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So you’ve heard about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and you’re thinking about taking your kids...should you do it or not? I say, go for it! I just took my 4-year-old twins for the first time, and let me share what I thought were the pros and cons.
Cons:
It was HOT! We are from the Midwest and because of that, we plan to be cold on Halloween. With that being said, I tend to buy costumes that will keep my kids warm when trick-or-treating--that means long sleeves and pants. And since I’m cheap, I brought their Halloween costumes for the party. My son was a superhero complete with fake muscles and my daughter was Ariel with a long dress and train. They got hot pretty quick but didn’t want to take off their costumes. So, there was lots of complaining. When we go again, we will for sure have lighter, shorter costumes.
There’s a LOT to do! This was hard for us to prioritize the evening’s events. There was so much we wanted to see and do that we couldn’t decide where to go and when. During normal park hours, I find that having FastPasses help dictate your schedule. Since there are no FastPasses during the party, that structure isn’t there for you. So we ended up bouncing around getting candy and meeting characters and jumping on rides with short wait times. It got a little crazy.
Pros:
There’s a LOT to do! I know I said this was a con, but it’s a pro too! There’s never a dull moment the whole time! With characters and candy, parades and fireworks, you always have something that someone in your group will want to check out!
The parade and shows have the perfect schedule! It’s easy to see every bit of entertainment you want to see because they each flow so nicely into each other! You can start with the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular in front of Cinderella’s castle at 8:30. Then stay close by for the Boo to You parade at 9:15 followed by Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks at 10:15. Then there’s another showing of the Hocus Pocus show at 10:45 followed by another parade at 11:15 and one final show at midnight! So easy to find a spot and stay put to see everything you want to see!
CANDY! Every kid knows the best part of Halloween is the candy! And MNSSHP has no shortage! There are big orange and white inflated pillars all around the park that indicate trick-or-treat locations. When you walk through, cast members will give your kiddos (and you!) heaping handfuls of candy! We got M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Ways, Starbursts, Skittles, and more!
Characters! One of my kids’ favorite parts of MNSSHP was all the characters they could meet! My son was thrilled to see Gaston (with Belle) and compare his muscles. We were walking around Fantasy Land and bumped into Cruella DeVille! We also got to meet Lotso (from Toy Story 3). My mom was most excited about meeting Captain Jack Sparrow since she’s had a long-time crush on him. And the best one we got to meet was Moana. She’s hard to find, so we were beyond excited to meet her at the party! Each meeting we had with a character was fabulous! They all took their time with us and we came out with some really great stories!
Treats! One of my favorite parts of the party is all the special treats they only serve at the party! There are special cupcakes and ice creams to try! Make sure you look ahead of time so you know what you don’t want to miss. My favorite was the Amuck, Amuck, Amuck cupcake at the Main Street Bakery!
What I learned:
I was worried about my kids being able to stay up so late and not totally meltdown, but I was pleasantly surprised! There was so much to do and see and ride that they were occupied the whole time and had a blast! Next time I’ll for sure make sure we do lighter costumes. We brought our own trick-or-treat bags and I’m so glad we did. The little ones they hand out at the party just weren’t big enough. We will for sure bring our own bags again.
Overall, I was worried my little ones wouldn’t be able to handle it and they did just fine! We had a blast and for sure want to go again. We didn’t do the park earlier in the day. Instead,
we swam at the resort and took a nap before we headed to the party so we wouldn’t be overly tired. I also had no problem leaving early if I needed to and I think having that attitude helped us have fun without worrying. Do what works best for your family and just have fun!
*Blog written by Jessica Harper
Jessica@stepintoadventure.com