Another amazing offering is back at Walt Disney World after a two-year hiatus: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Evie and I went to the September 13th party to experience this fun and not-so-scary event!
First – Let’s start with something that I want all my clients to know if they plan to visit in Aug/September and add the party, there is a high probability of rain at some point in the day. I highly recommend purchasing ponchos from Amazon to have on hand and wearing waterproof shoes on party night. Rain is very typical in Florida, but if you are PREPARED, it’s no big deal!
Ok now onto the fun stuff! You can enter the park as early as 4pm on the day of the Party, without a Magic Kingdom ticket. We entered closer to 7pm, which was a little too late and I wish we had arrived earlier to sneak in a few more rides. Plan to eat dinner before the party.
When you arrive at the party, you’re greeted by Cast Members wearing the cutest outfit and given a Party Wristband. You need this wristband to enjoy the party, so don’t rush through! Then, you are ushered into a “backstage” area, where there are fun golden statues of the characters in Halloween gear. This is where we received our “treat bag” and our first handful of candy! So fun! Look around the park for the treat light-up icons to designate trick-or-treat areas. Evie LOVED this part of the party, and we visited several trick-or-treat locations. Monsters Inc Laugh Floor was our favorite stop for candy.
We started the party by riding a few different rides, Buzz Lightyear, The People Mover, Dumbo and The Barnstormer. Evie was driving the ship, so we did whatever she wanted to do. At one point we got in line for Minnie, Donald and Daisy, but the line was VERY slow. We waited about 40 minutes barely moving, and Evie had had enough – so we got out of line and rode Dumbo again.
I want to say, if meeting characters is your main focus, you will definitely encounter long lines. We wanted to meet Elvis Stitch, but the line was about a 2 hour wait. This was not something we really NEEDED to do, so we decided to trick or treat a bit more and then head over to our dessert party!
We booked the Garden Viewing section of the Mickey Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Dessert Party and I highly recommend grabbing this if available. Yes it is more $$ out the window, but we had designated seats during the firework show. There were select desserts, cheese, fruit, soft drinks and beer and wine available. We enjoyed the break to eat a couple nibbles and then we went to grab our spot for the fireworks show.
The fireworks were INCREDIBLE. We have never seen this show before, a Disney first, and we both really enjoyed it. The projections, storyline and music were out of this world. This show alone made the whole party worth it!
After the fireworks, we went and took a few Magic Shots around the park. We LOVE Magic Shots and I highly recommend you grab at least ONE during the party. Lines are longest near the castle, but honestly it’s worth the wait. They are so fun and a great was to remember the time at the party!
Then it was parade time! We chose to watch the second parade of the night, and I am glad we did! We found a great spot on Main Street USA, right across from Starbucks. I do wish we had gone slightly further down Main Street USA towards the train station, as we just missed Powerline Max (during the first parade he was right where we sat). But we did get to see part of his dance routine and it was MAGIC! Hello 80’s kids, this is our Disney moment right here! Watching Max dance to i2i brought tears to my eyes! Totally amazing.
The headless horseman did his thing before Max came out – just as an FYI. Evie was FREAKED out by the Headless Horseman, and it really was pretty cool to see in person. It is totally a Disney Magic experience.
The parade itself is phenomenal, a must-do experience. Seriously, do not miss this parade! I repeat, DO NOT MISS this parade! It is pure Disney magic, with character interaction, amazing dancing and a catchy tune you’ll be singing the rest of the night! I was so happy to see Vanellope back and driving her candy car with Ralph in front of her – I mean come on, AMAZING!
After the parade we, and everyone else, did some shopping on Main Street USA. Learn from our mistake and do your shopping earlier in the night! It was SO crowded in the Emporium we could barely walk. We bought our few items and then it was See Ya Real Soon time and we left the party to receive a fun commemorative poster from the event. Yes I’ll be framing it to put in my office, it’s cute!
A few tips for you during your party trip:
Plan for weather, pack ponchos and water friendly shoes – if there is bad weather, know Disney will do everything they can to have the entertainment happen!!
Make a plan of MUST DO experiences, ours were the fireworks show and the parade, you will NOT be able to do it all
On that note, be sure we have discussed having another day at the Magic Kingdom that is a non-party night. I think your best bet is to do the rides on another day, and take in all the unique entertainment at the party
Dress up! Get into the fun and have a plan for costumes. Evie went as Cinderella (pre-stepsister intervention) and I was supposed to be The Fairy Godmother, but I horribly left my cape at home. I was so bummed we didn’t have our complete costume and I don’t want you to feel like you’ve missed out on any fun!
Get your Magic Shots!! Don’t miss out on these unique pictures – they are something you can’t get any other time! We loved the flaming pumpkin!!
HAVE FUN!!! Come on, you’re at Disney, this SHOULD be fun!
A quick note: All Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties are SOLD OUT for 2022. So if you want to experience this, your best plan is September or October 2023, and the good news here is that hotel reservations are available for 2023 so you can start planning now. You get the best selection of Disney Resort Hotels by booking early.
Are you ready to plan your Walt Disney World vacation? Contact Melissa to start planning today!