MNSSHP tips?

[DisneyCAL]

We just caved in and got MNSSHP tickets for Sept. 18, our last night there. Any tips? We have 6total, 4adults and 2 kids (5,5) and have never done this before. I would really like to see the main show (although i don't know if it will be the villain mingle or the newly talked about Hocus Pocus show), Boo to You parade, and Hallowishes and be able to do one major attraction like Splash at night. I'd also like to meet the 7 dwarves and halloween minnie and mickey. What should I expect and is there a good strategy to getting these things accomplished? Thanks in advance!

 

[MataHari22]

I ate a late table service meal at the Grand Floridian before the party and I got there at 4pm. There's so much to do and I don't want to take up a lot of time eating. I made my 3 FP+ from 4-7pm and did a few other rides that we wanted to do before the party started. If you want to see the seven dwarfs you should get in line early.

We watched Hallowishes and then watched the second parade in Frontierland. The second parade is usually less crowded. During the first parade, we got snacks and we sat on the left side of the hub as the parade came down the right side. We sat on the curb eating our snacks and had a good view for celebrate the magic and fireworks. Immediately after, we took the path past Crystal Palace and up to Frontierland to get a spot for the second parade.

After the parade I got to meet Captain Jack Sparrow with hardly a wait. We got to ride quite a few rides after that until midnight. We didn't do any trick or treating, since we are two adults and mainly wanted to do rides, parade and fireworks.

Don't know if you have read any of these, but there's lots of info here:

http://www.kennythepirate.com/tag/mnsshp-tips/

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-review-tips/

https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/tips-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-with-kids/

Hope you have a great time!

 

[>Ash<]

Okay,
first lets start at the begining, usually with MNSSHP tickets you can enter magic Kingdom at 4pm. The Party begins at 7pm!

so i usually enter the park at 4pm - go straight to counter service, have a quick bite to eat and then begin queing for hard to meet characters

Jack Skellington and 7 Dwarves i would recommend queing up for no later than 5:30 - these characters have incredibly long wait times due to popularity and exlusivity of them being at the party!

Okay so party begins at 7pm if you queued as abvoe you should be out of the line no later than 7:30pm IMHO! others may have had different experiences but his is always my experience.

last year we had the Villains Dance Party! this was good but crowded. the characters float around like any other dance parties but you get to see characters like Ratcliffe aswell as due Gideon & Foul Fellow these made the visit worth it! if these characters dont appeal to you i would bother other characters included lady tremaine with two step sisters from cinderella and a quick appearence by Dr Facillier from Princess & The Frog.

With them making changes to the main show it is now the Villains on stage with no meet and greet i would recommend viewing this but there is no need to rush to the front anymore as no characters meet there. They are saying the show for this year will feature hocus pocus too. i believe this to be just an overlay of the origional show, instead of Dr Facillier being on stage first singing "friends on the other side" i think the sanderson sisters will sing ive got a spell on you and then introduce the other villains and the show to resume as normal again this is speculation until we see the new show.
depending on how into the Hocus Pocus characters you are will depdend how close you want to view the show. i Normally stand around the hub area and you can see fine.

If you see a showing of the Villains show i would recommend tying this in with Hallowishes so you can do both shows together back to back if possible again this will be easier to plan once the times are avaliable for 2015.

the parade is the highlight of the show for me and my family. we always do the 2nd parade as with any disney parade it usually is less croweded. it makes for a slightly easier viewing but please arrive early to secure your spot for the parade its really worth the wait!!

Candy stops, dont forget the candy! if you see an orange baloon light it means candy location! these are good but lines do get long however the lines should move quickly! i always recommend people do the Candy Trails as these differ from just a candy location. on your map you will see usually 2 candy trails! with the Trails you can get several candy locations in a line rather than just one candy stop in the regular locations!! we usually do the candy trails a few times round if its not too busy to fill the candy bags!

dont forget the events merchandise! several locations are avaliable for this check your guide, everyone goes to emporium use the other shops located on your times guide for lower crowed levels

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards, a special event card is avaliable for free with each entry! they are a nice keep sake with the party logo even if you dont play the game the cards are a nice keepsake!
everyone flocks to the fire house on mainstreet to collect them, i always go to the kiosk in Liberty for a smaller wait time for the card!

Event treats!!, dont forget MNSSHP has snack offerings soley for the party! the Pumpkin waffle icecream is my favoriate treat to have, i always stop for a snack at the end of the party so your not eating all your party time away!

Haunted Mansion as you can appreciate is one of the highlights for many people, they have special characters outside the mansion (non meetable) and they really go all out for the season! so its worth a visist to the mansion!

special Magic shots!, dont forget the magic photos! they have had hitch hiking ghosts avaliable for the past few years as a magic shot its a nice memory that you can add to your magic band and purchase if you desire during your stay!

regular characters and rides avaliable during the day i avoid, ive paid my money for the party not for the regular stuff, its completely your decision but we dont ride anything we can do during the day or the characters! but thats just us! there is so much to see and do at MNSSHP that every minute of the night will count of you only have the oppertunity to do a party during your trip.

on a normal trip me and my wife try and do 2 parties i understand this isnt the luxury some have, so if you use the above there is no reason this shouldnt work for you and you should be able to experience most things at MNSSHP!

i hope you all have an amazing time! boo to you!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

The only advice I disagree with is the get in line at 5:30 for meeting the characters. You are going on a Tuesday in September, so crowd level is very low... Totally agree with getting there at 4pm, you will have 3 hours of pre party attractions with little or no wait! And you're going to love the headless horseman! Awesome, although very difficult to photo! Have a grand time!

 

[jenji124]

Do you use park admission in addition to your ticket for the party. Or does your ticket to the party covers admission if you enter at 4pm?

 

[Missyrose]

Do you use park admission in addition to your ticket for the party. Or does your ticket to the party covers admission if you enter at 4pm?

Your party ticket is all you need if you enter the park after 4 p.m.

Here are more tips and answers to your questions...
http://www.magicofmainstreet.com/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-faq/

 

[slickpoetry]

We actually got into the park at 3:40 the night of our party last year. Can't guarantee that will happento anyone else, but it's worth trying.

My basic M.O. At WDW is crowd avoidance. So i will seek out less crowded areas for events, even if it means i sacrifice having the "best view" for something. With that said, I liked watching the parade from the area in Frontierland, right at the start of the route. We were right by Splash Mountain, actually. So we watched the parade then rode Splash right away. I'm sure we were done with Splash before the parade cleared Main Street, which just illustrates the time you can save by watching it from there.

We migrated to the bridge south of Sleepy Hollow to watch the castle projection show and fireworks. I was really quite pleased with how empty this area was. (it's kind of by where Tiana has her meet and greet). We only had kind of a sideways view of the projection show but it was good enough. No issues of visibility at all for the fireworks. And I must repeat--completely empty. Our family and another group about 20 feet away. Way awesome.

After fireworks we went around Yankee square to a fantasyland and rode as many rides there as possible. All lines were very short at that time.

This was my experience at a Thursday night party mid-October. YMMV.

 

[slickpoetry]

Also don't get in any trick or treat lines. Way too much of a time suck to get a handful of candy that would cost about 25 cents total at your local grocery store. I'm still kicking myself for letting my 5 year old drag me into one.

 

[DisneyCAL]

We have 7 day park hopper and will be there in the morning for BOG breakfast and just a couple rides before going back to GF to rest and lay low. We have a dinner res at BOG at 4 which should be a good start to the party. I plan on waiting in line for the seven dwarves meet n greet while the rest of the fam does rides or whatnot (is that frowned upon to have them join back up with me?). And I was gonna try to get a parade spot in Frontierland in hopes we can run onto splash mountain afterwards without much wait (i've always wanted to do splash in the dark).

 

[Disnsyncey]

Depending on crowds, different times will cause the character lines to be longer than others......I would say scope out the area where they will be meeting.....do keep an eye, and line up when you see a longer line forming....

 

[Missyrose]

We have 7 day park hopper and will be there in the morning for BOG breakfast and just a couple rides before going back to GF to rest and lay low. We have a dinner res at BOG at 4 which should be a good start to the party. I plan on waiting in line for the seven dwarves meet n greet while the rest of the fam does rides or whatnot (is that frowned upon to have them join back up with me?). And I was gonna try to get a parade spot in Frontierland in hopes we can run onto splash mountain afterwards without much wait (i've always wanted to do splash in the dark).

I did this for MVMCP in December. I was in line while the rest of the group went on a couple of rides. Just make sure your group is back with you by 6:30 or so, the dwarfs will typically start just before 7.

 

[Mindwellwasted]

Honestly this may sound stupid but the best advice I have for doing MNSSHP is ... HAVE FUN!!!

It's really easy to get caught up in the planning 'cause there's so much you can do. I did two dates last year. The first I over planned and stressed myself out - I still enjoyed myself but I caused myself unnessesairy headaches. Kennythepirate's site and Disney Tourest Blog have some pretty good articles though to help with planning.

I would say pick 3 - 4 things you HAVE to do and plan those, and then just go with the flow and enjoy. With the lights and music, it's a pretty amazing atmosphere.