Shannon spent time at the first two Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in order to share thoughts to help you plan your time at the party.
Should you buy a ticket?
If you think you might want to go, especially on a busier night, be sure to buy your tickets. Some nights are already sold out and more will.
Thankfully, it seems that crowds aren’t overwhelming, even when the party is sold out.
Our Favorites
Characters
- Jack and Sally – They are the most popular characters to meet. They are in Town Square. The queue opens right at 4 p.m. and the characters begin meeting at 4:30 p.m. The actual party doesn’t begin until 7 p.m.
- Pooh and Friends – These four characters are also very popular. They meet near the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. You should plan to get in line by 5:30 p.m. They begin meeting around 6:30 p.m.
- Minnie, Donald, and Daisy – They meet near Dumbo the Flying Elephant. The line moves very slowly and the characters are in their Halloween costumes, so it is very popular. The strategy is the same as with Pooh and friends – you should plan to get in line by 5:30 p.m. and they will begin meeting around 6:30 p.m.
- Elvis Stitch – He is so cute and this line can be very long as well. He is in Tomorrowland near Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. You can get in line around 6 p.m. and he will begin meeting around 6:30 p.m.
- Belle and Gaston – They meet outside Maurice’s Cottage. They cut the line off every hour. When the line gets long enough, they cut off the line. You should plan to arrive at the top of the hour. If you show up after they cut the line off, they will not allow you to get in line.
- Jasmine and Genie – They meet together in Adventureland near Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
- Aladdin and Abu – They alternate meeting in the same location as Jasmine and Genie. If you want to meet all 4 characters, you will need to get in line twice.
- Jafar – He meets by himself in Adventureland.
- Queen of Hearts and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum – They meet near the Mad Tea Party.
- Alice and the Mad Hatter – Also meet near the Mad Tea Party but in a separate area from the Queen of Hearts.
- Ariel and Eric – They meet just across from the Journey of the Little Mermaid ride.
- Goofy – He meets just to the right of Barnstormer in his Halloween costume.
- Disney Junior Dance Party – Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins, and Timon. If you don’t want to wait in line, you can dance with characters. This is a lot of fun. This party is in the Storybook Circus area.
- Tomorrowland Dance Party – This is in Tomorrowland and has the Monster’s Inc. Characters.
If this is your own time at the Magic Kingdom, I do not recommend seeing the normal characters. This includes the Princesses in Princess Fairytale Hall, the Step Sisters, Country Bears, and Captain Jack Sparrow.
The Seven Dwarfs, Moana, Lotso Bear, and Tarzan and friends are not at the party this year so far.
Strategies for Meeting Popular Characters
You cannot do everything. Pick and choose what is most important to you and build your plan around those things.
If you are already in the park on your party day, you can go to the Guest Relations desk at the front of the park just before 4 p.m. and pick up your party band. After that, you can go over to Town Square to get in the very front of the line to meet Jack and Sally right at 4 p.m.
If you are not planning to be at Magic Kingdom during the day, you should plan to arrive before 4 p.m. so that when they open the tap stiles for the party line, you are at the front of the line. You can then enter the park and go straight to Jack and Sally.
You can also get in line to see characters at the very end of the evening at 11 p.m. just before leaving the park.
The Parade
The parade is very popular and meets twice per night during the party at 9:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
The second parade will always have fewer people than the first parade. However, if there is rain predicted, you should plan to attend the first parade. If the weather is clear, the second parade will be easier to view.
The route for the parade starts in Frontierland, goes around the hub, and finishes at the front of the park. You can view the parade from anywhere along that route.
However, the pre party dance party only takes place on Main Street and the front of the park. The Headless Horseman will ride before the parade begins. You want to be in your spot before the parade so you can see him. If there is any kind of rain, the Headless Horseman will not ride.
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular
This is the stage show in front of Cinderella Castle. The show is about 20 minutes and you can catch it 3 or 4 times throughout the party.
Be sure to check the schedule for the day of your party. The most crowded area will be right in front of the stage. You can see from just beyond the trolley tracks in the hub for a good view and less crowds.
If it is raining, there will be a shortened show.
Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular Fireworks
This show is between the two parades. It is a wonderful show but it is projection heavy with fireworks. In order to see the projections, you will need to be near the castle near the hub.
Dessert Party within the Halloween Party
If you really want a good view, the dessert party might be a good bet. If you have a ticket for the dessert party, be sure to arrive 30 minutes before the posted time. You can use that time to get drinks, snacks, and rest.
Before the parade, you can leave the dessert party area, and go into the reserved fireworks area to watch the parade. It’s not the best viewing area, but it is not crowded and you’ll still get to see the parade.
After the parade, you can come back to the dessert party to get more snacks and drinks. Then you can watch the fireworks from the reserved area.
Photo Opportunities
There are lots of unique Magic Shots and photo opportunities during the party. If you want Magic Shots, you can go on Main Street and tell the photographer that you’d like all of the Magic Shots. There are a lot of different options.
There are two areas in Liberty Square that have Magic Shots that you won’t want to miss.
There are also opportunities for other photos with special effects! Two unique ones are over by the PeopleMover.
There are also photo frames. Some are available before the party and some aren’t available until the party begins. These have been available at other events, but never the Halloween party.
Ride Overlays
There are four rides that have overlays just for the Halloween Party. Mad Tea Party has special Halloween lighting and music. It’s not that different but it is different.
Pirates of the Caribbean adds live actors to the queue and the ride itself. Space Mountain also has an overlay that starts at 6 p.m. It is pitch black on the ride. There are no lights in the tunnels – it is completely black. There are also halloween sounds and music.
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor has a trick or treat station and has an ongoing halloween show. This is a great area to stop and rest in the air conditioning.
Haunted Mansion does not have an overlay. In the past they have had a lot of things going on outside Haunted Mansion. The exterior of Haunted Mansion has dry ice and colored lights. There might also be some photo opportunities there.
In previous years Haunted Mansion has had entertainment outside on the lawn. However, this year that was not the case. They are in the graveyard in the queue. This is disappointing because you have to be in the line to see them and it goes incredibly quick.
Other Entertainment
- Trick or Treating – This is not my favorite, but maybe it is your favorite! You can bring your own bag or use their bag. If you have an allergy, you can get a token and redeem them before you leave for allergy-safe candy. If you want to be strategic about trick or treating, go later in the evening. This is when you have a chance to get more candy and do not need to carry it around with you during the party.
- Zom-Beatz Bash is inside Cosmic Ray’s. This is a dance party with Sonny Eclipse.
- Cadaver Dans are also in special attire just for the party and you can see them near Country Bears Jamboree.
- Event related merchandise is available and is competitive! This isn’t my favorite thing, but lots of people love this. You should either wait until late at night or before the party actually begins and with your band you can check out merchandise before the party begins.
- Special Treats – Check out the counters at restaurant locations to find special treats during the party. These are not available via mobile ordering and the treats that we have tried have not been great.
Quick Tip
Buy Disney Gift Cards at a discount and then use those to pay for your trip. You can buy them in bulk at a discount to save a couple hundred dollars on your next Disney Trip!
Links for this episode
- Designer Park Co. – Use code “WDWPrep” to save 10%
- Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
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