The ghosts are out to socialize and smells of pumpkin spice fill the air– spooky season is here at Walt Disney World!
Yes, this year Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is starting earlier than ever before in mid-August, but I am here for it!
Well, maybe starting the second week as I need to celebrate my birthday before I feel like I can start to celebrate fall, but still!
Now that we’re Orlando residents, this was our first year getting to attend MNSSHP and I can see why people love it! Until now I had only experienced Halloween at Hong Kong Disneyland back when we were Passholders, which is also absolutely amazing if you can ever go.
If you don’t know what Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is, it’s a separate ticketed event, much like the Villains After Hours that we attended not long ago.
It takes place in Magic Kingdom certain nights through November 1st with the party beginning at 7pm and ending at midnight.
In those few short, but sweet hours, there is so much to fill your night with from trick-or-treating to unique ride overlays. There’s really something for everyone and it’s impossible to do everything in only one night.
Luckily this year they have introduced a party pass for $300 that gets you into unlimited parties, other than the one on Halloween itself. An amazing value for any spooky lover!
However, if you’re like us and could only attend one party, you need to make use of your time wisely!
Here are my 8 top tips for having fun at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party:
Go to an earlier party
With 35 parties to choose from, it can be hard to choose which date to attend. I know most people want to go on or at least as close to Halloween as possible, but it is so crowded to go during this time, parties sell out, and they are also more expensive in price.
I think late September is actually the sweet spot. Or even the first week of October for all you who refuse to celebrate Halloween outside of the month. Crowds are still pretty manageable so you can do more with your time, the weather isn’t terrible like it is in August and you still get nice autumn vibes!
Whichever you choose make sure to buy your tickets early! You don’t want to risk coming here on vacation and having those dates be sold out.
Wear a costume
Just do it. I promise you won’t look stupid and no, it’s not just for little kids.
If you don’t you’ll seriously be in the minority of people as almost everyone will be dressed up as something. We’ve seen some amazing costumes and people watching at parties is half of the fun for us!
So whether you’re solo or with a group, get creative and dress up!
Grab a party exclusive Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card
We love playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom anytime we’re in the park, but during the parties they give out free exclusive cards. And guys, they are always seriously so cute!
You can get them in the normal location at the Firehouse on Main Street, but don’t forget. This year’s party card features to Fab 5 trick or treating, which matches along perfectly with the storyline of the new fireworks spectacular! Adorable.
Indulge in treats instead of tricks
Disney always has amazing goodies to try, but they truly outdo themselves at any party or event. MNSSHP has an extensive list of fun new treats to try, so why not indulge in a few?
Two of my favorites from this year were the Lots-O’-Burger paired with the Berry Blaster. Both are found at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Tomorrowland. This party exclusive burger features a beef patty topped with brie fondue, strawberry-bacon jam, an onion ring, and a Lotso bun.
It was almost too cute to eat, but it was also too delicious not to finish!
Meet rarely spotted characters
Halloween is one of the few times that the rarest of characters come out to meet and greet people.
The Seven Dwarves?! Jack and Sally?! Yes please!
Of course line times can get long so definitely plan accordingly. The parties are the only time you can ever meet some of these characters, so prioritize those first. I try to skip the first parade so that I can get in as many meet and greets as possible during this time.
Trick or treat towards the end of the night
One of the highlights, especially if you have littles, is to hit up all the trick or treating stations around the park. There’s such a variety of goodies from Snickers chocolate bars to Skittles. If you have any sort of dietary restriction, you can also collect tokens to redeem later on.
I highly appreciate that Disney has allergy stations around the park for anyone with dietary needs. Even though I haven’t been vegan for a while now, I still gravitate towards it when I can, so I definitely stocked up on tokens to redeem at the end of the night. Plus it was less to carry!
Disney will provide bags at each station so no need to bring your own, but if you go towards the end of the night it’ll be less to lug around throughout the party but you’ll also get bigger handfuls of candy from cast members!
Sing along to Boo To You
Possibly the only song that’s catchier than It’s A Small World, Boo to You is the sole reason to attend MNSSHP for many people.
The Boo to You parade is one of my favorites! Kicking off with the eerie trotting of the Headless Horseman (weather permitting of course) you’ll want to get to the route early to see this iconic parade with flashy floats and haunting character performances.
With two showings per night, the second one usually seemed less crowded, but you could also just be like me and watch both!
Enjoy the all-new Not So Spooky Spectacular
This year, Disney released a brand new fireworks spectacular for the party. You’ll want to find a spot early as it gets crowded, but the amazing castle projections and guest appearance of Jack Skellington make this show one of Disney’s finest.
The show only happens once nightly at 10:15pm (unlike the Hocus Pocus stage show and parade) so you’ll definitely want to plan your schedule around that!
