as we roll through September and October parties this will become more consistent.

 

[yulilin3]

Just saw on photopass fb page they are apologizing for the site being down.

 

[switch15foot]

Just saw on photos fb page they are apologizing for the site being down.

That’s good to hear. Able to hit up more characters than planned last night and got a lot of the magic shots would hate not to have them. Don’t have any pictures after Jack & Sally at 5:15pm last night.

 

[RJstanis]

That’s good to hear. Able to hit up more characters than planned last night and got a lot of the magic shots would hate not to have them. Don’t have any pictures after Jack & Sally at 5:15pm last night.

Ironically I noticed I couldn't access my pictures at 5:17p yesterday, and kept getting a Goofy Upside Down Error Page, so that must have been around when it went down. I haven't tried to access my pictures yet today.

My magic shots didn't show up until about 24-36 hours later, except for the ones close to Haunted Mansion.

 

[BriarRose59]

We were at the party last night and the first party thing we wanted to do was watch the Cadaver Dans at 7:00. It was raining so they weren’t outside but I could hear their voices. They performed inside the merchandise store in Frontierland. It was an enjoyable show!

 

[FoxC63]

Currently on the Itinerary thread (I'm still working on it) are these rides temporarily closed during Hallowishes as well?

The Barnstormer
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Speedway

 

[scrappinginontario]

FP Update - better late than never I guess.

We were at Disney in Aug and the only ticket we had on our MDE was MNSSHP. I booked our FPs 60 days prior to arrival day (62 prior to party day).

My FPs were still there the day of our party. No emails. Nothing cancelled. 3 intact FPs.

 

[MJ6987]

I went to the Party last night with my family. We had a good time but it was so busy! I thought that part of what you were paying for was a limited attendance experience? But it seemed busier than it has been on regular evenings!

The other downside was that Space Mountain and Pirates were both down for large chunks of the night. I think, as they are two of the special featured rides, they need to ensure that they are operating.

 

[Haley R]

We were at the party last night and the first party thing we wanted to do was watch the Cadaver Dans at 7:00. It was raining so they weren’t outside but I could hear their voices. They performed inside the merchandise store in Frontierland. It was an enjoyable show!

That sounds fun!

 

[Haley R]

I went to the Party last night with my family. We had a good time but it was so busy! I thought that part of what you were paying for was a limited attendance experience? But it seemed busier than it has been on regular evenings!

The other downside was that Space Mountain and Pirates were both down for large chunks of the night. I think, as theyare two of the special featured rides, they need to ensure that they are operating.

Unfortunately, I don't think they can promise that because something can always go wrong with the ride. It's super upsetting that they both happened to be down at the same time, but I'm not sure if they could've prevented that or not.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

I’m sorry to hear that yesterday’s party was such a mixed experience.

Would you take someone to MNSSHP as their first ever time in MK? I have tickets to take my nieces (9 & 14) on the arrival evening of their first ever trip to WDW, which seemed like a great idea when I bought them. However, as I’m reading more detailed party experiences, I’m having a nagging doubt that I can’t quite identify. After the party, they will have 3 full days in WDW, 2 of which are also party nights. The night in question is late October, the week before Halloween.

Am I making a mistake in having this be their introduction to WDW and MK?

 

[btuftee]

I went to the Party last night with my family. We had a good time but it was so busy! I thought that part of what you were paying for was a limited attendance experience? But it seemed busier than it has been on regular evenings!

The other downside was that Space Mountain and Pirates were both down for large chunks of the night. I think, as they are two of the special featured rides, they need to ensure that they are operating.

Disney is clearly selling more tickets than it used to for the parties, though they'll never admit it. We did the party on Friday, 9/7, and it was pretty full compared to the crowd levels across WDW that week. The parks were generally low crowds in my opinion, but the party certainly wasn't. It wasn't as bad as the one we did on Halloween night a few years back, but it was much busier than expected. It may be the last one we do for awhile - we did have fun, to be sure, but it didn't feel like an "exclusive" event until after Hallowishes ended and most of the crowd left.