"Official" 2016 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party - Trick or Treat Fun

[Iowamomof4]

I'm not sure I understand the question, as the area by the flagpole IS inside the park? For sure, a lot of people leave afterward, as the parade won't pass by that spot until about 11:50, but we've gone against the crowd for one last ride before with no problem.

Yep, that's what I mean. Yes, I know it's technically still INSIDE the park, but I wondered what kind of gauntlet we'd have to get through in order to get back to the rides again. Sounds like it's possible, so thanks for the input!

 

[Cluelyss]

Yep, that's what I mean. Yes, I know it's technically still INSIDE the park, but I wondered what kind of gauntlet we'd have to get through in order to get back to the rides again. Sounds like it's possible, so thanks for the input!

Gotcha! It won't be terrible, just stay to the left side of the castle going up Main Street since everyone will be funneling toward the right to exit.

 

[DiannaVM]

I totally forgot to check in, but we were there on the 27th and it was AWESOME. I really expected it to be much more crowded because of my experience last year, but it was just right. The park was by no means empty, but it wasn't full to the brim either.

I finally got tosee the Hocus Pocus show (from a bit afar though), and got to see the parade and was really close (too close) to the castle to see HallowWishes. Because were so close our view was actually a bit obstructed, but we still left the party happy. We got to meet most of our priority characters and although were not focused on it, got tons of candy (towards the end of the party while on line for Jack and Sally, a CM came by and gave everyone on the line at least two or three of the little goodie bags to every single person!). We got more than enough candy to satisfy my family's sweet tooth for the entire trip, bring some home and still send some with my aunt to carry for the kids at her church.

I will say one thing though, if meeting characters is your thing as well as seeing the shows, going to one party is totally not enough. We still felt a bit rushed through everything. Next time I will probably budget for two at least.

 

[mmackeymouse]

put 250,000 people in Magic Kingdom and you'd hardly be able to move.

It certainly felt like that at times. At the time of my post, I think I had just gotten through the worst of it. I had just been through Adventureland/Frontierland, and it felt like being packed in like sardines.

I'm sorry you were disappointed. Have you been to a party before? What caused the disappointment, the crowds or the price?

Um, a little bit of both. For the super premium price that Halloween had, I would have expected Disney to maybe curb the crowds a bit more. I know some of you are probably laughing at the idea of it. Disney is a business after all. But, many people who purchase those tickets do so with the expectation of a lower crowd.

For what I expected, I would have been happy to pay what I did. For what I got....eh, maybe a little high.

Thanks everyone who contributed to this thread! We went to 3 parties, October 18, 20 and 27th. We had a perfect time at all of them. We got on all rides we wanted with little or no wait, had a front row seat for the parade, great view of the fireworks, wish I would have taken more photo pass pics., and even got plenty of candy in between (characters and candy weren't a priority). So much fun

THIS...this is what we were expecting. Everything we read said that rides would be virtually walk-ons. We didn't plan on doing a ton of rides, but the lines were like...20-30 minutes plus. That was disappointing. Lines for candy were crazy (although the CMs were very generous with the candy). Also, no fault of Disney, but...I waited like 90 minutes for pictures with the 7 Dwarves, and they stuck me in the back. You can't even see my costume, and you can barely see me. (I'm not even 5'1) And, they took ONE picture. 90 minutes for a pitiful photograph left me a little sore.



I do want to recant a little bit though. As I said, when I posted this message, I was in about the worst of it, and I was done. At this point, I think we were all thinking "Never again." But, as the evening progressed, I think it all softened us a little bit. After the first parade and fireworks, the crowds and lines started to thin out some. I came to the realization I wasn't going to get to do EVERYTHING I wanted to do...once I "let it go," I had a much better time.

I will say from 4-7, we were able to get a lot accomplished, most of Fantasyland. We had FP for Pooh, Peter Pan, and Dumbo. We also did Under the Sea, Small World, the Carousel, and Teacups. At the end of it all we walked away not saying, "Never again," but more like "Probably not on Halloween again." We all had a pretty good time, and would consider a MNSSHP in September or early October in the future. It's just that for all the preparation that went into it, and all that we had read during our research, it didn't quite match up to our expectations.

Live and learn, I guess.

 

[dmc6469]

I waited like 90 minutes for pictures with the 7 Dwarves, and they stuck me in the back. You can't even see my costume, and you can barely see me. (I'm not even 5'1) And, they took ONE picture. 90 minutes for a pitiful photograph left me a little sore.

They did that to me last year at the Christmas party. I went to the back (thought it would be good since I'm 5'9") and the 2 dwarfs I was standing between wouldn't even move so I had to literally stick my head through. That's all you see of me. Ticked me off. I was in line for over 2 hours for that. My friend after me sat on the ground in front of them and I was so mad. Why didn't I think of that?! So I made a note to do that next time. So this year at the Halloween party I was not going to let that happen again. I went up and sat right on the floor in front of Dopey. Apparently, the gal had a heartattack and told my friend "oh no, we said to go to the back" but who cares! The 2 photographers loved it. They said "that's perfect" to me and took about 6 shots. I don't understand why with the dwarfs they tell people where to go. They didn't do that at the Christmas party last year. I've never seen that with any other characters and with so many it's crazy.

 

[Sim4242]

Hi, did anyone go to the Oct 4th party? We were there and we were so lucky to get it in before Thursday night. It was so awesome!!! We went as Gravity Falls family. We did everything we wanted and did check in at 4pm. It has been 3 years since we went and it seemed to be a lot less crowded then it was a couple of years ago. Even Haunted Mansion was about a 5 min wait. It was a great evening and we closed it down! The only let down was that adults did not dress up as much as they did years before. I think the new costume rules have subdued everyone. I surely missed wearing my full ball gown, but going as a redhead was fun!

Ooooo we are going this year as Gravity Falls too! I would love to see some pics of you guys!!

 

[Cluelyss]

Is it time to start the 2017 thread yet?!?!

 

[monique5]

Is it time to start the 2017 thread yet?!?!

Well.....I started it around this time last year then Disney had the long delay until end of March with no other details until all at once in May. So I will start it within the next 2 weeks or sooner.

Taking students on Disney YES trip & it's been time consuming but so much fun!

 

[lovingeire]

Is it time to start the 2017 thread yet?!?!

YESSSSSS!!!!!

Well.....I started it around this time last year then Disney had the long delay until end of March with no other details until all at once in May. So I will start it within the next 2 weeks or sooner.

Taking students on Disney YES trip & it's been time consuming but so much fun!

Yay! I may, or may not, have been stalking for the 2017 thread!

 

[Sim4242]

Yes!!! This is going to be our first time going to the party this year and I need all the help I can get! LOL

 

[Sim4242]

Things have slowed down on this thread quite a bit! Probably like me all the people visiting in October are busy with last-minute preparations! We leave this Friday and after the last few months at work, I'm SO READY for a vacation!
We've basically finalized our plans for the party, though were hoping to hear more October reports before finalizing our plans. Our priorities are (1) FUN, (2) the parade, CTM, and Hallowishes, (3) rides, and (4) meeting a few characters, (5) trick-or-treating/party snacks. We won't be lining up for J&S and we have a pic with the 7D's from a Christmas party a few years ago, so not worried about meeting them either. We also won't likely watch the Hocus Pocus show, at least from anywhere close to the stage - any of the times we've tried to watch a stage show from anywhere around the stage it's ended with negativity and frustration because my experience is that there are always people in the crowd that have no concern for anyone but themselves...so we just don't put ourselves in the situation to get upset by it anymore (cause I know my temper

We've finished our last 3 trips with a party our last night (either MVMCP or MNSSHP) and so it's sort of a tradition for us at this point. We just like that one last special night in the park before heading home the next day.

Here's what we are planning:
We are going to attempt to rope drop the morning of our party (7am open) if we can get out of bed, we'll definitely get there by 8
We have a lunch reservation at The Plaza, then will take an afternoon break
4:00 - enter, get SoTMK party card
4:15 – FP+ for Splash Mountain
5:00 – FP+ for SDMT
5:30 – dinner (probably Columbia Harbor House or Pinocchio’s
6:45 – FP+ for Haunted Mansion
7:15 – Explore Frontierland/Adventureland (rides, candy, magic shots, etc.)
7:45 – Get spot for parade (Liberty Square on riverboat side of street)
8:15 – Boo to you parade
8:45 – Candy Corn Ice Cream
9:30 – Get spot for CtM & Hallowishes (grass area in HUB)
10:00 – Watch those shows
10:30 – Explore Tomorrowland & Fantasyland (rides, candy, magic shots, characters) - we'd like to meet the costumed characters (Minnie, Daisy, Donald, maybe the hundred acres crew)
12:00 – Hocus Pocus Show (maybe from grass area or even farther back to avoid crowds)

In general, that is kindof where we will be at various points of the night, but we’re mostly going to go with the flow and do whatever we feel like. We’ll have spent a few days at MK prior to this, so that may figure into what want to do (e.g. DD’s favorite rides, things we didn’t get to, etc.)

This looks like a really good plan - I'm already thinking of this years party (will be our first) - I was wondering if you could let me know how the party night actually went down vs your above plan? Or did you already post that somewhere and maybe I missed? I've read through soooo many pages so I could have missed, thanks!!!

 

[Disneymom1126]

This looks like a really good plan - I'm already thinking of this years party (will be our first) - I was wondering if you could let me know how the party night actually went down vs your above plan? Or did you already post that somewhere and maybe I missed? I've read through soooo many pages so I could have missed, thanks!!!

Sure! So, we kindof stuck with this plan, but also went with the flow a bit. We had not planned to meet Jack and Sally, but my DD ended up wanting to meet them, which we did at the end of the night. We also ended up doing the 2nd parade instead of the first. Everything up through 6:45 was as we planned. Instead of going to Frontierland/Adventureland after our Haunted Mansion FP+, we went over to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and rode rides over there. The lines for Minnie, Daisy, and Donald were long and so we decided not to wait in them. Instead we did the magic shot that was near the Little Mermaid ride. If you have any characters you really want to meet, I would say it's best to either do them very early (between 4 and 7) or to wait until very late (11p.m. - midnight). The section of (fake) grass in the HUB near the Plaza restaurant was perfect for the fireworks and then we headed to Liberty Square to get a spot for the parade. We probably could have done something else in between and still gotten a good spot for the parade, but we were pretty tired so we pulled up some curb and did people/costume watching for a bit until the parade started. After the parade, we got in line for Jack and Sally and waited about 30-40 minutes and then we got the poison apple magic shot on main street on the way out. We didn't really make specific plans for trick or treating, just hit the spots as we were near them when we walked from place to place. I hope you have a great night! You'll get lots of great advice by reading other peoples' experiences here and especially by reading what people experience when the parties start because each year is just a little different than the last. The biggest thing for me is that although there are less people in the park, everything besides the rides will feel crowded because all of the people are trying to do the same things (especially the character meets and anything that happens on the castle stage/HUB area). I go in expecting it to be crowded and I think it helps me have a positive attitude about the crowds - also go in with an understanding that it is difficult to do everything - choose what your priorities are and make a plan for those priorities, but after that just plan to go with the flow and have fun!

 

[Sim4242]

Sure! So, we kindof stuck with this plan, but also went with the flow a bit. We had not planned to meet Jack and Sally, but my DD ended up wanting to meet them, which we did at the end of the night. We also ended up doing the 2nd parade instead of the first. Everything up through 6:45 was as we planned. Instead of going to Frontierland/Adventureland after our Haunted Mansion FP+, we went over to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and rode rides over there. The lines for Minnie, Daisy, and Donald were long and so we decided not to wait in them. Instead we did the magic shot that was near the Little Mermaid ride. If you have any characters you really want to meet, I would say it's best to either do them very early (between 4 and 7) or to wait until very late (11p.m. - midnight). The section of (fake) grass in the HUB near the Plaza restaurant was perfect for the fireworks and then we headed to Liberty Square to get a spot for the parade. We probably could have done something else in between and still gotten a good spot for the parade, but we were pretty tired so we pulled up some curb and did people/costume watching for a bit until the parade started. After the parade, we got in line for Jack and Sally and waited about 30-40 minutes and then we got the poison apple magic shot on main street on the way out. We didn't really make specific plans for trick or treating, just hit the spots as we were near them when we walked from place to place. I hope you have a great night! You'll get lots of great advice by reading other peoples' experiences here and especially by reading what people experience when the parties start because each year is just a little different than the last. The biggest thing for me is that although there are less people in the park, everything besides the rides will feel crowded because all of the people are trying to do the same things (especially the character meets and anything that happens on the castle stage/HUB area). I go in expecting it to be crowded and I think it helps me have a positive attitude about the crowds - also go in with an understanding that it is difficult to do everything - choose what your priorities are and make a plan for those priorities, but after that just plan to go with the flow and have fun!

Thank you so so much!!! Can I ask why you didn't hang around Frontierland/Adventureland after your HM fp+? Did you ever meet Jack Sparrow? or ride Pirates during the party? I'm hoping to do both of those after a 6:45 HM fp+ also - but we also really want to meet Gaston & Belle (really the only characters we will try for) - do you happen to remember how long the wait to meet them was? Did you see the Hocus Pocus show? Would you recommend the first parade vs the second or does it not matter? Thank you again!!

 

[ErinsMommy]

Can someone clue me in on why the party sold out on Sunday 9/25/16? Was there a holiday that Monday? Trying to plan for 2017 and ironically our last Sunday which would be the 24th is the date I was looking at.

 

[Figaroisacutecat!]

Can someone clue me in on why the party sold out on Sunday 9/25/16? Was there a holiday that Monday? Trying to plan for 2017 and ironically our last Sunday which would be the 24th is the date I was looking at.

We attended the party on the 25th. The reason why it sold out was that a previous party was rained out. People from that party were given tickets to the one on the 25th. Many cast members mentioned this to us when we were there.

 

[ErinsMommy]

We attended the party on the 25th. The reason why it sold out was that a previous party was rained out. People from that party were given tickets to the one on the 25th. Many cast members mentioned this to us when we were there.

Thank you! I didn't even think of this possibility so likely to not do that Sunday if it's an offered date!

 

[Figaroisacutecat!]

Thank you! I didn't even think of this possibility so likely to not do that Sunday if it's an offered date!

You're welcome!!

While it was crowded, it didn't bother us. We went to the rides and watched the fireworks! We didn't meet any of the characters that night because the lines were very long. Lines for rides were not long at all!

 

[Disneymom1126]

Thank you so so much!!! Can I ask why you didn't hang around Frontierland/Adventureland after your HM fp+? Did you ever meet Jack Sparrow? or ride Pirates during the party? I'm hoping to do both of those after a 6:45 HM fp+ also - but we also really want to meet Gaston & Belle (really the only characters we will try for) - do you happen to remember how long the wait to meet them was? Did you see the Hocus Pocus show? Would you recommend the first parade vs the second or does it not matter? Thank you again!!

We just decided we were going to go ride Space Mountain and check out the dance party instead of going to Frontierland - we had ridden pirates a number of times already on different days of our trip. We didn't meet Jack Sparrow, but also didn't have that on our to-do list. I think he is usually "fashionably late" and his line does get pretty long. I know people reported the line for Gaston and Belle to be pretty long as well and if they are out this year, there may be even more desire to meet them with the new live-action beauty and the beast coming out. I'm sure there is time to meet both of them, but you may have to miss other things to do so. We've never watched the first parade, but most people say the second parade is less crowded than the first (because of little ones that can't make it to 11:15pm). We were going to watch the last Hocus Pocus show, but opted to meet Jack and Sally instead. We watched the last Hocus Pocus show two years ago. We watched the 11:00 parade, went and rode SDMT (waited about 10-15 minutes), and then went directly to the HUB to watch the Hocus Pocus show (in 2015). I would just say, like everything near the castle stage, the space around the HUB is a bit of a cluster because of people crowding in, kids on parents shoulders, etc. so whenever you go to watch it, I would either choose to stand further back where you might not see the characters as good, but can certainly enjoy the show or know that to be close to see the characters well, you will fight with crowds/potentially have someone on shoulders in front of you. I know this thread is a lot to read through, but maybe if you use the search within the thread function up above you'll be able to find people talking about their plans to meet Gaston/Belle and Jack Sparrow. I remember people talking about it quite a bit.

 

[ErinsMommy]

You're welcome!!

While it was crowded, it didn't bother us. We went to the rides and watched the fireworks! We didn't meet any of the characters that night because the lines were very long. Lines for rides were not long at all!

Eh we're not big on characters - the parades were so excited for

 

[Cluelyss]

We attended the party on the 25th. The reason why it sold out was that a previous party was rained out. People from that party were given tickets to the one on the 25th. Many cast members mentioned this to us when we were there.

Wasn't it also the last night for CM discounts?