Living in Orlando, we are always ready to attend family-friendly events at the theme parks. This year Walt Disney World’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, which takes September through November, did not disappoint. Taking place at The Magic Kingdom, this special event begins at 7 p.m. (the park is closed early to guests without a special ticket) and goes until well after the usual closing hours.
We enjoyed the Halloween decorations and the cast members carrying the Happy Haunts Start Here signs. The mood is obviously a little spooky — it is a Halloween event, after all — but as the name of the event promises, there’s no need to fear your little ones getting too scared. Throughout the park all your favorite Disney characters are waiting to greet you in their own special Halloween costumes. We stood in line for at least 30 minutes to take pictures with Donald and Daisy. But that was the only line we stood in all night: One huge perk of purchasing a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket is that you can basically walk right onto all the rides. Once in a while you might have a 5-10 minute wait, but that never happened to us. We even walked right onto Tomorrowland Speedway, which usually has a minimum wait of one hour.
But what makes MNSSHP even more special is the candy stops! Throughout the park you can stop at designated Goofy’s Candy Company stops to receive a handful of scrumptious treats. Last year we visited the park near the end of Halloween, and the candy choices were disappointing, but this year we arrived earlier in the season and the candy was great!
We also took part in the Disney Villains Mix & Mingle in order to see our favorite villains appear on the Cinderella’s Castle Stage. Cruella DeVille, The Red Queen, Captain Hook and many others danced and sang a well choreographed number before stepping down into the audience for pictures and autographs.
Next stop was the Character Dance Party at Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree. Woody, Jesse and Bullseye accompany guests as they rock out to today’s greatest hits. This was probably the most fun we had all night. Both my mother-in-law and I enjoyed dances such as the Macarena and Cha Cha Slide. That topped with the fact that the characters gave you tons of one-on-one attention was enough to hold us in one place over an hour.
We managed to catch the HappyHalloWishes fireworks show from behind the castle near Winnie The Pooh. The best views are from the front of the castle, but even so, everywhere we turned, the sky was lit up. Disney Villains could be heard over the loud speakers and catchy music was played as well.
The Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade is a favorite for my entire family. They decorate the floats to portray the reason for the season. They also invite some ghostly friends to join in on the festivities. The Haunted Mansion’s Hitch Hiking Ghosts have a float all to themselves, and the mansion residents perform a spooky dance for all to see. Don’t leave the event without seeing one of these parades.
When it’s time to go, it will be very late, most likely close to 1:00 a.m. (although technically festivities end at midnight.) Do yourself a favor and book a room at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, only one stop away on the monorail. Aaa sweet relaxation.
You can purchase your tickets on the Walt Disney World Ticket Store. But you’d better hurry, this is a limited event and ends on November 1st.
–Lee Allport of MySentimentExactLee
Photo courtesy of Lee Allport
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