Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Kelly Dykstra from Welland, Ontario Canada: We attended Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Party for the first time and what an incredible experience it was!! An ABSOLUTE must see! We booked our Character dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern prior to the park closing for regular visitors(5p.m.) Great idea! We had a 7,5,2, and 5 month old as well as four adults. We all LOVED the party! They gave out tons of candy (actually topped up our bags near the end of the night.) Many of the cast members interacted with the children commenting to my 5 year old (who was Stitch) that Mickey was looking for him because he'd made quite a mess in Cinderella's castle, or "Hey Stitch, how did you manage to get out of the park? Everyone must be looking for you." He simply replied; I'm not Stitch silly, it's just my costume!" Adult costumes were pretty well non-existent so we had actually brought pirate costumes with us and we purchased the Pirate Goofy(long ears with gold hoop earrings on the ends) and
Pirate Mickey hats. Pirate accessory kits, and of course the necklace from Pirates of the Carribean just finished them off perfectly! At our hotel everyone just stared at us as we made our way to the Magic Kingdom transportation, but all remarked at how great we looked. FREE face painting in Toontown!You can't beat that!(They make a mean pirate face by the way!) Lining up prior to photo stations opening was a great call for the family photo, once they opened up we just sailed in and out. The parade was absolutely SPOOKTACULAR! As were the Fireworks! We just can't say enough about how wonderful this event was and we'll definitely be doing it again!! I've done the Christmas Party before but this was much better. We have snow in Canada so maybe that's why it wasn't as exciting.

Janet: We just got back from Disney World. We went to "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" and had a blast. The fireworks were the best. They were even better than the "Wishes" fireworks. The end was amazing. There were fireworks from all over the park and if you watched them from behind the Castle (we sat on a bench behind the Tea Cup ride) the fireworks were all around you. You just had to make a 360 degree circle to see them all. It was absolutely amazing. I hope to get down there again in the future.

The Bassett Family: We ended up going to the Halloween Party on the last few days we were at Disney. It was absolutely the highlight of the vacation. The tickets are sold in limited amounts and the crowds at Disney world were so low you could get around easily unlike earlier in the day
when the crowds literally pushed on us. We could get directly on any ride with little or no wait. If there were not enough people to fill certain rides, you could ride it again a second time not leaving the seats. We had been in the Disney world park earlier in the day. To see the transformation for the Halloween party in just an hour and a half was incredible. Every shop was decorated for Halloween. Super decorations set up around the park. Special Halloween bags and gifts handed out. It's hard to believe they could do so much in so little time. The Disney workers were wonderful with the children and they had a spirit of the event showing in those working at the park party. The kids had an absolute ball. We did not know you could dress in costume and did not bring any; about 50% of the people around us had some type of costume on. We went from station to station getting candy and going on the rides. We accidentally found the parade starting where we were at the moment and were spellbound at how Disney had transformed the costumes to a Halloween theme. Incredible does not begin to state the amount of work they did as it made for quiet a show. We made sure to arrive at the main statue area in front of the castle before the fireworks began. WOW! Disney gives quite a show each night but this party was so much more of an event. Just outstanding, the best time we had had by far.In retrospect, I had wished we could have bought the Halloween event tickets for every evening of the week it was available. Disney was wonderful but this event just outshines most all of the
experiences we enjoyed there.

Julie Joyner - October 31, 2005

We have been to Disney World every Halloween for the past 30 years. We started on our honeymoon 29 years ago, and have been there ever since. The addition of the party a few years ago has really added to the magic- until this year. We went on our anniversary, Halloween night, as usual. The worst of the worst happened- the Haunted Mansion was closed due to "technical difficulties." I can't believe that on the most haunted night of the year, the computer ghosts outnumbered the techi-ghosts! They broke our 30 consecutive Halloween nights spent in the Haunted Mansion. Of course the Hallowishes fireworks actually put all the "regular" Wishes to shame (if that is possible), but it will never be the same. So sad....

Shennon - October 31, 2005

We decided to spend this Halloween and our wedding anniversary with Mickey at his party. The parade was awesome and we waited until the second one so we could enjoy the park while everyone else watched the first parade. The only downside to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party was that we attended it on the 31st and it was packed!! Just looking at everyone's costumes and the parade made it worth it. A tip is to make sure any little ones take a nap earlier in the day. My two year old was so jazzed at being in Disney she wouldn't rest that afternoon and it was only our second day in the park. She fell asleep for the first hour or two of the party, though we did stay until the close at midnight. I think if we did it again we might go a day or two before Halloween, though an upside was that since it was the last night they literally dumnped giant handfuls of
candy in our bags to try and get rid of it. From 11 to midnight we trick or treated because the lines had thinned out and they were begging us to take the candy!

Elizabeth - October 30, 2005

MNSSHP was INCREDIBLE! Our group was made up of my Mom, her best friend, me (15 year old teenager) and my best friend (another 15 year old). We went to the party on Sunday night, the 30th, and I was expecting it to be very crowded, long lines, etc. I was so wrong! We got there around 6:00, and we were immediately were impressed at the decorations, music, everything!! My best friend and I dressed up as the Siamese Cats from The Lady and the Tramp, and all of the Disney Cast members immediately knew that we were Si and Am! About 90% of the people there dressed up, so it was definitely more fun that way! The very first thing we did was to get our group picture made; the line was quick and it only took us 10 minutes to get the picture done. When we got out of our picture, we saw that the candy line was extremely long! But, as the night wore on, the candy lines became shorter and shorter. We rode the Haunted Mansion and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice! We got to walk right onto the rides! The fireworks were fabulous, we loved how the music was set with them! We went to the 10:00 parade, and it was more crowded than I had hoped. The parade was awesome! I especially liked the Grave-diggers and the dancing ghosts. The whole experience was great, and I can't wait to go next year!!

Larry - October 30 & 31, 2005

We went on the 30th and the 31st and it was GREAT! We saw the Headless Horseman ride and the parade. The parade was good, but all the parades are good. The best part was the Haunted Mansion gravediggers. Every few steps they would stop, swing their shovels down to the pavement and spin, making sparks!! It was most impressive, but my two year old was a little nervous about it.

Both nights were sold out, but neither was very crowded. Most of the people seemed to hang around the castle forecourt. (The map said there was a "Villains Mix and Mingle" there, but all we found was a near infinite number of people with cameras on tripods set up to take pics of the castle during the fireworks.) The shows were at 8 and 10 and the fireworks were at 9:15, so I can see why folks might stay there.

In any case this meant that the rides were really easy to get on to. The only real line we saw was at Haunted Mansion on Halloween itself.
We were able to walk right on to Pirates of the Caribbean, (twice) as well as Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Mickey's Philharmagic. We waited till the 10 PM parade and then we could even get onto Haunted Mansion without much of a wait. While my son and I did HM one of the Haunted Mansion Ghosts from the parade came by in costume and said hello to the wife and my daughter. She talked with them for quite some time the wife was very very impressed with the consideration this wonderful dancer showed.

The trick or treat trails were good, we did the Mad Hatter's trail in Fantasyland. My kids are 9 and 2 so they didn't know who the characters giving them the candy were, but they didn't care as long as the chocolate kept coming. There was plenty of candy to be had, and we had to watch the kids to keep them from eating to much.

The fireworks show was awesome, and I mean that literally. The Magic Kingdom lit up like daylight at the end of the show. I was astonished and awestruck. The best part though was Stitch's Dance Party at Cosmic Ray's. My daughter (2) is a big Stitch fan, so we figured this would be a big
hit, but she almost popped from sheer excitement and joy. The only thing I could compare it to is the old films of the Beatles coming to America in 1960 when the teen girls completely loose all higher brain function. She was amazed, excited, and over the moon with sheer happiness. My son (9) also had a great time, dancing and hoola hooping it up the best of them. We went on the 30th and had so much fun we cancelled our reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner the next night, and had dinner at Cosmic Ray's after the 7PM show instead. It was a great, so we went back for the 11PM show right before we left for the night, and it was still great fun. This was great fun!! Well worth the money.

Sue Ann Daniels - October 30, 2005

We went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on Oct.30th. It was sold out, so we were expecting the worst. We entered the park earlier in the day, so at 4pm we went to the front of the castle (by the Rose Garden) to get our maps, treat bags, and wristbands. From that point on the park really started to empty out and we walked on any ride we wanted until about 7pm. They started handing out candy at about 6:45. However, the first few stops were really stingy - 2 small fun size bars. (My house would get egged if I only gave out that much candy!) We wandered around the park through the first parade, and although the lines for the trick or treat and character greetings looked bad, they moved really fast. At
the treats trail between Toontown and Tomorrowland, veer right at all times or you will get stuck in the character greeting lines. The signs actually tell you to go left for the treat trail- if you want to see Alice characters, then by all means go left! Otherwise, veer right to skip them and go right to the candy stops. The ride lines were typically 10-20 minutes for the top attractions by that point (8pm ish). We staked out a spot for the fireworks at about 8:50 in front of the castle. We sat next to the bride from the Haunted Mansion - other party goer's costumes were amazing and worth the price of admission itself! The headless horseman sprinted by at about 9, and the fireworks started at 9:15. They were incredible!
The 360 degree fireworks around the park absolutely lit up the sky. We stayed in our spot for the 10pm parade. Very enjoyable, and not scary, although some "ghosts" did run out into the crowds and startled a few guests. As the evening wore on, the candy givers got more generous - at the front of the park (right after you exit) they were literally scooping large bags into a huge vat of Nestle Crunch - we probably got 6 jumbo bags worth at that one stop. My tip - if you want candy - wait till later. We really wasted ride time waiting for those first few stingystops!They obviously want to get rid of the candy later in the evening.All in all, a fun, safe, family oriented, not scary outing!

Deanna Dodd - October 28, 2005

My family attended the MNSSHP on Oct 28, 2005. We had a great time, but I wish I had known we could get in the park at 4:00pm to start riding some of the rides. Also the family that was with us could have used a stroller (free of charge) for their 5 yr old daughter whom ended up leaving the park after only 2 hours, because the child was sick. My family of 4 and 1 extra, my nephew, truly enjoyed ourselves. This is the 2nd MNSSHP we have attended and will try to attend again. We love the trick or treating but we also like the limited number of other guests, though this year was more crowded than when we attended in 2000. But even with the bigger crowds we still could do all the rides we wanted with little to no wait. Too cool to do Splash Mountain when we were there but that was about the only thing we didn't do.

Tracy - October 28, 2005

I have attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the past 3 years and I have to say that Disney really cut back on most things this year. I attended this year's sold-out party on Friday, October 28th and was so very disappointed. I look forward to this night all year long, and this year I left feeling sad. Disney did away with almost all of the extra decorations that they had on previous years. There was maybe one big blown up character and the special lighting on Main Street and that was it. There used to be blown up characters all around and special lighting throughout the park. There were also no fortune tellers this year. The candy may be a big hit with the kids, but I don't go to trick or treat, I just go for the atmosphere and this year there was very little. They also changed the parade so that it is one consistent song throughout. I missed the different themes for each float. Hallowishes (which I was so excited for) took well known and loved songs and changed them all into pop and hip hop versions. Not my cup of tea. The fireworks were great as always, but the music was terrible. It was also so crowded you couldn't walk. There were very few lines for rides, but you couldn't get to the rides because the park was so crowded! This was my favorite event Disney did, but
because of all the changes, I won't be going back next year. Thumbs down.

Kate - October 27 & 28, 2005

My family and I attended TWO of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties this year. They were our first MNSSHPs and all I can say is... I can't WAIT to go back! What a festive event. Definitely worth the extra money. I'd recommend avoiding a sold-out night if possible, but don't let it deter you if you can't. The park on Thursday was incredible: little to no wait for rides, and plenty of chances to get treats! On Friday, it was more crowded, but still fun. The park is decked out, the parade is different, and the cast members were SO funny and sweet and gracious! The best part, surprisingly, was the fireworks show... WOW!!!!!! Make sure you stand in front of the castle to get the full effect- TRUST ME on this one!

Christopher - October 27 , 2005

We attended our first Disney Halloween party on 10/27 on the advice of a friend (thanks Tonya!). It was easily one of the best Disney experiences we've ever had. We are now making this an annual event. We read up on all the reviews and followed the reviews advice and it enhanced our trip immensely. Based on the reviews, we did not attend the park during the day. We napped our kids (3 and 6) for until after 4 and then went to the park. I cannot stress enough how helpful that was. When other kids were down and out at 10, ours were still running in the park at closing. We arrived at the park via the ferry right at 7 and after initial processing (bag search , bands, fetch stroller) we were in line for our first character (Goofy who left when Mickey came out) by 7:15. From there it was off to the fun.

We entered the park and they were setting up for the first parade. We took advantage of this to get our pins and waited in our front row seat for the parade. After the horseman made his run, we decided to wait to the later parade as there was a long wait between his ride and the start of the parade. We were at the main gate parade route. If we had been further back in the park, the wait would not have been so long. Missing the first parade was a mistake. We were too engrossed in other things to remember it and wound up missing it. It was our only regret of the night.

Ride lines were unbelievable. Our first stop was Tomorrowland. It was empty. Not only did we not wait in line for Buzz, Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Train and the others, but we didn't even have to stop before getting on the ride car. They waved us right on. I have never had that experience, but it happened a lot that night. The only ride that was packed was Haunted Mansion right after the fireworks. We blew that off for later and walked right on when we came back. Peter Pan, Honey Pots, Small World all had small waits (5-10 minutes at most). We rode in 5 hours as many rides as we did in the full 11 hour day before. We had our free photo taken during the first parade and that allowed us to take it in minutes.

The trick or treating was great. Not only were Disney workers out distributing candy as they walked along, there were tons of stations handing out candy. Not the generic kind, but Skittles, M&M's Snickers, Twix and more. Come 11:30 they were stuffing bags by the handfuls trying to get rid of it. We walked out with 2 completely full bags. Characters were everywhere, especially near the candy stations, and even though the lines looked long, they went very fast. The crowd controllers kept everything moving very well.

Then, there's Aerial's Grotto. You have not seen anything as cute and precious as about 2 dozen little kids dancing. My little girl danced with the mice from Cinderella and one of the villains from Pinocchio. We had to drag her kicking and screaming from the dance floor or she would have stayed there all night long. That was worth the price of admission alone.

We found there are 2 parties that happen. Party one is from 7 ' 10, up to the second parade. Then the park starts clearing as the kids are all crashing and the parents take them home. Party two starts after the second parade and the park is a ghost town. Toon Town was empty and we were able to hit all the areas of it with ease. We were able to walk on to everything.

Based on this experience, we are making this an annual thing. I want to thank all the readers who chimed in their advice. It was very helpful and made for a better night.

Melinda W. - October 27, 2005

My family attended the MNSSHP it it was even better than in years past. We are from South Florida and on that Monday had experianced Hurricane Wilma's full furry. On Wed. we had been dealing with no running water or electricity so we took the trip up to our favorite place Disney! We checked in and were able to purchase tickets the same day of the event. That Disney magic was even more alive and it made us forget for a night the drama we had to deal with back home. The charecters seemed to be extra friendly and the Goofy Candy workers seemed to be extra cheerful when passing out the goodies. We filled a mickey bucket up! It was a great night with short lines, good treats, and an experience that I am sure my family will not forget any time soon!

Christy - October 27, 2005

Mickey's not so scary Halloween party was wonderful. Tip is that the park opens at 4:00 p.m. for the Halloween party and we arrived at 5:30 which was still before the "day shift" was forced to leave the park. We had a 2,4 and 7 year old and 3 adults and 2 grandparents and we all lasted until 11:30 p.m. The kids loved it! Another tip that wasn't clear was that until 7:00 p.m. Liberty Square area is all that you are allowed to be in so don't walk all the way to Tomorrowland or beyond and get shoosed out. Not clear until we had hoofed our group to that area. Parade was fabulous and our group watched the Cinderellabration starting at 7:30 before the 8:00 parade. We had front row seats in front of the castle facing it so all of our parade pictures have the castle in the background! (Scrapbooking tip!) My 2 year old son loved the parade and had many characters stop during the parade and interact with our kids! My daughter who will be 8 this week is terrified of Fireworks and we happened to be coming off of Stich's ride when they began. She tried to watch but they were too loud for here, lots of big booms. Grandma took her in a close giftshop and waited out the fireworks. I guess they got to talking to Bridget who worked in the giftshop about our family trip and Alex's fear of Fireworks. At the end of the Fireworks display my daughter greets me with a huge smile. She runs up to me and said since she was so brave during the fireworks Bridget gave her a special pass to get on any one ride for her and our entire group. She was beaming from ear to ear! Alex selected the race cars since when we had gone during the week the line was over an hours wait. The line during the Halloween party was also rather long about 30 minutes so she presented her coupon to the racecar workers and we were all ushered to the front of the line like celebrities. She was thrilled. Alex then asked her Dad at the end of the ride if she got the slip back so we could ride another ride. We told her that the magic was for one ride only.

Debbie Bieter-Schultz - October 27, 2005

I agree there is no way to describe just how outstanding this event is. The parade is fantastic, better than any I've ever seen in disney, and I've seen a lot! Hallo-wishes is an outstanding display of both creativity and technology! I was truly speechless but I think we had more fun trick or treat-ing than anything else. We spent so much time at the parade, cinderellabration, hallowishes and visiting the characters, and going to the trick or treat spots. Our party consisted of 3 adults, no children. i was dressed as Minnie, my son in law as Mickey and my daughter as a Cat. There wasn't a cast member or character who didn't have a special comment, trick or game for Mickey. Mostly the cast members razzed him about getting their promised raise or more vacation time, and there wasn't a one who didn't start out with "hey guys, it's the big man", or "heads up, here's the boss", or "Mr. Mouse, it's an honor to have you come by!" Iit made the whole night so much fun. the characters kept asking him for his autograph and begged him to pose for pictures with them! they really get into it, which makes everyone around, really get into it! you would think that by the end of the month they'd be mnsshp'ed out, but their enthusiasm was contagious. It was the best night I ever spent in disney, and I've spent hundreds it's these magical folks who make Disney the magical place it is, I can't say enough nice words about this event, and the folks who make it so special!

Vanessa - October 25 , 2005

We attended the MNSSHP on the 25th and it was wonderful!!! I dressed as Snow White as did my 2DD's ages 4 and 2. My DH was of course the prince!! We entered MK at about 345pm and did a few rides. Then we had ADR at Crystal Palace at 5pm. At 6pm we were off to some more rides. We walked on all the FantasyLand rides with NO wait, even Haunted Mansion and the Barnstormer. We stopped to meet some characters with no waits also. We skipped the 8pm parade and chose to do rides instead. We watched the 9pm fireworks and the girls loved it!! Then we got some more candy and got on the street for the 10pm parade. It was awesome!! The girls had the best time ever!! We were on the shuttle by 11pm and in bed at 1130!! Well worth the extra money. It was actually our best night at MK, it was soooooo crowded all the other days we went. So it was nice to have the park to ourselves!!!

Lynne - October 25 , 2005

What a BLAST! It was me (25) and my boyfriend (23) and even for us "older kids" it was a great time. I dressed as a pink faerie and my boyfriend regretted NOT dressing up as soon as we entered the park! There were some great photopass opportunities, including: Main Street at Twilight, at night in front of the castle from the Rose Garden, and up in ToonTown fair there was Minnie and Aurora. It was nice to get photos with characters - especially princesses - without a long wait. (As an adult I tend to NOT wait on lines in front of kids, it makes me feel guilty.)

As most people say - the wait time for the rides were not long - although taking my faerie wings off for Space Mountain was kind of a hassle! The candy was GREAT - you get HANDFULS! The best is the Toontown to Tomorrowland walk. We did the 10pm parade which was definitely less crowded. Loved the Haunted Mansion float.

For my boyfriend - his favorite part was the villian Meet & Greet at the castle steps. It was the first time all week he shouted with GLEE at the sight of a character!! The photo of him and The Big Bad Wolf is a CLASSIC!

I will definitely go back again - this time I might plan a dinner in the park beforehand - the food grows SCARCE late in the evening.
Also, I might bring a separate closed bag to store the candy in for the Mountain rides. I got nervous I was going to lose my M&Ms!!

Sharon Klein - October 24 , 2005

Our family attended MNSSHP on Sunday October 24. The rain bands from Hurricane Wilma were starting to move into the area however it was not windy at all, nor was it very cold. We decided a little rain wasn't going to stop us, so we donned our ponchos and headed to the party. It rained steadily from 7-10pm. Many of the outdoor trick or treat stations had been relocated indoors. In Adventureland, all of the stations had been consolidated into one big trick or treat station at the covered queue area of the Jungle Cruise. Due to the rain, the party was not crowded at all. We saw many people heading out of the park early in the evening.

We spent the first few hours in Tomorrowland, Toontown, and Fantasyland going on some rides and hitting all the trick or treat stations. The CM's were very generous with the candy. At 10:00pm an announcement came over the park's PA system stating that Hallowishes would be starting in 10 minutes. We made our way over to Main Street and got a spot right in front of the castle. What a wonderful fireworks display!! Due to the rain, the 8:00pm parade had not taken place and we were told by a CM in Tomorrowland that the 10:00pm parade had been cancelled as well. Around 10:30pm we were making our way from Tomorrowland over to Adventureland and as we approached Main Street we saw the parade just starting!! We grabbed a spot right on Main Street near the castle and enjoyed the parade. It wasn't crowded at all because so many people had already left the park and no announcement had been made indicating that the parade was starting. This was a great parade - very cute. We saw the Halloween parade 2 years ago and didn't like it at all. This was a major improvement over that one! I'm so glad we didn't miss it.

We had our free photo taken late in the evening and our daughter had so much candy that it was overflowing out of her bag and into her stroller. We met several characters out in the park, especially once the rain had stopped. There were no performances of Cinderellabration during that evening due to the bad weather. Every ride we went on that night was walk on. Even though the rain put a slight damper on the evening, it certainly didn't ruin it and I'm glad we decided to go and enjoy the party. We stayed until the park closed at midnight and had a wonderful time.

Robert Jakusz - October 23 , 2005

Minutes after the park opened for us, the outer bands of Wilma were coming down on us. It rained till about 11:30pm, but my twin 8 year old daughters were real troupers, along with my wife and myself (we all dressed up) and had a great time. Because of the weather, the charecters were not dressed up and it was a little difficult finding the candy, but we came back with a bushel. There were no waits for any rides that were available due to weather (this allowed us to get alot of rides out of the way and not be rushed the rest of the week). Besides the bad weather, the event was special for all of us. I would recommend this event to anyone who is thinking of coming to Disney this time of the year.

Steve Brunton - October 23 , 2005

My family and I attended the Not So Scary Halloween Party on Sunday, Oct. 23. We had looked forward to attending for several weeks, so
even though Hurricane Wilma was threatening to hit Florida the very next day, we still tried our luck.

I read on various websites that even though the event started at 7:00 p.m., people might be able to enter as early as 4:00 p.m. Actually,
as people purchased tickets, I heard Disney staff clearly telling people that they could enter at 4:00, so this was not one of these 'see if we can get away with it' types of things. I also read on a website that as people with rented strollers left the park we might be able to use free of charge one of the strollers left near the entrance. Actually, the people at the stroller rental area said all strollers were complimentary for the night.

The only attractions not open during the party seem to be the Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, the Hall of Presidents and the Carousel of Progress (in addition to the always closed Timekeeper). Since we arrived an hour or two before the party was to start, we went to the Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room before they shut down for the night. As 7:00 neared, we did not see anyone trying to herd ticket-holders for the party into one area while other guests were cleared out of the park as others have reported. We just hung around Adventureland until the candy stations opened.

About six villains were gathered in front of the castle taking pictures with guests. We got only one picture (with Cruella) before they all left to make way for the Cinderellabration show. About five minutes past the scheduled starting time of the show, an announcement came over the loud speaker that it was being cancelled. That's when the rain started. We spent much of the rest of the evening dodging in and out of doorways, trying to keep our stuff packed in our stroller from getting soaked, and trying to keep our kids from getting too wet and cold. The rest of my party did not like my idea of riding Buzz Lightyear over and over until the rain subsided.

Surprisingly, the rain slowed to a mist in time for the fireworks, and HallowWishes went on as scheduled. It was a nice show set to the music of 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', Nightmare Before Christmas and several villain songs. Believe it or not, after these fireworks, I now have had a harder time getting 'Grim Grinning Ghosts' out of my head than 'It's a Small World'. I don't know which is worse! I did not see a witch fly from the castle top along the Tinkerbell route as I have read in other reports.

The rain finally stopped completely in time for the parade. There was no headless horseman in sight, as others have reported. Another person waiting for the parade near us said the ground was too wet and slippery for the horse. Although a bit shorter than normal parades, the Halloween parade was certainly fun. The Hundred Acre Wood gang included Pooh in his honeybee Halloween costume, Piglet dressed as a flower, Tigger in a skeleton costume and Eyore (I forget his costume). Rabbit, Kanga and Roo rode the float, the first time I have ever seen these characters at WDW. Roo was attached to Kanga's pouch and was not a stand-alone character. Even Christopher Robin was there and spoke to people along the parade route. Like many of the people playing Peter Pan, Christopher Robin was actually a woman with a slight build. The Haunted Mansion section of the parade started with the caretaker and his dog, both the real thing, and both looking much healthier and better fed than their counterparts inside the attraction. I think the dog was a bloodhound. I wondered if Disney hired somebody and his pet pooch just for this parade or if they have their own dog year-round that they bring out only around Halloween. A float with the three hitchhiking ghosts was followed by several marching and dancing gravediggers. Part of their dance routine included dragging their shovels along the pavement which created sparks, a nice little effect. After the parade concluded, I realized that neither Nightmare Before Christmas not Monsters Inc. was represented in the parade even though they seem like obvious choices for a Disney Halloween event.

We had no wait for our photos at the Hall of Presidents lobby. I mistakenly thought the photos were to be with characters, but they are simply photos taken in front of a Halloween themed background. Upon visiting the Alice characters (including the Walrus, another first) in the Toontown Fair Hall of Fame, a photopass person was there to take pictures of you and the characters. We were able to easily get in to take photos with Stitch, Buzz and the Incredibles in the Timekeeper lobby.

We got a huge amount of candy that night. Upon returning home I weighed our bulging bags of treats on the bathroom scale and found that we had 13 pounds of sweets! We were given bags at the start of the evening and we were able to get extra bags at different candy stations throughout the park during the night. I don't know how we will ever consume all of this before next Halloween. I realized later that the several candy stations in Adventureland actually comprised a candy trail. I guest that explains the giant (about 20 feet tall) inflatable Pumbaa near the Flying Carpets that is not normally there. Sadly, the Alice in Wonderland candy trail between Toontown Fair and Tomorrowland was cancelled due to the rain.

Another nice little freebie was face painting. After a week of telling my daughter 'no' every time we passed a $15-a-pop face painting booth in the parks, we were finally able to let her get her face painted. Surprisingly, the booth was empty when we walked up and we were able to immediately have faces painted. One daughter got the 'fairy' paint, which complimented her fairy costume, and the other got painted to resemble Dutchess from The Aristocats.

This event was an ideal time to finally get to ride slow loading rides like Dumbo, which normally has a 40-minute line. We finished the evening off with three consecutive rides on the Astro Orbiter without having to even get off between rides. In all, we rode about 11 rides that night.

All in all, we had a nice time despite the rain. Disappointments included not seeing the witch flying from the castle, the Headless Horseman or the Wonderland trail. We also saw no storytellers nor did we see projections of scary silhouettes along Main Street as I have heard others say they saw. I cannot say that I would make a special trip just to go to this event in the future, but if you are already visiting WDW in late September or October, then it is a great bargain compared to buying admission to a Disney park for a day.

Sonja Newton - October 22, 2005

We attended the Halloween party on our last night. It was well worth the extra money! My 4-yr old daughter had a great time getting to dress up and trick-or-treat. Also, the dance party was a great hit with her. She got to show off her own dance moves, and learn some new ones. The parade was awesome. Disney knows how to put on a great parade. Loved the haunted mansion float and the grave diggers with the shovels. We hope to attend another Halloween party. It was a great addition to our trip.

Claudia Camacho - October 21 , 2005

Although we always have a wonderful time in the "not so crowded" park after hours, we were a bit disappointed in the choice of candy they distributed this year. Last year, they handed out a different type of candy at each balloon location. This year, it was the same candy at EVERY stop. What fun is that??? Plus the cast members were very chintzy in handing candy out too. Instead of the usually "handful", we merely got 2-3 pieces. The new HalloWishes fireworks was awesome, especially the finale!! Not sure if the extra price in ticket for the event is worth it based on 5
hours of park time, a small bag of candy and a photo that usually doesn't come out nice.

Natalie Olson - October 21 , 2005

Prior to leaving for our trip I read several reviews of this after hours event. I found many positive reviews but more negative. I found reviews stating the crowds were so large you couldn't walk, the lines so long it wasn't worth the money to stay after hours, and still more saying that the kids didn't even receive any candy. Needless to say I was pretty aprehensive about the event. My fears however were completely unfounded. We attended the party with 3 adults, a 10-year old, an 11-year old and a 1-year old. Everyone had a wonderful time. The older kids were able to ride
Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain several times without even getting off of the ride! Space Mountain was a short 15 min wait and the parade was not to be missed! The evening fireworks were the BEST I have ever seen. We found a great spot in! Tomorrowland where we could see the whole sky and no crowds pressing in on us. We spent the evening trick-or-treating and riding rides! The kids ended up with large bags of candy and wonderful memories! We have all decided that if we ever have the opportunity to visit WDW in September or October again this is an event that we'll be sure not to miss! One side note to my rave review, there were a lot of families with toddlers/pre school aged children so Fantasyland was more crowded than the rest of the park and the lines here were a bit longer, usually about 20 min. This was still far better than the hour wait we experienced during the day.

Jean - October 20 & 22 , 2005

Both were great fun and both were uncrowded, though with the beginning of the Hurricane coming on Sunday it was really uncrowded! There was
lots of candy this year, much more then in the past. Happy HalloWishes is one of the best fireworks displays ever. I love that the villains get there say in a not so scary way. The parade is, as always wonderful, the gravediggers presision team was great! I do want to add, that there is lots for adults only to do at this event and if you don't dress up, at least were a hat or tiara - the cast members seem to enjoy any effort.

Deirdre Ann Harding - October 2005

Words can not express how wonderful Mickey's Not scary Halloween party was. This was my first time attending any of the "Mickey Parties". Our party consisted of 11 people from the ages of 41 to 2. The park was practically empty and the kids even my 2 year old was still going strong at midnight. It was the best money spent. All the characters in costume and ready to sign autographs it made my little guy so happy to see that even Mickey dresses up for Halloween. Thank you for the tip. Also made sure that if you are traveling with a large group which we normally do that everyone does there own thing. Enjoy your own family and catch up for a meal. It not only makes your trip your own but it gives everyone something to talk about and compare over dinner.

Lisa Mc - October 20, 2005

We dressed as Original mouseketeers, and boy did the cast members make a huge deal out of us.My daughters were Sharon and Nancy, my son was Johnny, my husband was Bobby and I was Annette (several of the male cast members made a point to tell me that I was there favorite). Several times cast members asked us to sing and since we had practiced the Mickey mouse club song several times on our 6 hour drive that day , we gladly obliged. Other visitors to the party also seemed to enjoy our costumes. There was so much to do at the party, we got to the park by 5:00 and ate at Cosmic Ray's. Ride line were very short, candy lines were every where, the parade and Hallowishes fireworks were magical. Stitches dance party was a great time to rest . My kids are in middle school, highschool and college, but we all enjoyed watching the little ones .I can't wait till next year!

Randy - October 20, 2005

MNSSHP was awesome! We went two years ago and had a terrible time because of the crowds. This year was different in a very good way.
WDW called me after the 2004 MNSSHP because I emailed them about my concerns for future MNSSHP's. They really do listen to constructive
criticism and advice. It seems like they took my suggestions for a better experience and ran with them. Kudos to WDW! Thanks for the memories! If you like your experiences at WDW tell them about it. Email them directly. The person I talked to said that they usually only hear about the bad stuff. How can that be when there is soooooo much good? Think about it.

krazeboutdizny - October 20, 2005

We just got back from our trip to WDW! What A blast! All 13 of us attended the not so scary Halloween Party. It was the best parade I have ever seen down there, and we have been going for years. I do have a tip,we attended the party on the 20th, while we were waitng for the parade to begin, we were talking to a Cast Member named Chris who was talking about how much candy they give out, he said that they have over 12 million peices of candy to give out for all 15 parties, he told us they first only give out a couple of pieces, 3 or 4 per child/adult, but once they get in to the later parties in the month they will be giving hand-fulls of it or even at the end of the night they will be handing bags of it to people, So if
you are attending a Not so Scary Halloween Party towards the end of the month, do the rides see the parades and the fireworks, go see the characters all dressed up, and skip the long lines for the trick or treating until the end of the night. There will be plenty of candy for all. That is what we did, and I filled a medium plastic resort bag to the top with candy!!

Marc Miller - October 20, 2005

Overall it was a good experience with lots of different activities. The only problem I saw was that Magic Kingdom for a ticketed event allows in a large amount of people. The night we went was on a Thursday and was not completely sold out but it was very crowded. The dance party was fun and the parade and fireworks were top notch as always. The costumes were fun for our boys (ages 3 and 7) and lots of candy was given out. We went to the 10:00pm parade which was supposed to be less crowded but it was packed with people. The ride lines were short and the candy lines
were long. Seeing the Headless Horseman's ride was the best part for me. Overall I would save your money and go to the extra hours at Epcot if you are a resort guest. The event was fun but not enough fun in my opinion to fight the crowd.

Shannon Carranza - October 20, 2005

We took my 2 year old to the MNSSHP and it was so much fun. We are season pass holders so we are familiar with
the parks, but I really enjoyed this experience, as did my little girl, who lasted until 11pm before she fell asleep. We arrived at 4pm and were admitted to the park and given wristbands. We went on a few rides. As the park guests started to leave we managed to walk onto virtually every ride until 6pm. Then we went over to the Adventure /Frontierlands where we were kept to prepare the rest of the park. We went on rides in that area and then at 7pm took our free photos, which was quick and easy. Then we did a little trick or treating. They are very generous with the candy. We opted for the 10pm parade and watched the fireworks. The show was very unique. My daughter especially loved dancing with the Cinderella mice in fantasy land with the other kids at the "Disco". The parade was awesome. I especially loved the running of the headless horseman. Just the power and speed of the horse, wow! And the parade...sooo cute. However, I do think that the henchmen following the haunted mansion float may scare some smaller kids (not mine, though). I was very impressed, expecting long lines and huge crowds. There was little to no wait on any ride and the atmosphere was very family friendly. Will go again next year.

Ron French - October 20, 2005

It was awesome. The fireworks, Cinderellabration, and the fireworks were great. But the real winner is the short or no lines to the attractions. It is the ultimate FASTPASS. The MK opens first in Frontierland and moves across to Tomorrowland. The longest wait was 3 minutes at Space Mtn. One can ride more attractions in a couple of hours than in an entire normal day. I was there with my wife and her sister and brother-in-law. Trust me, you do not need to have kids to enjoy this party. Lots of adults dressed for Halloween were there without kids just like us. If you
like MK and want the most out of a few hours, definitely attend this. We arrived about 5:00pm. Got a quick bite and got started a little early. It's the way to go and you'll think it's worth the price of admission. Had we more time at WDW, we would have gone again.

Stephanie Mrozowski - October 16, 2005

My husband and I went to our second Halloween party 10/16. We had a great time. There was no wait for rides. We did Buzz Lightyear 3 times in a row. We did Space Mountain once and when we went back it was closed so we hurried to TTA and when we went through Space Mountain it was all lit up. Great to see. There was alot of candy and the weather was fantastic too. Hallowishes was spectacular, we viewed it from the bridge to Tomorrow Land. I can't wait till the Christmas party.

Janie Gilarno - October 16, 2005

My husband and I just returned from the MNSSHP on Sun. Oct. 16th. This was a birthday trip since I turned 50 in July and with Disney turning 50, I wanted to do something we have never done at Disney before. It really was an great time. We arrived at the park around 4:30 like we had read. We were able to get our candy bags and purple wrist bands and head on into the park. We went over to Exhibition Hall to try to get the pins, but could not until 7:00. We had reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern for 5:10. Of course the food was great and the characters were dressed in costume. After we ate we walked over and rode Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. We collected some candy and proceeded to lay out our plan. My only problem with Disney was that they had to much going on at the same time!!! We wanted to get a good seat for the Headless Horseman and the parade.(we stood on the corner right in front of Casey's Restaurant.) But I also wanted to get some Villians autograph (7:00 in front of castle) and a picture with the Seven Dwarfs. I saw them getting ready as we were running to see the villains. (My husband said I was like a little kid not knowing which way to go!!!) The HHman was neat and the parade was really good. The characters were all dressed and the dancers were awesome. The "Hallowishes" fireworks was absolutely the best ever. Stand on main street facing the castle. They were awesome!!! After the parade we walked along mainstreet and got our pins and the other night pins at the jewelers. TIP: If you want a shirt from this special event, get it early. They were almost all sold out when we got ours later in the evening. We did do some trick or treating. The path along the back of Toontown was not that great of a deal unless you lucked out and some of the characters were there. We got our free picture later in the evening when there was no line. Overall, I would definitely go again. Disney knows how to put on a party. P.S. I did get my picture with the Seven Dwarfs at 11:55p.m.! That was the highlight of the night.

Joi Pinckney - October 16, 2005

This was my fourth time going and I have to say it was the best. We arrived right at 7:00 and as we were walking down Maint Street USA they were playing music and everybody walking into the park was dancing and singing, the first showing of the Villains mix and mingle in front of the castle was right at 7:00 so we went straight there and saw the show. Next we headed to Toontown to get our faces painte, note it is free everybody, and the line was short. My friends daughter,age 9, went as Malificent and the facepainter did her face all in green to look like Malificent. She scared all the Sleeping Beauties... it was great. The parade was great and we sat right in front of the castle for the fireworks, they were the best by far, we stayed in the same spot for the 2nd parade. There wasn't a line for anything and we did see the ghost at the HM, she
was telling stories and posing for pictures. They're not always there and you have to time it right to see them. We trick or treated and got alot of candy, more then usual. This by far was the best year ever.

Donna Slaughter - October 16, 2005

My husband, four-year-old son and I went October 16 to the MNSSHP. What a fantastic experience! We got through the gate around 6:30 after a great dinner at CM at the Contemporary. We went right in and were promptly handed "trick-or-treat" bags - all three of us. We followed the signs to Liberty Square and Adventureland where we got a jump start on the trick-or-treating. We had our bags about 1/3 full by the time they opened the park for us.

We got our picture taken right away, so as to avoid any lines later. Then it was on to the rides! We walked right on all the rides we went to for the first hour - how fantastic! The only thing we waited for all night was a four to five minute wait for Peter Pan and It's a Small World.

The fireworks were absolutely spectacular! We've been to the MVMCP twice, and we all agreed that these fireworks were better, hands down! Then we prepared for the parade, and all loved the headless horseman riding the route. Make sure that you get your feet and hands off the road prior to the horse riding through for safety. The parade was great - and more candy was had by all!

Just a few tips: get your picture early so as to avoid long lines later - the kids are more awake and alert earlier on as well. If you're going to go on the trick-or-treat path from Toontown to Tomorrowland, stay to the left for characters when you enter, to the right for candy. After the first section, the lines seem to mix a bit, so don't worry about not getting candy or seeing characters - you can get to both - it's just a bit crowded, I'd head there immediately following the pictures, or toward the end of the evening when crowds thin after the fireworks and last parade. Look for trick-or-treat stations everywhere - there are at least five not listed on the map that we found! YUM! Dress up the whole family! Have a great time - we certainly did and can't wait to go next year!

Lori E. - October 16, 2005

What a great party! The highlight of the evening was the fireworks display. Without a doubt, their best show yet! We had a fabulous time, but I broke the number one, cardinal rule of visiting WDW. I didn't wear comfortable shoes with my costume. Even though the yellow- with-red-bow shoes really made the Minnie-outfit, my feet were killing me after only a couple of hours. Fortunately, I had stowed some sneakers in a locker!

Traci Westling - October 16, 2005

This was our first Halloween party trip ever. We were excited to see sooo many get into the spirit of it all. We chose to be hometown Pittsburgh Steeler fans by wearing Steeler jerseys this evening. All in all it was a great evening. Decorations are great. The headless horseman was awesome as noted by others who have attended. There was however a serious lag time between the horse and the actual parade as far as I was concerned. We then stayed in position for the fireworks (under flagpole on mainst.) After fireworks were over 9:30 ish we then proceded to enjoy what was left of the evening. Lines were basically empty and trick or treat was handing out handfuls after 10:30. Fireworks were grand and we did do alot. Pin lines in Expo Hall were HORRIBLE 7-8 pm! All in all..good for the experience & price. Once is enough though unless you are a Halloween Addict!

Heather- October 2005

Ok, my best friend and I are just big kids. We are in our mid-20s and there are few places that adults can dress up and have a "Not So Scary" Halloween Party. We loved every bit of the event, especially the fireworks, parade and lines. We went on a non-peak night, Tuesday, and never waited more than 10 minutes for anything. Another tip I would give is wear comfy shoes. Since I was dressed up, I wore shoes to match my costume and boy, did I pay for it later! Also try to get to the park before 7 PM and ride the Haunted Mansion before the crowds get heavy. In my opinion, that attraction and Peter Pan's Flight had the longest wait time. Anyhow, they corral all event guest into Liberty Square anyway, so it is the perfect time to ride. Have a great time -- I know I did.

Big Fans of MNSSH - October 13, 2005

My family and I LOVED the MNSSHP, we had a blast!! This is the best parade we've seen in a long time. We had dinner in the Liberty Tree Traven around 6:00 which is perfect because as soon as dinner was over we got our seats for the parade. Trick or Treating was so much fun, lines at times were a bit long but move really quickly. This is one of the best things we have done at the Magic Kingdom. Hallowishes Fireworks were great, if you watch them from Fantasy Land they go up all around you in a circle, you won't see the front of the castle, but we loved watching the fireworks from there anyway (very cool). Later in the evening they had a Villian Show on the castle stage and when the show finished they all came down for autographs and photo ops. (not crowded at all) This is a must see don't miss it if your budget allows you to buy the extra tickets. Can't wait to see it again. :). Next we have to go for the Christmas Celebraton!!

Kara Costello - October 13, 2005

My parents & I went to Mickey's Not So Scary Party & had a blast. Adults without kids will not feel out of place - we never did. We loved seeing all the kids in their costumes - we even saw an entire Incredibles family! We we entered the MK, we walked around, looking at the decorations & checking things out. Then we watched the first parade from Frontierland - one of the best I've seen at WDW. The Haunted Mansion precision marchers/dancers were amazing! We went to the Mansion as the parade was still ending & walked right on. In the stretchng room, all the adults screamed bloody murder when the lights went out. (All the kids weren't the least bit scared, just the adults.) When we came out we saw the ghost on the lawn telling a story - very cool. I stayed for the second parade & to see the Headless Horseman again. Hallowishes was awesome - I loved the narration by the Mansion's Ghost Host. All in all, a great night. Definitely worth the admission price!

Michelle S.- October 13, 2005

I took my 9 year old son to WDW. We had a great mother/son trip and I would highly recommend MNSSHP! Here are some things I learned. I would not go to a park before MNSSHP. We went to Epcot for 4 hours, thinking it wouldn't be too much but it was. Definitely go to MK before 6:00. We planned to arrive at 5:30 but were running late and arrived just at 6:00. When we arrived at 6:00, the computers at the entrance gates were changing from regular admittance to the party admittance and we were stuck at the turnstile for almost 5 minutes because I had put my MNSSHP ticket in before the computer read that type of ticket and the system wouldn't accept my AP. Then, we had to swim upstream through the mass of people leaving the park for the day. I found you can't buy the special MNSSHP pins before 7:00, so don't try that. The food places close between 6 and 7:00, so eat before or after. All we could find to eat was a popcorn stand and boy was the line long! There wasn't anything to do between 6:00 and about 6:40, so I think I would go get in line to get your free photo. By time we did that at 6:30, the line was pretty long. It did get longer and it did move quickly though.

We were able to start trick or treating about 6:45. There were no ghosts outside on the lawn at HM, like I had read about. There was no photo pass location at HM and at liberty boat riverdock (doom buggy had been there on other nights). We were told there were no fortune tellers. My son was disappointed because I had told him about these. So, I wouldn't give him as much information next time. It seems they do change some things from night to night. We walked onto HM ride. We went to some trick or treat spots from 6:45-7:00. They are easy to find. If the line is long, bypass that station. By the end of the evening you can just walk up to most locations with no waiting. You get tons of candy anyway. We only hit about a third of the stations. Still, the candy we got filled up one gallon size ziplock bag. Most of it was chocolate.

There was no telling of the headless horseman story by Mr. Knickerbocker. There was a short blip over the PA before the parade started and the headless horseman did ride through, which was cool. We loved the parade, especially the HM float and dancers. Check your camera batteries and memory card while your waiting for the parade to start. Both of mine ran out DURING the parade and needed to be changed in the dark during the parade. Oh, and my tape on the cam corder filled, too, and needed to be changed! It would have been fun to attend the party a second night so I could have actually watched the parade, ha! My son loved it. After we watched the 8:00 parade, we got a hot dog at Casey's corner and went to get spots for the fireworks at about 8:30. I didn't mind if we were right in front of the castle and we found good spots across the street from the partner statue. The fireworks, titled "Happy Hollowishes" was the most awesome thing we did all evening. I liked it better than Wishes and I love Wishes. It really put you in the Halloween mood.

After the parade, we rode Buzz and just walked right on. Go over by space mountain and walk the back path to tomorrowland. There are multiple candy spots all along the path and it wasn't crowded at all. The people are dressed as cards from Alice in Wonderland. It was fun. At the end of the evening, there was some sort of villian show in front off to the left of the castle. We watched it from Sleepy Hollow food place but we were too far away. It looked fun. We were just too exhausted to run up and check it out. Check the guide map to see when it's shown.

One last hint, monitor the amount of candy your child eats. I was busy reading the map and making sure we didn't miss all the fun and I guess my son was eating candy. He claimed he only ate 10 pieces of chocolate. I think not. At 9:30 the next morning, he woke up not feeling well. I won't go into detail but lets just say when I grabbed the plastic lined garbage bag, it got filled with chocolate. I actually heard other people saying the same thing happened to their kids. I think all that walking in the heat doesn't mix well with chocolate. He was fine after that. I hope I am able to bring him back again next year. We loved MNSSHP!

Sonya Ramsey - October 11, 2005

We attended this year MNSSHP this year, it was our second time. the whole family dressed up in costume (pirates and tinkerbell), headed for the park early for our dinner reservation at the Liberty Tree. I must say, we had a wonderful time - again. It was a little tricky with a toddler and a 10 month old (dressed as tinkerbell), but we pulled it off. The parade and fireworks were wonderful, and there was more than enough candy for the asking. Also,t here are so many characters on hand for visiting and taking pictures. It is worth the extra money and we schedule our trips to WDW so that we can attend. The whole event so so incredibly festive, we've become addicted. It seems to get better every year.

Bill - October 11, 2005

My family and I attended the October 11th MNSSHP and had a blast! this was one of the best events we attended at Disney World. We arrived at 6:45 and the Magic Kingdom was already crowded with people dressed in costume. During the first parade, we went on all of the rides in Frontier Land - as there were NO lines. We were able to sit directly in front of the Castle for the fireworks, and they were very good. Good show with accompaning "ghoulish" music playing. For the parade, the Headless Horseman rides down the street a few minutes prior to the start, which is a good touch, as the character is actually galloping on a real horse down the parade route. The parade was also good. Overall, it was a good experience, and well worth the additional cost. We were able to get on most rides between and after the final parade with minimal wait times. But as stated earlier, there were NO lines for the rides during the first parade. Tips: If you are a pin collector, once you enter the park, go to Exposition Hall, and to the right of the main entrance is a smaller wing of the building. this is where you will be able to purchase that night's Pin, along with the Annual Passholder pin. To collect the previous MNSSHP pins, you will need to go to the Jewelry store on Main Street. While waiting for the parade, yell "doughnuts" to the vendors in the street. They will do circles with their carts for you.

Wendy S- October 11, 2005

My husband, 5 year old daughter and myself attended the MNSSHP on Tuesday, October 11th. We had a great time, the weather was perfect and the crowds were relatively light compared to earlier in the day. We got advanced dining reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern at 6:05 PM when I purchased the tickets in May. It was well worth sitting down to eat before the party started at 7:00 PM. We were seated pretty quickly and saw Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip & Dale in costume. My daughter especially liked seeing all the other costumes people were wearing, especially the kids. The food was good and plentiful. Then it was off to the party. My daughter, dressed as Jasmine, had to ride the Magic Carpets. We walked right on. We watched the parade from Frontierland. I was thrilled to see the headless horseman ride by and was very impressed with the Grave Digger precision group. We then practically walked right on to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain and did some trick or treating before heading over to see the new Happy HalloWISHES Fireworks show in front of Cinderella's Castle. It was AWESOME!!!!! At one point the fireworks were so bright it seemed like the middle of the day. The extra expense was worth every penny and we would attend this party again given the opportunity. We highly recommend it to anybody who might be at the Magic Kingdom during October.

Stacey- October 11, 2005

My husband, my son, & I went to the Halloween party this year & had a great time once again! This was the second year in a row for us & we are already planning our trip next year, to attend the Halloween party. The parades were great. The Villians on Stage in front of the castle was a really cute show. We rode lots of rides & didn't trick or treat as much, because there was hardly any lines for the rides. Disney really does know how to have a great Halloween party! It's more fun if you go in costume, too! That's what Halloween is for!

Kristi M - October 7, 2005

This was a lot of fun for our family and friends. We dressed up in a Star Wars theme. My daughters dressed up as Princess Leia and Yoda. The cast members went out of their way for them. They would say, "right this way your highness" and "Master Yoda, candy is what you seek", and lots of other things like that. I expected it if they were dressed in Disney themes, but not so much with other things. The kids had the best time. Lines weren't long for anything. The fireworks were fantastic and not to be missed. We didn't go to the first parade in order to go on rides. Walked on almost everything. We went to the second parade and loved it too! The cast members were giving out candy by the handfuls, but it was hot so be prepared for melty chocolate. We loved this party, but we like the Christmas one a little better, mostly because it is not as hot.

J. Spaulding - October 7, 2005

We attended the MNSSHP on Oct 7. They let you into MK beginning at 4 pm with the Halloween tickets. We had a 4:30 reservation at Crystal Palace. My boys were a little embarrased about being in costume when no one else was, so I wish I would have brought the costumes for them to change in to. We finished dinner about 6 and they asked everyone with orange bands to head into the Frontier, Liberty Square and Adventureland. Everyone else was being asked to leave. It was like having the rides to ourselves. Awesome! We had spent almost a full day at MK earlier in the week, but there were many rides we didn't get a chance to ride. By the end of the night, we'd hit everything we wanted to do and more! We didn't see the parades, as we wanted to do the rides, but the fireworks were awesome! Be ready for the final BOOM. A little much for my ears. We didn't get much candy, but that was okay with me! We also didn't get any professional pictures, although if I would have asked around I'm sure we could have figured out where to go. All in all, it was great and would consider it money well spent!

Jonathan S. - October 7, 2005

My two best friends and I went to the Halloween Party. We arrived long before the party, getting on all of the rides that we wanted to before the party began as we wanted to get as much out of it as we could. Come that night, we learnt that this wouldn't have been a problem at all as the rides that did stay open had wait times of about 5 minutes each. Around 5:30 we decided to get into costume. I was Jack Skellington, my girlfriend was Alice, and her best friend was dressed in a homemade Belle costume. We walked around Fantasy Land where my friends were even accused of being CMs, priceless! While there was still light out, we took all of our photos around the park in front of the great decorations. The detail that Disney put into the party was simply amazing.

There was a man who was walking around with a clip board who asked the three of us if we wanted to be grand marshals in the parade! We immediately ran to the free face painting (yes, I said free) to get ready. They took us into the back where we got to ride the double decker bus from Frontier Land to Main Street. At the end, we watched the parade which turned out to be very fun. Riding through the park was probably one of the most memorable times that I've ever had in Disney.

There were plenty of characters running around the park that night, making plenty of picture opportunities, and so for those with autograph books, this is a rare and awesome opportunity. The central hub was filled fog, and in the fog you could see the illuminated castle. As we walked down Main Street to the music, we realized that this was a night that we wouldn't forget.

Samantha and Andrea - October 7, 2005

Went to MNSSHP on October 7th and LOVED it! We rode almost every ride in the park with no waits at all. The Halloween decorations were excellent! Being adults, we had no problem enjoying the party. We trick or treated throughout the park, saw the BEST magic show(Merlin's Magic School), danced with STICH (dressed as Elvis), and saw one of the best fireworks shows in the world. Oh' and how could I forget the Parade?! We loved the entire night...one we'll NEVER forget.

Rodrigo- October 7, 2005

Although i loved the December´s very Merry X Mas evenings, i found the Halloween party to be much better, not only beacuse of the Magic Kingdom itself but for the guests, you felt like you were actually in a party, most of the people including entire families were in very good and fun costumes, the park mood and ambiance was perfect, almost no lines anywhere and the fireworks were AMAZING even for Disney standards something i have trully never seen before, specially when they all explode 360 degrees around you. Worth every penny.

Marion- October 7, 2005

Our tickets were for the 6th, but because of the rain, transferred them to the 7th. Smart move, no rain. Our family dressed as Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz (big hit!!), a great witch, and Snow White. It was by far our favorite experience in Disney World. The park was transformed into a festive Halloween party and everyone was into it. Parade was great and the panoramic fireworks were unbelievable. Well worth the cost.Tip: Go to Adventureland and they will take professional pictures of you in costume (indoors). You're entitled to free 4 x 6 photos and can purchase more (of course). They mail them to your home. Good deal and not well advertised.
Thanks, Disney!!

Holly Harakaly- October 7, 2005

Went to MNSSHP for the first time Fri., Oct. 7. Had a great time!!! Alot of people in the park, however we found there to be no lines for any of the attractions. We walked right on, a real treat for my four year old son who had never been to Disney before. Saw tons of characters, but didn't line up for the Meet and Greets. My son is a little timid around the characters and a view from the walkway was plenty for him. Lines for the Meet and Greets were LONG. HalloWishes was really stunning. I had heard that you really need to be in front of the castle to get the full effect, which was true. We found a spot near a railing with a great view of the castle and sat right on the ground there. Went to a few Trick or Treat stations if they were right there with no lines, but otherwise didn't bother. We didn't wear our costumes as it was so hot. Would recommend this event to anybody!

JoAnn- October 7, 2005

It was, without a doubt, the best memories of our entire trip. My husband and son went dressed as matching pirates and our daughters were princesses. The whole park had such a festive feel to it. The decorations and piped in music were so much fun. It truly felt like you were at a party. Lots of people laughing and having a good time. I don't think I saw a single crying child or stressed out parent. The lines to all the rides were short, not more than 10 minutes at most. There were tons of different spots around the parks for character meet & greets and of course the trick or treating. The kids didn't get a whole lot of candy mostly because we decided to focus more on the rides than trick or treating. There was also a couple fun dance parties going on that the kids had a ball at. The highlight of the night was the halloween themed parade. It was a good balance of kid friendly and a tad scary fun. We had so much fun that we were there until the park closed at midnight and were wishing it didn't have to end. It's worth skipping out on some souveniers or fancy dinners to splurge on this. It was worth every penny.

Camille Gardner- October 1 AND 7, 2005

My family and I just returned from a seven night Halloween adventure at Disney. We went to the Halloween parties on both October 1 and October 7. There were several difference we noticed between what was offered at the two parties. On Oct 1, there was a PhotoPass person in front of the Haunted Mansion. We had our picture taken there, and it turned out great! We were all in our costumes, and the Mansion was eerily lit up behind us. This was not offered on Oct.7th. Also, we noticed the parade was a little different on the 7th. Although I must say, the parade and the Halloween Fireworks show were the best I have ever seen. Disney did Halloween the way onlt Disney can! GREAT!

Tips...

1. At seven o'clock get directly in front of the castle. All the Disney Villans come out and perform a short skit and then mingle for pictures right before the parade.

2. Stay in front of the castle for both the parade and the fireworks. The parades are at 8PM and 10PM. The fireworks are at 9:15PM. There are special effects on the castle!

3. Eat at Liberty Tree Tavern at 6PM, right before the party starts. (If you can get reservations.) All the characters are dressed up in Halloween costumes!

4. Look for special photo ops through-out the parks. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are available for pictures - all together - behind Dumbo's ride in Fantasyland. Also, Mickey, Minnie, and all the traditional characters are out in costume.

5. The Halloween Parties were well worth the expense. There were no lines on many of the rides through-out the night. It is a great time to visit!

Kara Jalkowski - October 6, 2005

My family (32 of us in all) and I attended the MNSSHP on Thursday, October 6th. It was fabulous! Way better than when we attended in October 2003. Last time we waited in line for 1 starburst, this time at every candy stop they gave you a handful, plus several handfuls on the way out of the park. Although the 8 o'clock parade was rained out and they put on some lame "rainy day character parade" instead, the 10 o'clock parade went off without a hitch. A not so good spot to watch the fireworks is on the bridge to the right of the castle between the castle and fantasyland. Too many trees, so our daughters (5 and 7) got bored and insisted we go ride Winnie the Pooh, but my hard-to-please-teenage nephew said they were the best fireworks he ever saw. The MNSSHP is a must see! Unfortunately we found the rest of the week so crowded and hot that I'm afraid that is probably the last time we'll ever attend in October.

Missy Bremer - Martinsburg, WV- October 6, 2005

We went thinking the park wouldn't be as crowded and it was the most crowded of the whole week. We ate at Liberty Tree to kick off the party. When we walked out the door it was so crowded. The candy lines were ridiculous. We gave up on that quickly. Outside of toon town fair. The lines for characters were at least 30 minutes and on several occasions after waiting that long were told they would be back in an hour. My parents were so frustrated they left less than an hour after arriving. We gave up early also. The cast members were also scarey. The usual Disney charm had some how been washed away with the rain. I consider it a waste of money and wouldn't go again unless they limited the ticket sales considerably.

Joanne Edwards - October 6, 2005

On October 6 we attended the MNSSHP. I must say we were disappointed with the experience. The 8:00 p.m. parade was canceled due to light rain. The trick-or treat line was long and crowded. I expected the children to receive at least something Disney, not all candy! But they did not. We missed the 10:00 p.m. parade because we were in line for a ride. The lines were still long for the rides that were open. The lines did thin out until after 11:00 p.m. but by then our 5 and 3 year-old children were getting tired. The decorations in the part were nothing special. The fireworks were excellent. Caught the very end of the Villian show on our way out at 11:45. Had a lot of villians, but do not know how the show was. Hardly any of the cast member were dressed-up. Kids enjoyed it because of the candy.

Melinda & Ariel - October 6, 2005

This year's party was so much better than last years. My daughter and I were dressed as Mouseketeers and had a BLAST!!!! Disney must have heard the complaints about last year's candy because my daughter and I only went through the no-waiting lines (about 4 or 5) and we each still came home with a full bag. At the end of the night, they were handing out double handfuls and just stuffing our bags. We don't go for the candy - so this was just an extra perk!

One thing I really loved about this year was the Villians Mix and Mingle. They come out and dance and then sign autographs. We were so excited to finally get some of our favorites! Maleficent, The Queen of Hearts, The Wicked Queen, Frollo, and others.

The fireworks were beyond belief. The best show I have ever seen at Disney. Get a spot in front of the castle for the best viewing. I only wished they sold a soundtrack for it. Villains songs set to a dance beat!

We only rode one ride because there was so much other stuff to do. We chose the Haunted Mansion - and what a treat it was to see the entire
cast in makeup and in true character, there was even a dead southern belle walking around!

They were not letting people in for photos in the Doom Buggy, but when I asked a cast member about it, they snuck us in for a quick picture! What a treat!

We had our free photo taken in Tomorrowland while waiting for the pins to go on sell at 7PM. The photo line moved swiftly and took maybe 10 minutes to complete. The pins were another story. We waited in line for over half an hour to purchase to Jumbo Stitch pin. They should let you preview the pins BEFORE you get to the register, I probably would not have waited so long as the pins were not that spectacular.

There were so many things to do and see, I could go on and on. This was by far the best Disney experience I have ever had! I just
wish we could do it again this year!

Kathy Sheeran - October 6, 2005

Overall we loved it. this was our first trip to Disney. Our kids loved getting candy at Disney world and meeting sooo many characters. It was really fun seeing all the guests in costumes. I did not know there were shirts available or other merchandise that is for Halloween 2005 only. I wish that was on the brochure. Loved the fireworks - even more spectacular than wishes. But, there was no tinkerbell or other character flying by. I would
have liked that. I did not see the headless horseman on the 6th. Don't know if he was there. It was rainy early on and humid so dress accordingly. Much prefer an umbrella over the ponchos - you get too hot too quick. One noteable thing - no Disney personnel or guests are rude. We all felt very special and that we got our money's worth. We are totally into the collectible pins now too. Can't wait to come back in a couple of years.

Helen George - October 6, 2005

We got there a little later than planned and so had to wait 35 minutes to be seated for our PS dinner in the Liberty tree Tavern. Not all the CMs were dressed as 'dead people' but all the characters were there. We saw them make at least 2 rounds each to all of the tables. It was very interesting to see other visitors in costumes. It was fun also having various families with complimentary costumes taking photos with each other, ie the family of dalmatian dogs with a Cruella Devil.

The weather forecast by disney was completely off, slight rain early in the day turned out to be RAIN for most of the evening, even though by the time we got out of LTT at 6.45p it was just about managable without having to use a rain poncho in that humidity.

This year most of the CMs handed out more candy, so actually ended up with 4 full bags of candy between the 2 of us. The free double stroller was a God send for its little shelter from the rain, storage vehicle for our candy and stuff, and as a carriage for Bo Peep- my DD.The map they handed out was not as informative as previous years such as the free face painting, story telling and family photos. The villains meet and greet sessions was not even mentioned, and I didn't see the Liberty boat cruising this year either.

There was no mention as to what time the headless horsemen was going to run and of course we missed it- we were riding on the near empty Big thunder mountain at the time! The second parade was still crowded even though we were at the beginning near Splash mountain, but we got front line views by waiting near the pathway rope.

We purchased the special MNSHP pins that they were selling at the Emporium and also some special merchandise that you can't get at any other times except during the parties. The bonus to going to the halloween parties at later dates is that you also get to purchase the special pins from the previous dates if any are left over. Those not in costumes were definately the minority this year.

Tracy - October 6, 2005

We attended MNSSHP on 10/6, my dd's 5th birthday. After a great dinner experience at the Crystal Palace we were ready for a fun night! Boy were we disappointed! The rain was a problem, of course, and the Rainy Day Parade wasn't much to write home about. There were just too many people there for the night to be enjoyable. We were not impressed by the number of treat locations (we swear there were more in 2003, and less people). After only an hour or so, dd had had enough (she was in Urgent Care the day before and still wasn't quite herself) so we made our way out of the park. The CMs were dumping candy into our little bags on the way out, so that made up for the lack of trick or treating. The more positive side of the night was that any rides we went on had little to no lines.

Carrie Nixon - October 6, 2005

Do NOT miss this Halloween Party!! We went October 6. It started out raining, so there was no 8:00 parade, and they cancelled both performances of Cinderellabration. But the rain let up, the party started!! The parade is fantastic!! The fireworks are great...but make sure you are in the FRONT of the castle. Do not watch them from Fantasyland. You miss half the show. Seeing all the characters that you don't normally see was great. If you want to fill up loads of treat bags, you can! We rode all the rides with no wait at all. They were sending down empty boats on Splash Mountain all night!! Fantastic, don't miss it!

Matthew- October 6, 2005

My family attended on 10-06-05 and had fun but were disappointed by the whole experience. We were told they "limit" the crowd. The "limit" is around 30,000 per night. On the night we attended they cancelled the 8:00 parade, a slight rain. That meant the crowd swelled for the 10:00 parade. It was hot, rainy and muggy so the crowd was less then happy. The lines for everything seemed to strech on forever and the mood continued to get worse. We had intended on staying till 11:30 so we still managed to do everything we wanted. We met a few characters (mostly villians), had our faces painted (for free), saw the parade, witnessed the firework (I thought better then Wishes) and rode a lot of rides. I took my advicse from some on else and feel I should pass it on. Arrive at the park around 4:30pm. The crowds begin to thin and the rides open up. We rode Pirates, Alladin's carpet ride, Hanuted Mansion, Splash Mountain twice each in less then an 90 minutes. At 6:00 pm Disney does a hard close and closes all the shop and all the rides. Attendees of the Halloween Party are asked to stay in Adventure Land and Frontier Land where they and they only can ride the rides. Like I said, we had fun but don't go expecting a small crowd. Unless you consider 30,000 people a a small crowd.

Melanie Stine- October 6, 2005

We had a blast! Aside from the early rain (and I mean RAIN!), everything was fantasic. We were even selected to be grand marshalls for the Halloween parade. Talk about feeling the magic! I was amazed at the warm greetings we received from the thousands of Disney fans that attended the parade. This was a perfect way to end our vacation!

Kathy- October 6, 2005

The crowds seemed bad as we were coming in, but not bad at all as we got farther into the park. Most of the rides had very short or no lines. We had great spots for the first parade, but it was canceled, due to "inclement weather." We were too busy on the rides to catch the later parade, but the fireworks were awesome!! It was nice to be in the park when the weather was a little cooler.

The Alice in Wonderland Trick or Treat path was great. My daughter loved meeting all of the characters! We also had a little Disney "magic" while we were there. My daughter left her candy bag in the Country Bear Jamboree, and when we went back, there was nothing but an empty bag. One of the CMs saw my daughter crying (mainly because she was mad at herself for forgetting her bag). She asked what happned, and then she gave my daughter an entire, full bag of candy to replace the lost one! That was so sweet and it really made our night!

Cecilia Deitrich- October 6, 2005

Rain hindered us some but we still had a great time. Tip #1 - with your ticket, you may enter the park early (4pm) but be prepared, at normal park closing time of 6pm most things shut down until 7pm.Tip #2 - strollers were available at no additional charge.

Shirley Lo - October 2, 2005

My husband, myself and our son (3 years old) just got back from a two week stay at WDW. We too attended the October 2 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Although it did rain and the 8:00 parade was delayed, the headless horseman DID ride through the streets. I had attended another halloween party and didn't see this so we just thought that was great.....along with the parade. We didn't see many characters that night. I don't know if we were just missing them or if they didn't have many out that night due to the weather. We also didn't see where to have the pictures done. My son however, was dressed as Woody and as we were standing watching fireworks, I turned and saw a sign for Woody and Jesse. I went into the building and sure enough, Woody and Bullseye were in there. I ran back outside and got my son, we came in and walked right up to
Bullseye as nobody was in there. We turned and Woody was gone. I asked where Woody went and the lady said he went outside to watch the fireworks. We ran out and again we were able to walk right up to him and my son got a wonderful picture of him and Woody both dressed alike. That made my trip complete.

Anne Kessler - October 2, 2005

This was our 2nd "party," and my DH both felt this year's was better than last years in three ways. Better candy and more organized trick or treat lines. The parade was better - TONS of villians and great music! THE FIREWORKS! I wish they would show Hallowishes every night of the year!

We got to MK around 5pm and went over to Adventureland. My son loved playing in the Tikis. My DH took DD on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. We got a lot of candy, then at 7pm headed over to Frontierland. We saw Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit, got more candy and watched Splash Mountain and BTMRR (my kids are too little to ride, but my DS wanted to watch). We then went to Liberty Square and had our picture taken in a Doom Buggy. This was cool. We then went to secure a spot for the parade. Since it had rained, the parade was delayed by about 1/2 an hour and
Headless Horseman didn't ride. Other than that, we LOVED the parade!

We are going back again NEXT year and cannot wait!!!

Thea Cassetta- October 2, 2005

7 adults, 5 kids (8,6,4,4,11 months) dressed as a pirate, a ninja, Captain Hook, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. The baby was Tinkerbell and people cooed over her all night. Very similar to the reports from the Sept 30 Party. The park was relatively uncrowded with plenty of character greetings and trick-or-treating. In fact the kids munched on candy from the party for a week. It had been rainy, so the 8 started a little late and did not have the Headless Horseman. I am not sure if the 10 parade did or not. The Hallowishes Fireworks were spectacular. The only attraction we wanted to do that was not open was the Jungle Cruise. The kids had a special time with the strolling pirate musicians by Pirates of the Caribbean. We were especially pleased with the folks at the Family Photo area in Adventureland. Working with a mob of 12 is not easy and our photos came out great. Received them in less than a week. All together a fun time for the kids and adults.

Cindy Travis- October 2, 2005

It was wonderful!!! It was very hot and had been raining off and on all evening. The parade was delayed for rain and the headless horseman did not get to make his ride due to slippery streets. But the parade was still worth attending. The kids received lots of candy from castmembers and there were candy stations set up all over the park. We were all in custumes, I was the Fairy Godmother so the cast members gave me candy to hand out to the kids waiting for the parade. Party Tip: If you wish to purchase a PIN for the MNSSHP event, buy them at the Magic Kingdom that night of the party cause you cannot buy them anywhere else in WDW and they can only be purchased the night of the event. The whole event is worth the money...especially if you have littel ones!

Kim H- October 2, 2005

My sister went to inquire about renting a double stroller for my nephews and they told her it was free for the Halloween party. Now that was a deal! The party was a lot of fun, we got off to a slow start with the rain coming down hard at the beginning. The only disappointment was there was no free pictures this year, if there was it was not advertised any where and definitely was not on the Map. I recommend going to the second parade, there was so much available space across from the County Bear Jamboree that we walked up just as the parade started and got front row seats.

Jeanie Johnston- October 2, 2005

We went on October 2nd. My 15 year old daughter and I dressed up as princesses. The cast members kept asking me what princess I was dressed up as....and I replied "Princess Mom"!! They just howled with laughter! There were hardly any lines, and we just walked on to most of the rides. The most fun was Space Mountain, as it seemed at around 7:00pm there was only us on that particular ride! I wanted to mention that Mr. Knickerbocker no longer tells the story of the Headless Horseman at The Liberty Bell before the parade. All in all this was super fun for a Mom and her teen age daughter. Trick or treating was just a hoot and we got LOTS of candy! (Love that chocolate)!! We plan to go next year.....can't wait!

DC Bumble- October 2, 2005

We went to the Sunday Oct 2 MNSSHP and had a great time. We were at Ft Wilderness waiting in a huge line for the boat, when WDW delivered the giant ferry boat ...the one that goes between the TTC and MK! It came right up to the dock, and there was plenty of room for everyone to get on. After a stop at the Wilderness Lodge we were off to the party. The entrance was all decorated with fog and Halloween music. We loved the ghosts and pumpkins on Main Street. It started to rain but thankfully not for long. We decided to go trick-or-treating first, and we got bags full of candy. The free picture line was very short and we had no wait once inside. We went on as many rides as we could.....there was little to no wait anywhere! The special Halloween fireworks are a must see and we loved the narrative. My kids thought the parade was cute, and got even more candy there. We really had a great time and could not have had a better time.

Regina Coppola- October 1, 2005

What a great time for all! My husband my parents and 2 sons ages 4 and 6 loved it. There were many people but no more than a five minute wait for all types of rides, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Fantasyland rides and the Haunted Mansion--creepy at night, I must say! The longest I waited was with my 4 year old for Tommorrowland Indy Speedway(15 minutes)but at least it wasn't in the intense sun and heat of the day. Magical moments always seem to happen, I wasn't checking my watch and let the kids dictate the fun, and wouldn't you know that the Hallowishes fireworks went off while we were riding in our Indy car. We had a great view and I will remember the moment forever. There was plenty of candy, high quality, and we met Goofy and Pluto and Captain Hook with no line at all, I just think it was due to the reduced crowds. The tickets were worth it just for that. I would definately do this again.

Karen Walker- October 2005

I visited Disney for their not so scary Halloween. I was extremley disappointed. It was just another day at Disney with candy for the kids. Disney hardly decorated. There were a few decorations at the gate, but after that nothing. Except they changed the lighting on Main St.We didn't watch the whole parade. It didn't hold the kids attention. I love Disney and visit every year, but this wasn't a something I would do again.

Heather Stitt- October 2005

We just returned to Ohio from attending the 2005 Not So Scary Halloween. My husband and I attend with his Aunt and Uncle Jim and Judy Betts who joined us from Tampa. All I can say is WOW!!! The Fireworks were the BEST and the parade was great. I don't know if they had this last year but you can get a picture at the place where you board the boat nest to the Haunted Manison, this is NOT the free picture but really comes out nice and makes a great keepsake. We took that picture and then went right to the Hall of Presidents for our FREE photo. We attend the Special Christmas Parade in 2004 and I can tell you the pictures are top quality. If you are a Season Passholder, you will want to go to the park in the afternoon because if you wait until just before the Halloween Party starts at 7:00pm, you will be charged the Parking Fee. The lines for candy move very quickly but sometimes were hard to find. The time go very quickly and be sure to be in your spot for the parade about 10 - 15 mins. ahead of time so you won't miss the special treat. All in all it was GREAT.

Lisa Crimando- September 30, 2005

We went to our very first MNSSHP on opening nite. We weren't sure what to expect having never been before. We had so much fun, my kids, ages 11, 9, and 6 dressed as ninja's, and received so much attention from partygoers and cast members alike. While waiting for the parade to start, a cast member offered candy to children who would do a "trick" for him. My daughter who is a gymnast did back handsprings down main street and received a ton of candy from cast members on the sidelines! It was truely magical. We had so much fun walking right on to whatever rides we chose, no waits at all. The candy was plentiful, handfuls into our bags at each stop..and good stuff too! Skittles, twix, etc..which we munched on during the awesome parade. The haunted mansion part of the parade was our
favorite..the ballroom dancers especially. I can't believe the castle was made to look soo spooky during the fireworks. It was a great experience for our family.

Karen Karczewsk- September 30, 2005

My family and I just enjoyed the 1st night of Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party. i have been to disney world 9 times and i have never had so much fun! my family and i dressed up at the mickey mouse club and it was great! (there was 8 of us, 6 adults, 2 kids). i highly recommend SKIPPING the rides and doing everything else... well
except the Haunted mansion of course! go to the character greetings, see the stories and shows, do the trick and treating (the candy is great!) watch the AWESOME parade and see the fireworks. it was the best 5 hours i have ever spent at disney. and oh yeah... dress uP!

Kristin Long- September 30, 2005

We went to opening night of the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was great!! Some of my favorite things were: I loved hearing the upbeat music as we walked down Main Street. The characters were all located very close to "their" attraction. There were hardly any lines for all of the rides. The Boo to You parade was just precious! We also saw the now famous "Fast Pass Family" and a great Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. We went to the Not So Scary Party on our last night. On our next trip to Walt Disney World, the Halloween Party will be our first night in the park. It's a great way to see ALL of the characters in one night. Once again Disney...you've outdone yourselves!!

Amy Magnan - September 30, 2005

LOTS of info for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party 2005

For those who have been there in the past, we all know EVERYONE is welcome to dress up in costume & trick-or-treat throughout the park. Costumes must be in good form so nothing too scary or gruesome & you cant wear a costume that features a mascot head (a mask that has complete cranium coverage so no one can see your head) this is so no one can be confused w/ the entertainment at the party. Otherwise, children & adults are all more then welcome to dress up in costume & trick-or-treat throughout the park.

Happy HalloWISHES: Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out to Socialize. (No character flys from the castle during this performance)

The fireworks opened up w/ The Haunted Mansions "Ghost Host" as 'Grim Grinning Ghosts' & 'This is Halloween' played throughout w/ loads of green, blue, purple & orange, & white fireworks.

"Trick-or-Treaters" appear & "ring" the castle door. The ringing is also accompanied by a small bright white firework coming out from the castle door.

Ursula, Jafar, Snow Queen, Oogie Boogie are all trick-or-treaters & all feature their own mini segment of the show.Favorite Villain Songs are played & sung with their own theme fireworks: Cruella DeVil, Oogie Boogie, Pink Elephants, Hellfire, Poor Unfortunate Souls, Big Bad Wolf, Heffalumps & Woozles are a few to name along with firworks that form shapes like Jack-0-lanterns, faces, & Cruella DeVil style hair.All throughout: spooky images of the characters & ghosts are all over the castle & there is a light fog that covers the ground giving it an extra sppoky touch!

Perminiter fireworks (fireworks that are shot AROUND the Magic Kingdom-not just behind the castle) are towards the end & they were gorgeous.

This show is all new for 2005 & may very well be one of the BEST fireworks presentations Disney has ever offered. EVERYONE will enjoy this presentation. Best veiwing for the show is: Main Street USA, Mickeys Toontown Fair, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland.

Mickey's Boo-To-You Parade:

Features all your favorite characters as always with a wonderful soundtrack.

The first batch of characters to lead it off parading down the street are: Aladdin, Jasmine, Snow White, Dopey, Mad Hatter, Alice, Pinocchio & Gepetto & each has a mask. * Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Daisy have the first float & are of course in their costumes. Mickey a jester, Minnie a witch, Donald a prince & Daisy a princess.

* Next to make their way down the street is the Hundred Acre Wood Gang led by Christopher Robin himself followed by Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore & Piglet all in costume! Rabbit, Kanga & Roo are on the float following close behind.

*Next behind the Hundred Acre Wood float is Peter Pan, Wendy & the Lost Boys. Tailing right behind them is a float featuring the Pirates of the Carribbean singing "Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirates Life for Me!". Atop the Pirates float is none other then Captain Hook & Smee. Chasing close behind the Pirates float is the hungry & humorous Tick-Tock the Crock from Peter Pan.

*The next segment of the parade is probably the coolest segment. It features The Haunted Mansion & first walking down the street is the Haunted Mansions' groundskeeper w/ his dim lantern in one hand & his bloodhound on a leash beside him. (yes- the dog is real!) Following behind them are the Haunted Mansion ballroom dancers, and a float featuring the infamous 3 hitch-hiking ghosts all singing "Grim Grinning Ghosts". Tailing behind the float are the Haunted Mansion grave diggers w/ shovels.

*The next segment of the parade is the good old fashioned country square dance led by Horace Horsecollar & The Country Bears. On the silo barn float is the number one cow girl: Clarabell Cow! Behind her, Chip & Dale, Bre'r Rabbit & Bre'r Bear along w/ some dance partners are do-si-do'ing and inviting everyone to clap along. On a barn float behind them is the queen of the coop: Clara Cluck singing & clucking high in her top floor hen house.

*All the villains are next (did u really think they were gonna miss out on their favorite time of year?) & what a crowd there was: Cruella, Snow Queen, Big Bad Wolf, Honest John Foulfellow, Stromboli, Sherriff of Nottingham, Queen of Hearts, Malificent, Jafar, Frollo are all parading the streets. On the float behind them is a skeleton band with the Magic Mirror icon above them. On the back of the float features Pain & Panic followed by Shenzi, Banzai & Ed the three hyenas from the Lion King.

*The finale features Pluto dressed as a baker & Goofy dressed as a Candy-Stiper. Goofy sits in his "Goofys Candy Company" car telling everyone that theres plenty of candy to go around & behind him are his assistant candy makers pushing push carts full of giant Goofys Candy Bags. After all, it is all of his candy stop stations guests are trick-or-treating at!

Trick-Or-Treating

PLENTY of trick-or-treating stations all throughout the park featuring many name brand candies.

But prob the most fun trick-or-treat stops were the Character Paths in Adventureland at the Jungle Cruise & the bridge from Mickeys Toontown Fair to Tomorrowland. Along the paths there are multiple candy stations along w/ character meet & greets: Adventurland friends include: Terk, Tarzan, King Louie, Baloo, & Rafiki. The bridge from Toontown to Tomorrowland is Alice & Mad Hatters Treat path & along the path you can meet with: Alice, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Mr. Walrus, White Rabbit, & the queens army or playing cards.

Character Meet & Greets:

* MANY Villains at Castle Forecourt
* Mickey at Mickeys House
* Donald at Donalds Boat
* Goofy at Barnstormer
* Daisy, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Tigger, Pooh, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Belle at Toontown Town Hall gift shop
* Little Einstiens at Toontown Train station
* Aladdin & Jasmine at Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
* Peter Pan & Wendy at Pirates of the Carribbean
* Ariel at Ariels Grotto
* 7 Dwarfs across from Mrs. Potts Cupboard
*Eeyore & Piglet at 100 Acre Wood Playground
*Goliath the Gargoyle behind Cinderellas Castle
* Tweedledee & Tweedledum at Mad Tea Party
* Bre'r Bear & Bre'r Rabbit at Big Thunder Mountain
* Woody & Jessie at Diamond Saloon
* Merlin at Storytime w/ Belle Theater
* Buzz Lightyear at Timekeeper
* Stitch at Cosmic Rays
* Terk, Tarzan, Baloo, Rafiki, King Louie at Adventureland Treat Trail
* Alice, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Mr. Walrus, White Rabbit at Alice & Mad Hatters Treat Trail.

Lindy - September 30, 2005

I just wanted to let everyone know about our experience with the opening night of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. We had such a blast! There was so much to do and so little time to do it all! Our kids had buckets FULL of candy before we were even half way done with our Trick-Or-Treating! We had a great time, and were all dressed up in costume. My girls were Belle and Tinker Bell, and all of Disney staff and characters made a fuss over both of them. I was Cinderella myself, and I had several little girls come up to me and hugging me without letting go. Of course, my girls were looking at them with a strange face (hey, that's my mommy!). Disney staff pulled me aside when entering the park and told me that I could not pose for pictures or sign autographs as Cinderella! It was funny! My girls
loved all of the meet and greets with the characters! The parade was good...it does leave a little to be desired, but they did a great job. FYI--the grave diggers with the shovels kind of freaked my girls out, but they were okay after I
told them that the men were trying to show them tricks with the shovels!! We had to wait in a semi-long line to get our photo taken, but it was a must do for us! There was little to no wait for all the rides that we went on, so that was also a bonus for us! The fireworks show was amazing! We will definitely be back! Disney really did make this a special MNSSHP this year!

Chris White - September 30, 2005

This years' party seemed even better than last year. Most trick-or-treating was well organized in areas off the beaten path, so crowds were not blocking the usual paths through the lands. We walked out with full bags of candy, which was mostly chocolate! We did not have a problem with it melting, either. We enjoyed the ghost greeting guests on the lawn of the Haunted Mansion - she was commenting on the costumes she saw. You could get Photopass pictures inside a Doom Buggy where you would normally load for the steamboat and you could also get a picture in front of the invisible horse carriage. A tip: if you would like a picture at this spot, get it taken before it gets dark. You could not see the carriage in the pictures! Something not to be missed: Hallowishes. We have seen the normal Wishes fireworks from many locations in the park and we both felt that Hallowishes was better than the normal Wishes. We also felt that the best experience is in front of the castle. Although you can see the normal Wishes from anywhere in the park, with Hallowishes you do lose some of the effects if you are not looking straight at the castle. Bring your sunglasses- the finale is bright! The parade seemed nice - about as good as previous years - so if you are pressed for time save your time for the fireworks...it can only be seen at this party! For some reason, the free photo locations were NOT on the map this year. Two of the three locations were at Time Keeper and at the Hall of Presidents. The Hall of Presidents only had two photo stations, which seemed to take much longer than when we had done photos in the Timekeeper area last year. As for the costumes, some families were so well dressed that children asked to pose with them. We saw an Incredibles family and a little boy was so convinced it was the real Incredibles that he asked for a picture. The family had to put their masks on and poised with a smile. The best costume we saw, however, was the family of Fast Passes for Splash Mountain...very creative!!!!

Gene Rizzolo - September 30, 2005

Just wanted to add my voice to the many who have participated in Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. My wife and I and our 2 daughters (2 and 4) attended Opening Night 2005 (Friday, 9/30) and we all had a blast. Before trick-or-treating we grabbed a quick bite at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. Fortunately, there was a candy stop right at the entrance! Then, my daughters were delighted to see Stitch performing his Elvis routine along with Chip and Dale on stage in the Cafe. We then wandered throughout the park and were amazed to see that although the crowd was moderate, there were no lines for any rides! We watched Mickey's Boo To You Parade, the highlight of which was seeing all the Villians assembled in one place. The floats and costumes were amazing and this was one of the more enjoyable Disney parades I'd ever seen. Even along the parade route, cast members were giving out candy. There was certainly no shortgage of candy anywhere. One of the highlights of the night (for me anyway) was meeting up with Captain Hook and one of his shipmates outside of Pirates of the Carribean, seeing as both my wife and I were dressed as pirates! We have a great photo to remember it by. Later, we watched the fireworks which were also fantastic. When we finally left for the evening - yes, even at the exits they were giving out more candy! The entire evening was one of my best experiences ever in visiting the Magic Kingdom. I am glad we dressed in costume and I recommend adults/parents do also as it will add to your enjoyment. I'd say probably 75% - 80% of attendees were in some sort of costume, and I heard more than a few non-costumed people comment that they wished they had dressed up. So go to the party, dress up, act silly, and have yourself a time to remember!

Sandi - September 30, 2005

Wow this year was the best!!! We went Opening Night.

NEW!! for 2005 - Hallowishes - this was a terriffic show. We liked it better than Wishes! It started at 9:15 and lasted about 20 minutes. All the villians did the story with lights and beautiful fireworks that were themed towards the villian speaking. Get a good seat in front of the castle to get the full effect. This fireworks show is only at the MNSSHP.

Mickey's Boo-To-You Halloween Parade was back at 8:00 and 10:00. The parade starts at Frontierland. and moves through the park on the traditional parade route. Halloween Dance Parties were in two spots. You could dance the night away with characters. Stitch's Cosmic Dance Party is at Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland and Get Up and Boo-gie Dance Party is in Ariels Grotto in Fantasyland. We found a good spot and watched the parade, Cinderellabration and then Hallowishes. We never moved!

The lines for all the attractions were short all night! We never waited over 5 minutes, for any ride!!!! We walked right onto ALL the Mountains, and we even rode the rides in Fantasyland (which we never do) because we just walked right on.

There were some new things this year... well maybe not new just done differently, which worked well. Trick or Treats were grouped in several areas. You walked in a line and had 4-5 different areas to get candy.

Halloween pins had to be purchased in a special area of Exhibition Hall (can't buy them at the Emporium like years past)

This years Shirts are Bright Orange - much nicer than last years.

Robin - September 30, 2005

My husband, 20 month old daughter and I attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween. It was crowded but the lines for rides were not long. A majority of kids and parents were dressed up in costumes. There was even a family dressed up as Disney "Fast Passes" - VERY creative! Lots of candy stations and cast members with bags of candy BUT BE WARNED on warm nights that candy will melt faster than you can say Ichabod Crane! My ONLY complaint about the whole evening? The parade music and "background music" throughout the park was extremely loud!!! I am only 34 years old too! FUN Tip - take your kids to the Music and Dance Contest by Dumbo's ride. All of the kids were having soo much fun dancing in their costumes and a few Disney characters were there too!

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