Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has become a perennial favorite of guests looking to get into the spooky mood (even if it’s only August or September).
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
With villainous on-stage entertainment, an exclusive nighttime parade, specialty eats and candy galore, and a one-of-a-kind fireworks show, it’s easy to see why guests love the Halloween Party so much. But is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party worth it this year?
The 2019 Halloween Party has introduced a few new entertainment options that are a true blast and retained some fun old favorites, too, meaning it might be an exciting time to get your Halloween creep on with Mickey. But the Party is also pricey, late, and exhausting — and that means some families may want to postpone their Magic Kingdom haunting ’til another time.
We’re taking a look at some of the variables you’ll want to consider when you decide whether or not to make a go of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year.
Why MNSSHP Might Be A GO:
New Entertainment at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
A couple of new entertainment options at the 2019 Halloween Party makes this is a fun year to attend!
Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular
We’re starting with the biggest of the new experiences at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular! This brand new fireworks and projections spectacular replaced the 14-year-old HalloWishes, and while we weren’t sure we were ready to say Hallow-bye to HalloWishes, Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular is awesome!
Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular
The show is hosted by Jack Skellington and incorporates villains and Mickey and the gang as well as seriously stunning projections. It’s truly not to be missed! Catch it at 10:15PM during the Party!
Jack is the Master of Ceremonies
Boo-To-You Halloween Parade
This year’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade — which runs at 9:15PM and 11:15PM during the Party — added a few new segments! The first is a fun and colorful collection of Tomorrowland favorites including Buzz Lightyear, Elastigirl, and Mr. Incredible! Buzz Lightyear is accompanied by those little green Aliens (no Claw in sight). If you look closely ahead of the float, you’ll see Edna Mode holding court!
Toy Story Float
And Elastigirl took the night off from superheroine duty to wave to her adoring fans. Swoon!
Incredibles Float
We loved these new additions to Boo-To-You, but if we’re being fully honest, it paled in comparison to the other new addition: the Haunted Mansion segment included the Spectral Bride this year!
Spectral Bride in the Haunted Mansion Segment
We’ve always loved the gravedigger portion of the Parade, where they create sparks and spooky clangs with their metal shovels…
Haunted Mansion Segment
…but the Haunted Mansion additions gave us chills. The bride is creepy and cool at the same time!
Haunted Mansion Segment
The Spectral Bride really appeared to float as ghostly dancers twirled around her. This is one unique parade you don’t want to miss, friends!
New Attraction Overlay
This year, Monsters Inc. got a brand new attraction overlay! The Laugh Floor has been turned into a trick-or-treat trail, where guests get candy at the beginning and end of the show! In the middle of it all, take a load off and relax while monsters ad lib and improve directly with the audience!
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor Trick Or Treat Trail
It’s super cute, and a great way to get some A/C and a seat for a while. Plus those monsters are SO talented!
Click here for more on the NEW Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party offerings!
New Party-Exclusive Treats!
We’re not saying you should go to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party just for the Party-exclusive treats, but we’re not saying that’s a bad idea either!!! Our favorite treat from a thematic standpoint this year is Constance’s For Better or For Worse Wedding Cake — a teeny tiny personal wedding cake complete with an axe topper! It’s beyond fabulous. Read our full review of this treat here!
Constance’s For Better For Worse Wedding Cake
Pumpkin fans will want to stop in at the always-on-trend for Halloween Sleepy Hollow where there are two Party-exclusive pumpkin-y treats: the Headless Horseman Cheesecake (basically Pumpkin Mousse) and the Mickey Waffle Sundae (with Pumpkin Gelato!!).
Headless Horseman Pumpkin Cheesecake
To check out ALL the Halloween Party-exclusive treats AND the all-day Halloween treats at Magic Kingdom, click here!
Old Favorites at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
In addition to the new entertainment and food, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party retained some compelling old favorites, not the least of which is Halloween-inspired attraction overlays! We love the colorful lighting and spooky tunes added to the Mad Tea Party…
Mad Tea Party Overlay
…real, live swashbucklers on Pirates of the Caribbean…
Live Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean
…and an entirely-in-the-dark flight on Space Mountain complete with themed music!
Space Mountain
And if it’s wrong to love the Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular, we don’t want to be right. Something about those Sanderson Sisters keeps us comin’ back year after year. It’s almost like they’ve… cast a spell on us!
Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular
Click here to read about 12 things you didn’t know you could do at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!
Spooky New Extras
In addition to new entertainment and food and fun attractions overlays, there are a few more reasons the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party might be a good option for you this year in particular.
Halloween Party Pass
If you were lucky enough to snag the Halloween Party Pass for the short window it was available, you could visit as many parties this year as you like, except for Halloween night. That’s a LOT of trick-or-treat candy!!!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
The pass was available for $299 for adults or $284 for kids 3-9, but sadly, they are no longer available. We’re keeping our eyes peeled for next year though!
Read more about this limited release pass here!
Cruella’s Halloween Hide-A-Way
Additionally, if you’re all about that De Vil life, there’s a Party add-on called Cruella’s Halloween Hide-A-Way that you might want to consider. The Hide-A-Way is hosted at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, and aside from the tasty Italian-inspired eats, you’ll also get to have a run-in (or two or three!) with the lady herself and score reserved viewing for the Boo-To-You Parade.
Hi Cruella!!
Plus you can come and go as you please and eat and drink all-you-care-to-enjoy! This separate party does NOT come cheap — it costs $99 per guest ON TOP of your Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party ticket! But if you have the means, it can be a great spot to call home base for much of the party.
See our review here to decide if Cruella’s Halloween Hide-A-Way makes the Party even sweeter!
So Why Might the Party NOT be a Good Fit for You??
Of course, what works for some doesn’t work for others, and there are some variables that might make the Halloween Party not quite right for your family.
Price
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets start at $79 for adults and $74 for kids 3-9 with prices varying depending on the date of each Party. As you get closer to Halloween, prices start over $100. For a family of three or more, that’s pretty expensive for a handful of exclusive hours in the park…even if it does include all the candy you could ever eat.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Late Night Fun (or Not)
The other drawback for families with young kids is the timing of the Halloween Party. Starting at 7PM with entrance to the park as early as 4PM, and going through midnight or later, the Halloween Party is perfect for night owls… and not so great for kids with bedtimes. Remember, even if you use your ticket to get in to Magic Kingdom at 4PM, the party fun doesn’t begin until 7PM. So, if maintaining some semblance of a sleep schedule while in the World is important to you, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party might be a pass for your family.
Little ones might need to make an early exit…
Does that mean you’re doomed to miss all the fun? Not necessarily. If you find a sitter or have an adult family member traveling with you who’s willing to stay in with the kids, the grown-ups (and older kids) can still enjoy the Halloween Party. But that will require some forethought and planning, so start scheming now! 😉
Attractions Aren’t the Star For You
If you’re an attraction fiend and not into stage shows and fireworks spectaculars, it may go without saying that the Halloween Party might not be worth it to you. While most attractions are open, wait times are still a little extensive in some cases (we regularly saw Space Mountain over an hour wait during our time at the Party this year), and you could spend the whole Party time waiting in line for a handful of rides.
Haunted Mansion is perfectly Halloweeny!
The overlays are admittedly fun, but otherwise, the ride and attraction situation isn’t the focus of the Party, and you’re likely better off hitting up Magic Kingdom during regular hours or trying to reserve a ticket for an After Hours event.
If you want to learn more about how After Hours can help you ride all the rides on your list, click here!
What we’re saying is: there’s tons to do at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but some of the logistics just aren’t right for everyone. You’ll want to consider all of these factors before deciding if the Party is worth it for you.
Want to know more about Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party? Check out DFB’s ULTIMATE GUIDE here!
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We went the other day and it was busier than the regular park hours. Crazy for an upcharge event. Made it a sad experience as we couldn’t get on the rides as they were too busy, we got to meet the dwarves but couldn’t justify another character greet with the queues after that.
Unfortunately this was not worth it for us this year. We went on 9/13/19 and it was soooo crowded, Space Mountain was down the entire night, and we could barely squeeze a spot in anywhere to get a good view of the castle during the show. Very disappointed overall 😕
We went Tuesday, 9/10. It was extremely crowded and we had to wait for attractions and for the Halloween treats. Lines were long. I thought Disney sold a certain number of tickets for this event but on this evening we felt it was like being in the park during the normal hours. Not sure we will go again.
Agree with the previous comments that MNSSHP was not worth it. Went on 9/17 and as someone else said it was busier than it had been in the morning. Showed up 45 minutes before first parade and still couldn’t find a good spot. This was the one major disappointment of our entire week. So busy that we really only got to ride pirates and see the haunted mansion and little else
Sorry, but not worth it. Over sold. Lines for candy too long, and too long of a walk. Couldn’t even walk around, so many people. We did get a few rides in, though.
My husband and I attended the party on Sept 20. We arrived at 4 and was able to ride Pirates and Buzz along with eat and do party souvenir shopping all before party start time. We hit the Haunted Mansion at 7 along with participating in various ghostly Halloween photo pass opportunities. For the first time we attended the first Spelltacular show along with the first parade and then fireworks. It was not difficult to find a good viewing location unfortunately a lot of people with children wait till the very last moment to try and find a spot and can’t understand why there are none right in the front of the castle or right on the edge of the street. I feel sorry for them but parents (we had 3 children) should know that all trips require a little planning and parade watching is no exception. Afterwards we trick or treated at only 6 locations from Tomorrowland thru Fantasyland yet we completely filled out bags. We choose not to ride a lot of rides because we wanted to experience all the special activities associated with the party specifically. We had a great time. The one comment I would like to share is that you can’t do all the rides in the magic kingdom and also participate in all the Halloween related activities. Choices must be made. If rides are what you want them I would recommend the Disney After Hours ticket but if you’re all about Halloween then the party ticket is the way to go.
I really wanted to do the party this year but unless they start putting a serious cap on tickets, I won’t do another.
We went on Sunday the 22nd of September. We got to go on some of the rides we wanted. It was super crowded, pretty much felt like a crowded day at the park. We stayed till the end and it was still mobbed. I found the live pirates in pirates of the Caribbean ok but thought from what I hear last years story driven one sounded better. The weather was great and I heard some people cancelled the weeks before due to the hurricane so not sure if that was the reason for the additional people.
They DID let people in early, we arrived around 3:30 and people where already being let in which was nice. There is so much to do, seems unless it was say half as busy as it was when we went, you would need to go many times to catch most of what happens.
it was not worth the money at all. They let you in at 4:00 pm but then have to come back to te front to get candy and pictures? Did not ever see Mickey and Minnie dressed for Halloween and the candy lines had adults with huge shopping bags so the little’s were not getting to go. I would have loved to see the Hocus Pocus and Jacks around the park and also they need screens for the show. I was watching Vloggers and instagramers posts and seemed like their parties were so much better. So am not recommending it to anyone at all. Also why are workers so darn rude lately. Disney never was like this. It is sad. We ate at Crystal Palace and was ok all the buffet are exactly the same. We went to change my nieces infants and my niece asked her husband if he asked for milk for the babies so he forgot but asked to purchase milk for the babies they said “NO” he said we just ate here why can’t we buy milk and she said no again! Meanwhile other restaurants just gave stuff to the infants and so we gave a bigger tip.
I was lucky enough to do 2 parties on our trip a few weeks ago. Even though we did a Sunday night and a Tuesday night the crowds were extreme; far busier than the day time. It was so busy on the sunday that my husband who has Aspergers had to leave and had a panic attack trying to leave the party with our son. I enjoyed the night, especially after 11.30 when the crowds died down. My husband opted to stay at the resort for the Tuesday and I’m glad he did; it was so busy and overwhelming that our 2 and a half year old had 4 accidents and we had to leave. We would not pay for the party again for several years and I’m not sure my husband would ever go again. I genuinely saw a family leave ‘Granny’ with a blanket at 6.15 to get a good spot for the fireworks; that’s insane!
We went in August and did not enjoy it. Crowds were way to heavy… busier than regular park hours. We were hoping for lighter crowds, but got the opposite. Lines to meet characters were over an hour, trick or treat lines were 20 minutes EACH, ride lines were an hour plus and you couldn’t even see the parade and barely see the firework show because of how many people there were. We were at Disney World for a week and it was our least enjoyable day by far. Never again.
I’ve been several times, and this year will probably be the last unless they start selling fewer tickets. It’s much more crowded than it used to be and doesn’t quite have the same special fee that it used to. I was very disappointed because it used to be one of my favorite events.
I agree with the other folks. The park was busier than during the day. The candy lines were ridiculously long. This will probably be our last time unless they cap the admission numbers. I can’t see spending the extra money to wait in longer lines.