The Ultimate Guide to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in WDW-New additions for 2018!

There are two main reasons as to why we think Mickey's not so scary Halloween party (MNSSHP) is one of the best ticketed events Disney has to offer throughout the year. One being it is a fantastically themed party and offers lots of different entertainment around the park all night long to make sure you really do get your money's worth. The other reason being the amount of people at the party, which depending on when you go, is a lot less than during normal park entry. this means there are usually a lot shorter queues for bigger attractions,which in itself we believe is worth the money. Emily has been to MNSSHP twice now and it has been her favourite ticketed event she has been to whist a Disney World. We would always advise to get your tickets before you go to avoid disappointment of the event possibly selling out before you get there. you can purchase tickets on many different sites but we find Attraction Tickets Direct to be one of the best sites to purchase them from. 

 The party runs on select nights between 17th August to 31st October this year. the prices of tickets depends on the night that you go but start around $74 for Adults and $68 for Children. The earlier date you go to the event, the cheaper and less crowded it usually is.

The event features:
- around 20 unique character meet and greets
- 3 different entertainment offerings
-over a dozen trick or treat stations

*Tip - you can actually arrive for the party at 4pm, which we would advise to do so as you can pick up your wristband from either the front or different stations around the park and start to do some activities such as riding attractions. its useful to note that at 4pm, a lot of people in the park who are not going to the party will begin to leave, making lines shorter.

if arriving at 4pm, make sure you enter the park through the part entrance which will be through the mains street bypass. going through here will allow you to collect your trick or treat bag with starter goodies in to use for the night. you also get a great opportunity to get some themed party photos not available at any other time!

New for 2018

• if you are a DVC member, you can now enter the park for the party at 2pm (5 hours before official start of the party!)
• few enhancements on some attractions:
  - Pirates of the Caribbean ride-Live actors dotted about on the ride
  - Tea Cups - few lighting enhancements
  - Space Mountain - new spooky soundtrack
  (all start at 7pm)
• New mini entertainment:
  - kids costume promenade - (located in Fronteirland) - where kids can show off their costumes with others and earn more treats!
  - Disney Jr Dance Party - (located in Fantasyland) - with Doc Mcstuffins and many more for 7pm-10pm

Entertainment at the party

• Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular Show - this is a great show for both kids and adults to enjoy which includes unique Disney villains such as Oogey Boogey and Dr. Facilier, special effects and fireworks
  - Show times: 8:30pm, 10:45pm, Midnight
  (the last one being the least crowded of the 3)

Happy Hallowishes Firework Display - these are honestly one of the best fireworks displays on Disney in our opinion (apart from Happily Ever After) as they feature fireworks all the way around the sky facing Cinderella Castle...definitely a must at the party! its also great as you dont have to 'camp out' and get a spot for the fireworks early on due to low crowd levels
-Show time: 10:15pm

• Mickey's Boo to You Parade - this is a great feature to the party especially as it i now the only night time parade at WDW. You get a chance to see all the characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes and also includes floats from 2 Disney attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. The parade begins in Frontierland opposite splash mountain and then heads down to main street. You will also know when the parade is about to begin as you will see the headless horseman riding down, which is a great addition to the parade!
  -Show times: 9:25pm, 11:15pm

Cadabra Dans - this is a Halloween spin off of the dapper Dans, who are dressed up in thier Halloween attire and will sing spooky Disney songs! they can be found in Fronteirland on the night.
-Show times: 7pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm, 9:50pm, 10:30pm


Candy Trails 

Trick or treating is another great thing to do whilst at the party...you can collect unlimited amount of candy! there are a lot of designated candy trail places around the park where you can go to collect candy which are shown on the map which you will receive on the night. As said before, you can pick up your trick or treat bag at the main street bypass and the front of the park. And don't forget... you can always bring a bigger treat bag from home and get extra candy!

*Tip - Disney also offers an allergy friendly Trick or treating experience which can be accessed at the City Hall in Main Street (guest relations)

Characters

You can also use the party as a chance to meet rare characters such as Jack and Saly, Seven Dwafs and Pooh and friends in their Halloween costumes. you could also use this chance to dress up as your favourite character and take a photo with them!

*Tip - make sure you look up and plan your chosen character meets before you go so you can queue up for them at the start of the night to avoid disappointment. The character meet lines can  get very long during the party so its best to queue up for your favourite character first. The most popular characters start to come out around 6:30pm so maybe consider starting to get in line around 4pm to not miss out. 

Photo Pass opportunities 

You can also get the chance to get some great photo opportunities that are not usually in the parks on the night of the party. They are usually dotted around the park so keep your eye out! Got this great picture outside of the Haunted Mansion!

Costumes & Guidelines

thinking of what to wear to MNSSHP can be a tricky decision, however everyone is dressed differently and there is no 'right' way to be dressed so don't worry! You could have a costume, themed outfit or just go casual! In 2017, Emily decided to wear a themed t-shirt that had mickey pumpkins on with candy. this was a matching top and ears that were from two different shops on Etsy- Thrift company UK and Imagine Ears UK. wearing some sort of themed clothing is a great way to start a conversation with cast members and you get lots of lovey comments from people around the park. You can get great themed pieces of clothing like this from lots of great shops on Etsy or even get creative and make your own! Whatever you decided to wear, we recommend wearing some comfortable shoes such as trainers as the party involves a lot of walking!

There are some costume guidelines that need to be followed as Disney put them into place for everyone's safety. you can check these guidelines out on the Walt Disney World website. 

Plan your Night 

after doing the event for two years in a row now, we have discovered that the only way to fit everything you ant to do in is to make a plan before you arrive at the party! This doesn't have to be an intense plan however, its a good idea to look t the times of the entertainment above and then work around them. Decide what time you are going to do each activity so you make sure you will not miss out on it.

*tip- The best time to plan some of these activities within the party is to go with the latest show if possible, it is usually a lot less crowded on the last show as a lot of people usually rush to catch the first one of the night. 

So that it all the advice and info that we can give to you guys on MNSSHP. We hope you have picked a few things up from this blog and will be able to use them if you are going to the party this year or for any years to come! Have a great time!

Love,