Have you ever wanted to take your family to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) at Disney’s Magic Kingdom? I have for years! The gorgeous fall décor, trick-or-treating, Mickey’s “Boo-To-You” Halloween Parade, Happy Hallowishes Fireworks, and more, will definitely get you in the Halloween spirit! Being a former “Florida Family” we’ve done Disney many times and waited until what we thought was the perfect time to finally do MNSSHP. We just got back and here’s my Mom’s Guide to the party.
RESEARCH: Google the Disney blogs, visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com and make sure this is something your family will enjoy. Also, consider using a travel agent. My Disney Travel agent booked my whole trip without a single fee to use her and was super helpful with all my questions and concerns. Watch out for the dates, if you’re at the Magic Kingdom during the day of a MNSSHP, your day will be cut short unless you buy the party ticket on top of your daily rate ticket. Yikes! Magic Kingdom closes to regular day tickets at 6pm on MNSSHP dates.
PARTY TIME: The party doesn’t start until 7 p.m., BUT you can enter at 4 p.m. if you have a ticket to the party! YES! We walked up to the gates at 4:05 p.m. and entered the park for fun and dinner before the party began. The party lasts until 12 a.m. The last Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular is at 12 a.m. at the Castle Stage. You could catch that before heading out, even if the kiddos are sleeping in the strollers. We were back on our shuttle at 12:30 a.m., so we were at the park for a little over 8 hours.
TICKETS: Here are the dates left this year for MNSSHP, October 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets start at $70 for children age 3 to 9 ($74.55 with tax) or $75 for those over 10 ($79.88 with tax). Tickets do increase closer to Halloween and are more expensive if purchased the day you are attending.
WEATHER: Let’s be honest, Florida is VERY hot and will be all the dates of the party but it does cool down slightly once the sun goes down. Take this into consideration for your costumes. Also, this is unfortunately during hurricane season and you can get a lot of rain in Florida, any given day. Pack your raincoats and ponchos just in case. Disney does not close down the parks for rain, so be prepared.
COSTUMES: We saw many group themes like 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs (omg… adorable!). Pinterest has a ton of great ideas for kids and adults alike. But like I mentioned before, it’s going to be pretty hot and you are walking, a lot! My son was Michael Jackson and refused to take off his wig and jacket, by 8pm he did (choosing my battles). My sister and I ordered Halloween Mickey ears off Etsy and did a Halloween shirt and workout bottoms to help with the sweat (no swamp butt here). You can still be festive without being in full costume. No worries!
CANDY: Each guest will receive a candy bag, they are small and will fill up quickly! I emptied our four candy bags about 3 times during the party and we didn’t even hit all the Trick-or-Treat stations which are clearly marked on the event map. I’d recommend you bring a larger bag to unload all the candy throughout the night. If you have a guest with allergies, Disney has you covered! You will receive special coins at each Trick-or-Treat stations and exchange them for special treats at the Allergy-Friendly Centers, also marked on the party map. Warning – There were long lines to get candy in some locations early in the night. For us, it didn’t make sense to wait in line for a handful of candy. Later in the night, there were locations with no wait! My advice is don’t wait for candy, go enjoy the party!
KIDS AGES: This was my biggest hesitation on attending the party. I wanted my kids to be old enough to stay awake during the night time party, enjoy it, and NOT get scared. Well, 2 outta 3 isn’t so bad. My kids are 6 and 8, they lasted until 11pm and thank goodness my sweet friend let us borrow her jogging stroller because they still needed it! Speaking of strollers, there were many decorated! Some even had battery operated lights or glow sticks covering them which made them easier to spot in the sea of stroller parking. Brilliant! It’s wise to have your kids rest/nap during the day, you’ll want them to stay up as late as they can. If you think your kids won’t last past 9 p.m., you might want to hold off on the party, the first parade doesn’t even start until 9:15 p.m., fireworks are 10:15 p.m.
SPECIALTY TREATS/MERCHANDISE: There are many special treats that are only offered during the party, very themed and super cute, of course! From sweets that look like Oogie Boogie (Nightmare Before Christmas) to Hitchhiking Ghost, savory snacks like Hades Nachos or Muenster Smash Burger, MNSSHP does fun with food as well! Some of the MNSSHP specialty merchandise including shirts and ornaments are only out to be purchased during the party, lucky you!
SHORT WAIT TIMES: One of the best reasons to attend the party is that there are literally little to no wait lines for the rides. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen at the Magic Kingdom before! A little shocking to see Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with only a 30 minute wait, usually it’s 90 min to 3-hour wait for that ride, yikes! I took these screenshots because I was so surprised by the wait times. There are a few rides that are not open during the party, they are used for Trick-or-Treating stations or character meet n greets. So, if you’ve ever dreamed of hopping around from ride to ride with minimum wait times, this party is for you!
OVERALL: When you compare the party ticket prices to wait times for rides, amazing parade and fireworks all while trick-or-treating at the most magical place on earth, I’d say the MNSSHP is worth it! My kids had a great time and really enjoyed seeing all the guests dressed up. I loved the short wait times, fall décor and parade. It’s a great experience that will help you get into the spooky spirit!
I hope this Mom’s Guide helps in you deciding whether or not the MNSSHP is right for you and your family. Please feel free to ask me questions in the comments below!
A Southern Belle with a Jersey attitude, Sherri was northern born and southern grown! She’s a SAHM, business owner, and graphic designer, but most importantly a mommy of two tiny humans and mini long-haired Dachshund. Sherri is a Flagler College grad who snuck away to FSU in 2006 and met her future husband, they’ve been together ever since! Her family lived in beautiful Destin, FL, Jacksonville, FL and recently moved to Alpharetta, GA. Obsessed with Christmas, you can find Sherri designing in her home office with coffee in her snowman mug and Nat King Cole playing in the background.
