On our “Budget” holiday we chose not to buy Disney Park tickets to try and save some money but spotted that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was on during our holiday. For us, it was a good option to get some “cheaper” Disney Magic and bring home a sack of souvenirs!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP)
To go to MNSSHP you need to buy a separate ticket. Even if you have purchased a full day ticket for the Magic Kingdom, to remain in the park you need the extra ticket. Otherwise, you are kicked out at 7 pm. All ride queue entrances start checking and turning away non-party goers and around the park, they start to shuffle you towards the exit from 6 pm.
However, if you have a ticket to the Halloween party, you can enter the Magic Kingdom from 4 pm. The party officially starts at 7 pm, but that means you can get 3 hours of extra value from the MNSSHP Tickets.
We purchased our tickets from Florida Tix. An adult ticket is £62 and a child is £58, not much difference between the two. And an Adult is classed as 10 years or older. A single day ticket for the Magic Kingdom would cost around £100 per person.
What’s so special about MNSSHP?
Most people who go to the party are not there for the rides. Instead, they are looking for exclusive character meet and greets, stage shows, fireworks, trick or treating and the parade.
Years ago we managed to get a photograph with all 7 dwarfs at the party. Imogen was dressed as snow white and totally oblivious to what was going on. As well as “rare” characters to meet, there are the usual ones with their Halloween party costumes on.
We weren’t really there to meet the characters this time, although did grab a photo with Ariel, Rapunzel, and Tiana with no queues.
Stage shows. The Hocus Pocus Villian Spectacular was on the castle stage three times during the party. All three Sanderson Sisters joined forces with regular Disney Villains, like Dr. Facilier and Maleficent. We didn’t really stop for this show although it was on while we walked past.
The Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom are Epic and the Halowishes show is amazing. However, as this is on only once during the night people start staking out their space 2 hours beforehand. We were blasting around the park catching our only chance on some rides and doing other Halloween things to get a good spot. So Instead of standing on Main Street starring at the castle watching the fireworks perfectly aligned behind it. We stood on the walkway entering Liberty Square and watched half a firework show from behind a tree.
Special Halloween Attractions
For MNSSHP a few rides got a little makeover. The easiest ride overlay was on Space Mountain. The usual soundtrack was switched out for a rock music one. While the lighting effects and all the lights were turned off. Meaning the ride was done in complete darkness, to a thumping rock beat.
The Mad Tea Party had new lighting effects and a new soundtrack, which did look pretty cool. Although this ride isn’t on the top of my to-do list, we did watch it for a few minutes and the overlay seemed to add a fun element to the spinning teacups ride.
Our main go-to attraction was Pirates of the Carribean. This ride had the addition of live pirates and a tenuous added story of the hunt for Gunpowder Pete. We spotted 5 live pirates in the attraction. One in a cell during the queue, which was set up in a non-scary way. If it was any other live experience the pirates would have leaped out at you. Here they made themselves visible and interacted with the kids.
Trick or Treating
This was our main entertainment for the night. As you enter the park and exchange your ticket for a wristband, you’re given an A5 size trick or treat bag, promptly followed by a trick or treat station. The idea is that you queue up at a station and the cast member puts a few sweets in your bag, you then move on.
It didn’t take long for us to fill our bags up, (about 3 stations). So a little forward planning meant we also brought an empty rucksack. Tipped out trick or treat bags in and started filling them up again. Over the course of the night, we rode attractions in all areas of the park, while popping into the Trick or Treat Stations. My Rucksack was starting to cut into my shoulders and we started to get concerned it was going to split.
The candy being handed out was M&Ms, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Dove Bars, Starburst, Life Savers, Twix, and Maltesers. When we got home the total weight of our candy haul was 8KG! It was a fun addition to the night and the kids seemed so excited to be collecting it all.
*We’ve not eaten it all we brought 95% of it home and barely dented the pile.
Just to view the scale of the Trick or Treating, here is our Hoopsters sharing their swag!
The Boo To You Parade
As far as evening parades go this is a pretty good one. Not as good as Spectromagic from years ago, but special with its uniqueness. Starting off with the headless horseman trotting down the route, occasionally stopping to see if he can see his next victim! Followed by the main parade. Highlight floats that stand out are the Haunted mansion section with a gravedigger routine. The Diggers drag their shovels over the ground creating a stream of sparks. Followed by the waltzing ballroom scene and the three glowing hitchhiking ghosts.
Then before we knew it it was getting on to midnight. We were the last to Ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. And it was time to start the theme park shuffle back to the car parking lot (via a monorail).
We really enjoyed MNSSHP, but wouldn’t rush back to it every year. As this was our only visit to the Magic Kingdom it was our cheaper option, but with a twist. If you really love Disney stuff then this is for you. If you prefer your Halloween scary, then there are other more suited experiences elsewhere.
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