Reviews of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Magic Kingdom)
Reviewed by BarbD Review Date: 09/21/2016
Rating: (1) Not Recommended
It was so crowded and we couldn't enjoy the shows, people were placing their kids on their shoulders (which I can understand) but it made it so difficult to enjoy the show. Line for rides too long. Didn't even bother. Was like being there during the day. Parade crowds were 6 rows deep, couldn't really see. They were directing the crowds throughout the park which made it seem like the park was even smaller. I went years ago and it was an amazing experience, on and off the rides you could see the shows and parades. Sad to say but I think Disney is becoming way too crowded and no longer enjoyable.
Pros:
Lots of cute costumesCons:
CrowdsReviewed by Fredd Review Date: 05/18/2016
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I attended last years 'Not so scary Party' in September, my 3rd party over the years.
I was amazed at the size of the crowds, much larger than on any previous visit to the Magic Kingdom going back to 1983.
The transition between the day & night crowds was very well handled but the volume of the crowd meant that there were long queues for everything, including the restrooms!
Not all attractions were open on the night we attended and the queue for the Seven Dwarf's Mine train was unbelievable.
The handouts at the 'Goofy Candy Company stands were very small in contrast with previous years but the queues very, very long and slow moving.
If you hadn't attended a 'Not so scary Party' before don't miss it but if you have been before consider saving your money for something else like a good meal at one of the better restaurants!
Pros:
Halloween costuming of guests & Park.Cons:
Huge crowds & reduced trick or treat candies.Reviewed by MWS Review Date: 11/13/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
After attending a couple of the MVMCP, I was very excited to attend the MNSSHP and score a poison apple mug. I know Disney can’t control the weather, but it rained all night and it definitely put a damper on the evening. Because of the rain there was no Headless Horseman, no Carlotta at the Haunted Mansion, no Hocus Pocus Villain show (after waiting 20 minutes for it to start) and no getting in line to see characters. According to a very nice cast member, the poison apple mugs were sold out weeks ago, so no mug either. However there were tons of people and large crowds in the stores and for both parades and the fireworks making it difficult to get around and see the parade. The candy lines were long, but moved quickly and most of the rides had short wait times. Next time I’ll skip the party and instead use the ticket money to buy the poison apple mug on eBay.
Pros:
Candy, short wait time for ridesCons:
Over crowdedReviewed by DisneyDana Review Date: 10/30/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
This was my first Halloween party and unfortunately I wouldn't choose to do it again. We were at the party on Thursday night 10/22 and I'm not sure but I would guess it was sold out. We were there specifically to hit the short ride lines. No such luck at any point during the night. I was shocked that the crowd was so very light, maybe the lightest I've ever seen during the regular day hours around 5pm. I thought that was a good sign of things to come but boy was I wrong. It was packed and the lines for rides never thinned out. Peter Pan stayed at a good 40 minutes all night and we never got on the Mine Train because it ran anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes all night. We kept putting it off hoping that the later it got the shorter the lines, but it just seemed to get more and more crowded as the night went on. We did enjoy the fireworks and the parade but we waited for the second parade hoping for a good spot but that didn't work out either. I have been to the Christmas party 4 times and the first 2 felt like we had rented out the parks for ourselves, but as the years have gone on it seems that they are letting more and more people in and it defeats the whole idea of the party if you ask me. I prefer the Christmas party over Halloween but special fireworks and a parade are not worth it for me. The low crowds were what I always went for and if they do away with that, I might as well just go to the MK on a regular day. Disney has gotten so bad about making that dollar that they are starting to price me right out of my yearly vacations.
Pros:
atmosphereCons:
The huge crowd takes away from the eventReviewed by MouseBound4 Review Date: 11/02/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
This was our 6th MNSSHP in the past 10 years. PROS: We love thinking up family Disney-related costumes & all dressing up. We also enjoy seeing others' costumes, & encourage everyone who goes to dress up because it adds to the fun. We noticed this year that more of the restaurants were staying open for the party, which is nice. The main advantage of the party is shorter lines on the bigger rides. We have enthusiastically endorsed MNSSHP to our friends & family for years; however, the cons now outweigh the pros for us & we will no longer be recommending it. CONS: The crowds are now extreme. WDW simply allows too many people in at the same time to the point it is bumper to bumper people, making it very difficult to get around. We had read that the crowds were less during the weeknights as opposed to weekends, so we went on Tuesday, Oct 21st. It was still outrageously crowded. The fireworks are wonderful, but there were so many people packed in to the park, we could not even see the fireworks except through the trees. We had looked forward to seeing the light show on the castle before the fireworks, but could not get anywhere near the castle to see the show. The ticket price continues to rise. We are huge Disney fans & it pains us to have to write a negative review, but I do think others need to know so they can be prepared for the crowds.
Pros:
All the great costumes!Cons:
Extreme crowds, rising costsReviewed by clane79 Review Date: 11/01/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
We went on Tues 10/21 and it was just too crowded to enjoy anything. Rides lines were long, the character lines were long, even the candy lines were long. Parade route was crowded, fireworks were crowded. If you wanted to do anything you had to stand in line or spend your time staking out a spot. This was not worth the price in my opinion. The few things we wanted to do we didn't get to do, it ended up being a very frustrating night with disappointed kids. To top it off the monorail was down at the end of the night and it was chaos getting on the ferry.
Pros:
Good parade and fireworksCons:
TOO CROWDEDReviewed by 5busyrussells Review Date: 09/10/2014
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
We had previously attended MVMCP, which was much more crowded - but much more worthwhile. This felt very "thrown together". We did trick or treat, although most of the cast members were very crabby and scolded the kids if they returned for more candy (especially in the Werther's line). The best part was virtually no lines for any of the rids including Seven Dwarfs Mine ride. The fireworks, though, were phenomenal - no one quite knows how to do fireworks like Disney! We experienced it, but I can't say I would highly recommend and we definitely would not do it again.
Pros:
Nonexistent wait lines for ridsCons:
—Reviewed by darcelmargliotti Review Date: 08/27/2013
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
I think the price is too much.After all I just paid to get in the Magic Kingdom for the day only to come out and turn around to go back in for additional money.The parade and fireworks were awesome but just the same as any other Wishes or Electrical Parade performance.Why not just let you back in without charge.People will still send a lot of money on merchandise and food so give us a break!!
Pros:
Very Disneyrific!!!Cons:
Price,crowdsReviewed by debg33 Review Date: 10/07/2023
Rating: (7) Recommended
We did the party on Oct 1st. We were lucky we had a beautiful night for the party. The wait times for the lines were much shorter than during the day. It was fun to trick or treat in the park. The fireworks were spectacular and loved the parade, especially since they no longer do a nighttime parade. However, I think they should sell fewer tickets. It was very crowded and difficult to move around. The candy was plentiful. For the cost they should at least include some sort of food. We were lucky to attend a Midnight Magic DVC party a few years ago. It included a meal ticket as well as unlimited mickey ice cream bars among other things and it was no cost to DVC members. It would be nice if they included the ice cream bars as a treat during this event. Everyone should do it at least once. We are glad we did it, but it is a one and done for us.
Pros:
decorations fireworks paradeCons:
costReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/29/2022
Rating: (5) Recommended
My family/extended family (9 total) excitedly did our first ever MNSSHP on 9/2/22. We chose this time to go because of costs and kids returning to school. Because of the date we chose, we were fortunate to pay the cheapest price. It is NO FAULT to Disney but the skies decided to open up with fury and thunder/lightening around 3:00. Guests to the party can access MK at 4:00 on party day. My family stayed at Pop Century and like the huge crowd of other guests, we waited nearly an hour for a bus to go to the party. Several buses came to the resort but they were only dropping guests off from other parks. Due to the storm, the skyliners were shutdown. Again, weather cannot be blamed on WDW. HOWEVER, when you have a special-ticketed event that you're paying extra for, WDW should have designated transportation specifically for the event. Everyone that was in a costume (including our kids) were saturated from the rain. The costumes were ruined before we ever got on the bus. In order to get everyone to the party, the buses (that I really do love, by the way), were even more crowded than normal. The treat bags were adorable and the cast members were all very pleasant. The candy lines moved quickly but it was candy from Easter time (ie..Snickers wrapped in spring season candy wrappers). We didn't go for the candy. Lines were pretty much as crazy as normal. We sat for the first parade for nearly 45 mins and they canceled the parade 5 mins before it was scheduled to start for inclement weather that never happened...BUMMER. We were all counting on the fact that crowds would go down after the first parade but that didn't happen because there was no first parade. Lines for most characters were insanely long. Jafar/Aladdin/Jasmin all moved quickly. The others, not so much. I did notice characters spending decent time with each guest though. The live pirates were entertaining. Pirates of the Caribbean was shut down for a while so the pirates came out and canoodled with party guests waiting for the ride to reopen. We felt a litlte cheated with Haunted Mansion. We only had a very entertaining live butler outside. We didn't see the bride at all outside. The parade and Hocus Pocus show were phenominal! So worth the exhaustion. For the price, I do wish the event was less crowded. It didn't live up to the "little or no wait" motto for rides during the special-ticketed event. I'm glad we went but not 100% sure if I would do it again. Disney World is truly my happy place and there's nowhere else I'd rather go, I just wish you felt like it was all worth the added price.
