Are you thinking of going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in 2016? This is one of the most popular events of the year in Walt Disney World and it can be a whole lot of fun. It can be even more fun if you know some of the tips and tricks which will make your Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party all the more special.
What is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is what is know as a separately ticket event. What this translated means is that even if you have a Disney parks ticket you pay extra to get in to the Party.
The event has lots of different things which you will not see if you visit Disney’s Magic Kingdom during normal opening hours.
Where is Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party?
It is always held in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Orlando. If you want the Halloween Party in Disneyland this is known as Mickey’s Halloween Party.
When Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
In 2016 there are more dates than ever before. If you plan on attending the Party this is good news. If you plan on just attending Magic Kingdom on one of the days that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is held this is not such good news. The park is always busier on a Halloween Party day. Every day that the Party is held the Magic Kingdom closes at 7 pm. So for non Halloween Party ticket holders this means a busier Magic Kingdom and a relatively early closing time. If you can schedule your visit for another time you really should.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Schedule
Disney doesn’t directly tell you this, but even though the Party does not start until 7:00 pm. guests with a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket are allowed into the Magic Kingdom at 4:pm. We suggest that you arrive around this time to get maximum value. You can enjoy the rides whilst you wait for the Party to get started.
How Much Does Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Cost?
The answer is – it depends. Be prepared for sticker shock though, whenever you choose to go.
You will always save money by buying a ticket in advance.
None of these prices include tax. A child is a child from age 3 to 9 inclusive. 2 and under are free. Don’t lose too much sleep about the extra pricing if your child just turned 10. The child discount is only $5 anyway, so let’s face it, not too much of a discount.
September 2016 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Ticket Prices:
September 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 25
Advance Purchase:
Adult: $72
Child: $67
Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $79 Child: $74
September 23
Advance/Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $85 Child: $80
September 29, 30
Advance Purchase:
Adult: $79 Child: $74
Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $88 Child: $83
October 2016 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Ticket Prices:
October 2, 6
Advance Purchase:
Adult: $86 Child: $81
Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $95 Child: $90
October 4, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27
Advance Purchase:
Adult: $91 Child: $86
Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $79 Child: $74
October 7, 14, 21, 28, 30
Advance/Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $95 Child: $90
October 31
Advance Purchase/Same Day Purchase:
Adult: $105 Child: $100
Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Really Worth That Amount of Money?
The prices were always high, but for 2016 they have gone up even more. You will not see much change from almost $80 per adult once you have added on tax, even on the cheapest nights.
This is a difficult one. Only you know your budget. If the thought of spending around $400 for your family of 4 to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party immediately sends you into a cold sweat, you really should stop thinking about the possibility. However, in spite of the price increases we still think that the Party is worth it. If you have never attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and you have the budget it is a whole lot of fun. Perhaps a once in a lifetime whole lot of fun, but it Halloween is your thing and you love Disney you should go for it.
When Should You Go To Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
Obviously your dates are determined by when you can actually be in the Disney World area, but if you have some flexibility and want to know when the best dates are to attend you have to follow one simple rule. Go when the ticket prices are at their lowest. Disney knows a thing or too about park attendance. If the ticket price is cheaper they are expecting lower ticket sales. Simple as that. Fewer people will be sharing your Party if you go on one of the cheaper days.
The one time we really wouldn’t ever go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? October 31. Not unless money was no object. This is the most expensive time and by far the busiest. Celebrate Halloween outside the Magic Kingdom gates on the night of Halloween – unless you really can’t help yourself!
Other days to avoid if at all possible are where a discount is not available on advance purchase tickets. Disney knows they don’t have to offer a discount as these days are going to sell out anyway.
What Does Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Offer as Extras?
Firstly, do not buy a ticket for the Halloween Party and think this is a way to find shorter lines for the attractions in Magic Kingdom. This as a tactic generally just doesn’t work and on busy nights the lines can actually be worse than in the day time. Just put that idea out of your head right now. The value in the experience is in the extra benefits it offers. You may sometimes find shorter lines, but just don’t expect that will be the case. On busy nights just forget shorter lines. Magic Kingdom will be busy.
The Boo To You Parade:
This is one of the highlights of the Halloween Party. There are two parades at 8:35 pm and 11:15 pm. You absolutely can’t miss these Parades if you buy tickets for the Party.
You do need to stake out your positions for the Parade, but this is a whole lot easier if you do it for the 10.30 pm event. It is amazing to us just how many guests exit the park after the first parade. They have paid so much money for the tickets and they barely have any time in the event if they leave after the first one – but there is no accounting for human behavior!
Watch out for the Headless Horseman. A spooky, but very traditional part of the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tradition.
The late parade will undoubtedly be less crowded, but you may want to see the earlier one. This is a major feature of the Halloween Party so you may even want to see it twice. You have to decide how parade orientated you are as to whether or not you want to do it twice on your first visit. It is one of the best Disney parades so you may want to factor in doing it twice.
Halloween Party Character Greetings:
This is a very special part of the Halloween Party as you do get to see characters which are normally a little elusive in the Disney Parks. For instance it is a great chance to meet the Seven Dwarfs near their attraction The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. They are very popular so get in line as soon as you can if you want to get a rare photo opportunity.
Jack Skellington and Sally are also a very popular character meet and greet opportunity. It is rare to see them in Walt Disney World, so if you are a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas you may want to prioritize standing line for them. They will most likely be in Storybook Circus.
The Disney Princesses will be available in Disney Princess Fairytale Hall. We would suggest that you prioritize the Disney Princess meet and greet only if you are a particular Princess fan or you have young children. The lines will still be long and you have the opportunity to meet the Disney Princesses on any day in Magic Kingdom. Other characters are only available at this event only and we always go to those first.
The Queen of Hearts is another character who you do not see very often. She appears close to the Mad Tea Party ride.
The Disney Villains are among the most popular of the characters at the Party. Cruella de Vil and Jafar are always entertaining in their own villainous way. Last year it was disappointing that Maleficent and The Evil Queen weren’t out there meeting and greeting, but hopefully they will make it out and about again.
If you want to see Mickey Mouse in his Halloween costume finery head to Main Street Theater. The best time to go is usually late at night when the lines have eased up.
Jack Sparrow is usually somewhere around the outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. As you can imagine he is very popular, but if you go later in the day the lines have usually gone down to manageable levels.
The best tactic is to prioritize the characters that do not often appear in the Disney parks during the day time. The characters do wear different costumes, but make sure that you think about who you really want to meet, as time spent in line has to be carefully planned so that you get the maximum amount of time out of the Halloween Party. We know that your 5-year-old may want to see Anna and Elsa, but prepare them that you night not do that today as there are so many other things to do. Good luck with that!
HalloWishes Fireworks:
This is absolutely not to be missed. It is one of the best of the Disney World fireworks shows – you have to make this a priority to watch at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular:
This is another simply not to be missed attraction at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular runs at 8 p.m., 9:20 p.m., 10:40 p.m., and midnight.
How To Schedule in the Shows and Parades at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
If you want to take in all the must see shows and fireworks we suggest that you see the first Boo To You Parade at 8.35 and then wait in that area to get your viewing spot for Hocus Pocus Villains Spectacular which starts at 9:20 pm.
You will in the Main Street area after Hocus Pocus finishes so that you will be able to watch HalloWishes fireworks at 10:00 pm.
After this you can either go back to the Halloween Party rides and entertainment, or if you want to see Hocus Pocus and the Parade again you can catch the later showings. The second Boo To You Parade starts at 11:15 pm so you can either choose to watch this as the last thing that you do in the park before closing at midnight, or take advantage of the quieter time and get in the lines for rides or go character hunting.
You have to accept that you simply can’t see and do it all at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. With the shows, parades and character greetings you are going to have to prioritize. You only have five hours of the actual party and that really isn’t that much. To get the most out of it we suggest that you see this as a chance to experience different things which you normally can’t do in Magic Kingdom. This means cutting down on ride time. You can always ride Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain another day. You can’t always see the Boo To You Parade.
Another thing which always surprises us is how many people leave early. We understand that if you have young children it is a challenge to keep them up past midnight, but this event is expensive and for us, we want to get every single minute of value out of the ticket. This is costing around $400 for a family of 4 and we want to make sure that we stick around until the end. Some people combine Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with a day at Magic Kingdom. We don’t really see the advantage of doing that. You can get into Magic Kingdom on your Party ticket at 5.00 pm so that is when we suggest you arrive to get the maximum hourly benefit. If you arrive earlier you would need a separate park ticket unless you have an Annual Pass. We suggest you save your money and your energy and just go to the Party on the day that you have tickets for.
Which Rides are Open at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
Most of the rides which are usually open in Magic Kingdom are open for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Here is a list of the attractions which are open:
Fantasyland
Prince Charmings Regal Carousel
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
It’s a Small World
Princess Fairytale Hall
Mad Tea Party
Mickey’s Philharmagic
The Barnstormer
Casey’s Splash and Soak
Under the Sea
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Ariel’s Grotto
Peter Pan’s Flight
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Frontierland
Splash Mountain
Country Bear Jamboree
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Adventureland
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Swiss Family Treehouse
Tomorrowland
Stitch’s Great Escape
Buzz Lightyear’s Ranger Spin
Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Astro Orbiter
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Liberty Square
The Haunted Mansion
We do not recommend spending too much time on the rides during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. The reason is that you can ride this on any day of the year, but there are attractions of the Party which you cannot replicate at any other experience. We do confess that we always make sure that we ride The Haunted Mansion though. You really have to for Halloween.
The extra attraction during this event is that Madame Carlotta and Madame Rinata sit outside the Mansion and entertain guests waiting to ride. If you do not want to take the time to ride the attraction you can go through the exit to Haunted Mansion and watch them. This way you can experience the characters, but not spend the time experiencing the attraction. As you would imagine this is one of the most popular rides on the Halloween Party nights so the lines are long. Go later on in the evening if you can so that the lines have gone down a little.
Can You Trick or Treat at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
There are Treat Locations in Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland and Liberty Square. You are given a treat bag as you enter Magic Kingdom, but if you want to bring your own that is fine.
Here are the locations where you will find the Trick or Treat Stations
Adventureland
The Jungle Cruise
The Enchanted Tiki Room
Pirates of the Caribbean line
Frontierland
Splash Mountain
Tom Sawyer Island Boat Dock
Liberty Square
Liberty Square Riverboat
Fantasyland
Peter Pan’s Flight
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Fantasyland Treat Trail
Pete’s Silly Sideshow
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain
Carousel of Progress
Stitch’s Great Escape
We know that many people enjoy the trick or treating element and that if you have young children you will probably have to stop at least a couple of stations. If you want to maximize your time at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party we would suggest that you cut your time down trick or treating to a minimum.
Can We Wear Costumes at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
One of the unique features of the Halloween Party is that everyone could wear a costume. However, you do need to be aware of the new policy which will most likely affect the design of costume that you wear. There is increased security at all Disney parks and you should expect that there will be more security screenings for the Halloween Party.
For 2016 the rules have changed with Disney releasing this new policy:
While costumed attire may be worn guests ages 14 and older are strongly discouraged from wearing layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body as they may be subject to additional security screening. Additionally, costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
The wording of the policy does not prohibit guests aged 14 and older from wearing costumes, but it does suggest that if you do you are likely to be subject to additional screening.
When you are choosing a costume always think about practicality. You want to have fun and not be slowed down by your costume! Always remember the Florida weather. Consider that it may still be hot and humid late at night. As you go into October the weather can get a lot cooler at night so you may want to think about layering. The temperature at 4:pm may be a lot different to the temperature at midnight.
Extra Things To Spend Your Money on at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
As always the entry ticket is just the beginning! You can go to the Halloween Party without spending any more than the price of your ticket, but we challenge you to resist the special merchandise. There is always merchandise which is exclusively available only at the Halloween Party.
If you want to spend some more money you could always book the HalloWishes Dessert Party for $69 for adults and $39 for children aged 3 to 9. This is just like the Wishes Dessert Party, but is for the HalloWishes fireworks. You have access to a reserved viewing area and Halloween themed desserts. We do not think that the extra cost is worth it, but if you have no budget restrictions then go for it.
Eating at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
We suggest that you do as little eating as possible at the Halloween Party! The reason for this is that eating takes time and you want to get the maximum value from your ticket. Having a sit down meal is certainly not the best use of your time.
They do have some special Halloween Party themed snacks that you may want to try.
Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth It?
We think that if you have the chance you should go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at least once. It is a very different experience from visiting Magic Kingdom on a normal opening day and it has a lot of features to offer which you cannot see at any other time. The price hikes this year have made it more of a difficult decision, but if it is in your budget we recommend it.
Make sure that you see this as a Party with extra events rather than as a way to experience shorter lines for the rides and attractions. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is popular. It remains to be seen whether or not attendance will be down due to the price increases, but usually this just doesn’t happen. Disney World has seen decreased attendance over the summer months so it is possible that this will continue into the Fall. One day that we would not recommend is Halloween itself. October 31 is the most popular day for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and we would avoid it.
What do you think of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Leave us a comment below to let us know what you think.
Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.
Is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth It? - My Disney Planning
Friday 19th of July 2019
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