Visiting Walt Disney World in the fall can be one of the best times of year for a get away. You’ve escaped the extreme summer heat and traded it for more comfortable temperatures and fall fun! While a Disney vacation is amazing any time of year, when you add trick or treat trails, haunted parades, and not so scary fun to the mix, your vacation is suddenly upgraded!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with Kids
When we were traveling with younger children, their idea of staying up late was making it clear to 9:00 PM! After a few days in the parks, are our kids going to make it until midnight? Is it going to be worth the extra money? Yes, we had the same questions every family with young children have when considering the parties. We have been to many of the Disney events though including Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and we always felt like it was worth it.
There are definitely things I advise my guests do when taking young children to a late party though that will help make this event a little more magical.
Here are a few pre-party tips!
- Take the day of your party slow – Sleep in that day, relax at the resort, have everyone take naps before heading to Magic Kingdom.
- Arrive at the parks around 4:00 PM when you can enter with your party ticket so you are onsite before the party events begin.
- Plan for an early dinner prior to joining in the festivities. Whether you want to make a dining reservation or head for quick service, have dinner so you don’t lose valuable party time later!
- Bring a stroller for young children. When my daughter was four years old – she did incredible and stayed awake clear to 9:30 PM before passing out in her stroller. I know that may sound like a big disappointment to parents, but we planned for this. We brought the stroller knowing she was just not a night owl child and we did the things that she valued the most, earlier in the evening. She still thought it was the best party ever!
Would I recommend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party to parents with young children? ABSOLUTELY! We have had a blast every year we’ve attended and enjoyed every minute of it. My only complaint is that the time flew by as we were having so much fun! I’ve polled my family and here are our top 10 favorite things that we would recommend to everyone attending!
Enjoy the Costumes and Décor
The Halloween décor throughout the park will quickly get you in the spirit of the holiday. As party time closes in though, the guest costumes are amazing! We had a lot of fun enjoying the costumes of various guests throughout the party. Some of our favorites included Lumiere and Mrs. Potts and a family of three dressed as Russell, Carl Frederickson, and Kevin. There were so many great costumes and it was fun just to see everyone in the spirit of the holiday fun!
Take Advantage of Shorter Ride Lines
Only a set number of tickets are sold for the parties which limits the quantity of people. With all of the special attractions and shows, the crowds spread out and the lines for rides are much shorter than during the day. You can hit some of your favorite rides with little or no wait. In fact, at one of our first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties, my youngest was finally tall enough to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and since it’s one of her big sisters favorites, we rode it three times in a row walking right off and back on the ride with no wait!
Groove at the Character Dance Parties
This is a great place for kids and kids at heart to get their wiggles out! There are two dance parties during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. There are characters on hand that both lead the dances and mingle and dance with the little guests. One is in Tomorrowland and one in Storybook Circus. We found the one in Tomorrowland a bit less crowded when we were there.
Trick or Treating
I know when you read all of the reviews and blogs about the party, they will all tell you that the best plan is to trick or treat at the end of the night and spend early party time doing everything else. I know it made sense but try to explain that to children who see barrels of candy and were just given a trick or treat bag! We found walking through the trick or treat spots as we were in an area already to be a good time saver for us. We weren’t going back and forth through the park and just did it as we walked through. If we’re going to push a stroller we can use it to hold the bags of candy too!
I’m glad we did this as we went because it was a big deal to trick or treat at Magic Kingdom to my girls and I was surprised at how much fun they thought this was! Cast members complimented their costumes and made them feel pretty special. If your children are a little older and you won’t have a stroller, let me recommend you bring a comfortable to carry backpack or tote bag. Those plastic trick or treat bags are small and cute but not super easy to carry through out the park.
Magic Shots and Memory Maker
Admittedly, photos carry a great value to me and I always purchase Memory Maker because of that. During the party, there are a lot of Photopass Photographers on hand! There are also a number of special magic shots that can only be found during the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. It’s a great time to capture memorable photos that will make the best souvenirs.
Character Meet & Greets
Choose a couple of must do characters but know that you can’t see them all without sacrificing some other aspect of the party. We would have loved to meet Jack and Sally but settled for snapping a close picture from the sidelines when they were in between guests. None of us wanted to lose a couple of hours in the party waiting for them. We focused on Moana since my girls look for her every single trip! It was a great meet and greet and when my youngest asked Moana if they could hula together, Moana took a few extra moments to show her some steps!
Overlays and Special Attractions
There will be some special additions to several rides just for the party! The Mad Tea Party has some special lighting and effects. It was a lot of fun and we were surprised how different the ride seemed with the lighting. Pirates of the Caribbean will have some special effects that you won’t want to miss. Space Mountain will have a special soundtrack just for the party!
Castle shows are truly special and magical any time, but during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, this show will feature special characters that only appear one time of year and you won’t want to miss the magic!
Boo To You Parade
The parade takes place two times during the party. The first parade definitely has larger crowds. Most people tend to make sure they watch the first parade just in case they don’t make it to the second one or weather interferes. The parade is so much fun that you may actually want to watch it twice! We have also taken advantage of lower crowds at tother parts of the park during the first parade to get some special magic shots with Photopass Photographers and meet characters. One of our favorite spots to watch the parade though is the front of the park near the beginning of Main St. It is a great locaiton to see the villains, floats, and characters right up close.
Snacks
Admittedly, I have a serious sweet tooth. The special snacks released at the party are definitely worth a stop. At Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies you can pick up a seasonal milkshake offered especially for the party. You may want to check out Storybook Treats too. There are often special treats that are easy to grab and go. Pick up one before the castle show and then head around to snack and watch the show!
Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular
You just can’t miss the Not So Spooky Spectacular! It is really an amazing fireworks show and exclusive to the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. While the preferred location is always going to be right in front of the castle, if you need a break from the crowd, we have found the area behind the castle to be a fun spot to watch the display that is a little less crowded. In the courtyard behind the castle you aren’t able to see the stage show but you may just feel like you are in the center of the fireworks.
We also have a complete guide to Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween Party that you won’t want to miss!
What are your favorites from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? We’d love to hear what you enjoy most! It’s not too late to purchase tickets for the party and Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party is right around the corner. Contact me to purchase your party tickets and help with other vacation planning needs at juanita@themagicforless.com or Juanita Burgoon, Travel Consultant with The Magic For Less Travel.
