Every Halloween season, theme parks all around the country transform into psychotic spectaculars, sure to scare you to the bone. Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida transforms, but the festivities there are less frightening and more, well, not so scary. I remember my girlfriend telling me about this event years ago, and I scoffed at the idea of a "not so scary" Halloween event. After all, as a child of Ohio, I was used to Fear Fest at Kings Island, the maddening Halloween street party in Athens, and various small scale corn mazes and haunted houses, so one could understand my skepticism. Not long after, we moved to Florida and I experienced Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for the first time...and have done it every year since. With all this in mind, let us take a look at our 2018 visit.
We're almost there! (?)
PRICES
Everybody who knows anything about Disney World knows most everything related to the place is expensive, and this party is not exception. There is a rather convoluted pricing structure with small savings if you are a Florida Resident and/or staying at one of Disney's resorts, so I am going to first assume you are neither of these and will be paying full price, then mention where you may save. You will arrive at the parking lot and pay $22 to park your car (this is free if you are staying at one of the resorts, but if you are parking your car at a resort, there is a fee for that--I'm not even going into that pricing tree). If you plan on attending JUST the Halloween party, you can arrive as early as four in the afternoon, even though the party itself doesn't start until seven, so that is kind of cool--unless it's hot. We went on September 18 and the heat index was around 105 degrees which, with tens of thousands of people around you, felt more like 10,000 degrees--the temperatures at this time of year don't exactly scream "Halloween Season", and these parties this year actually started in August! Back to pricing--so remember I mentioned a convoluted pricing structure? One thing that quantifies that statement is the fact that you will pay a different price depending on the day you go--the low end runs about $75 for the ticket, while the average is around $99. If you go on a Friday in October you will be paying $109 per ticket, and if you insist on going on Halloween night, that will cost you $125 per ticket...and there are other random prices thrown in there as well, the cheapest of which in October is $89...plus tax. Again, these prices are JUST for the party, and allow you in the park from four in the afternoon until the party wraps up at midnight. You want to enjoy the park before the party? If so, be ready to spend another fortune--about $114 per ticket...plus tax. If you are a Florida resident, you save a little bit on each of these tickets--staying at a resort doesn't get you any deals at all on the tickets, unless you bundle them with your room, and that's another mess of pricing I won't touch. All tallied up, if you are looking to make a whole day of it, between the parking and the tickets you are looking at as high as $261...plus tax...per person. Want to eat, drink, and buy souvenirs? Take out a loan before you arrive.
None of this is cheap
GETTING THERE
If you are a local, you probably know the whole deal of getting to Magic Kingdom, but if you have never been, and you are thinking it is like practically every other park in the world where you just park your car in the parking lot and walk up to the turnstile...well...it's not. Depending on your attitude though, this adventure can be kind of fun. So the journey starts off like you would expect--you pay the $22 at the booth and park your car in a parking lot--one side is the Heroes Lot, and the other side is the one I somehow always end up at, the Villains Lot--we were in Hook this night (yes, the lots have areas named after Disney characters). So you park your car and, depending on where you are, you may literally see nothing else around you but other cars and trees. In this case, you will want to hop on a Disney tram.
They look like this
You get on, pray there is nobody annoying around you (there probably will be), and after waiting what seems an eternity for all the slow-moving people to finally board, you are off, thinking to yourself "Hurray! Next stop, Magic Kingdom!"--and you're wrong. You are dropped off in front of a row of security and a row of ticket booths. You pass through security, walk past the booths, and, if you look hard enough past the massive lagoon, may see Magic Kingdom...
There it is...squint
It's still a mile and a half away (literally), meaning you have to hop another means of transportation--either the world-famous Disney Monorail, aka "The Highway In The Sky"...
Please stand clear of the doors
or the boat that takes you across the aforementioned lagoon...
She made the choice for us
I have been on both more times than I can count, and always recommend taking one to get to the park and the other to get back, though on this night, we took the boat both ways--more on that later. If your tolerance for people is particularly low--well, you probably shouldn't go to Magic Kingdom ever, but if you are this type person and find yourself going anyway, the boat may be your best bet--it tends to be far less crowded than the monorail. After this second journey, you find yourself, at last, in front of Magic Kingdom.
We made it!
The lesson learned here: Give yourself plenty of time to get from your car to the park.
NOT SO SCARY?
If you are used to attending the Halloween themed parks I mentioned earlier, you are very used to going through the haunted houses, with monsters and creeps lurking around every corner to scare you--don't expect any of this at the Not-So-Scary Halloween party. The scariest it gets at Magic Kingdom is with the stroller terrorists and cell phone zombies.
It's really not so scary
That said, if you are picturing a lot of children running around and their parents chasing them, and nothing more, it's not quite that either. The first year I went I was surprised how many adults without children were there. So if you are interested in going but think you will feel out of place because you don't have kids, put that worry aside! This is particularly true after the fireworks show around ten. After that, hordes of people, including most of the young kids, clear out, making the last couple hours arguably the most fun.
IF THERE ARE NO HAUNTED HOUSES, WHAT IS THERE TO DO?
As it turns out, there's lots to do! The first thing I will talk about is perhaps my favorite thing about this event. Halloween Horror Nights, Halloween Haunt, and countless other do not allow you to dress in a costume for their events, but Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party encourages it--even if you are an adult!
Some costumes
We went as Sharknadoes this year and had a blast. There are some restrictions to these costumes, such as no masks if you are over 15 and nothing too scary (though I did see a couple guys with knives through their heads with blood down their faces, and another guy dressed as The Nun, so I guess this is not strictly enforced). Not only is getting dressed up for the event fun, but seeing all the other costumes is always a good time too! You will see LOTS of Disney characters, with the most recent films' characters being the majority--plenty of Incredibles this year, and no matter the year, you will see couples dressed as Carl and Ellie from Up. Outside of these, you do see a lot of unexpected costumes as well--I'm sure nobody thought they would see Sharknadoes this year!
TRICK OR TREAT!
Now that you are all dressed up and in the park, you can also--get ready for it--go trick or treating! Again, this is not just for kids! If you don't feel like bringing your own bag, Disney gives out complimentary bags to use for this purpose, and those small bags hold plenty of snacks. If you do feel like bringing your own, have at it! I have seen people using Disney merchandise bags, backpacks, pillow cases--you name it! All the trick or treat locations are on the map you receive when you arrive at the party, and are also marked by large, impossible to miss blow up markers.
Candy this way!
The booty
BOO TO YOU
Disney, and Magic Kingdom in particular, has long been known for their parades, so it should come as no surprise that Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has it's own parade, and what a parade it is!
The Grand Marshall
It begins!
We start with many of the Disney favorites you are used to--Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, etc--all dressed up for Halloween!
The big guy
We then get some other favorite good guys, such as Winnie The Pooh (speaking of him, do yourself a favor and watch Christopher Robin. It's a wonderful film). We get some ghosts and ghouls before finally arriving at the finale of the parade, the villains! Disney doesn't let these guys out too often, so seeing them in the parade is a really cool experience. If you wish to check out the parade, plan ahead--to get a good spot, you may have to park it about an hour before the parade starts. If you are planing on staying late, consider catching the second parade--that one tends to be less busy. This parade is something I look forward to every year, and it is certainly worth the wait!
Gravediggers lighting up the street
Rock on
Get those fingers back on the keys!
Do not make her mad
Dancing ghouls
Never pick up hitchhikers
More candy is coming!
Tinker Bell loves a parade
HAPPY HALLOWISHES
Probably even more than being known for the parades, Magic Kingdom is known for their fireworks show. Happy Hallowishes is the fireworks spectacular presented exclusively for the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The fireworks themselves are specially themed, and as an added bonus, there is a projection show presented on Cinderella Castle. If you want a "good spot" (right in front of the castle) for this show, plan on taking a seat at least an hour, if not more, before the show. To me, this is a huge waste of time, as there are many great places throughout the park to see this show. If you don't care about the show on the castle, but only want to see the fireworks, stand somewhere behind the castle--there is plenty of room back there. If you don't care about the show at all, this is a great time to go to some rides.
HOCUS POCUS
Another exclusive to the party is the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular show. In this one, the Sanderson Sisters from the movie Hocus Pocus meet many of the Disney villains, including Oogie Boogie, Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, Hades, and more. The premise of the show is cool, and seeing the villains is also fun, but the show itself doesn't quite live up to the potential. As with the other shows, if you want a good spot, show up early.
The sisters and the doctor
Oogie Boogie getting down
The castle changes color during the show
See
ALL THE REST
Another appealing thing about this party is the fact that only a limited number of tickets to it are sold Not only does that keep the trick or treating lines short, it also keeps the lines to the rides short! If you have been to Magic Kingdom on any given day, especially in the summer, you know you usually wait a LONG time for most of the rides--during the party, you walk right on a lot of them, and even the more popular rides typically only have about a 20-30 minute wait.
Short lines everywhere
This year, they also added a little extra magic to a couple of the rides--Pirates of the Caribbean has live actors, Space Mountain has special music and is lit, and The Mad Tea Party has special lighting.
Groovy
Another tip is to take your time checking out the decorations. From the time you walk to the front of the park, you can see that Halloween is all around you, and that is only amplified when you get to Main Street.
Jack-O-Lantern awesomeness
Don't just look ahead, but also look up, as you will see some of the coolest little touches above the stores.
Casey's Corner
If you are into meeting characters, this is a good time to go check out the meet and greets you don't see the rest of the year. We skipped this part, as my girlfriend is terrified of the characters, but we did get a look at some from a distance, including these guys...
Who's this?
The Dapper Dans even get a makeover for this event, transforming into...
The Cadaver Dans!
The Cast Members (what Disney calls their employees) also get to wear special costumes for the event, none as cool as the folks who work at Haunted Mansion.
They look like they're having the time of their lives
The Mansion
The Graveyard outside the Haunted Mansion
Even the sky and moon played along
FINAL THOUGHTS
As I said before, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is something I look forward to every year, and this year was as wonderful as the years before. Disney really does a lot to be sure you get plenty of bang for your buck, but it does cost many, many bucks to do it. One issue you may face is exiting--people tend to leave in droves after the fireworks, and right at midnight, when the event officially ends. I personally hate riding on a crowded monorail or boat, and hate sitting in a parking lots waiting for a bunch of idiots to figure out how to exit, so I enjoy staying behind until well after the crowds leave; doing this, not only do you avoid the masses, but you get some pretty cool looks at the park without a ton of people around.
Main Street just before midnight
Main Street at 12:45
You know it!
If you can afford to go this year, head over to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party--if you can't afford it, put the money back and make the trip next year. You'll be happy you did!
Hurry baaack
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