Tips for Enjoying the 2024 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

This year was our third time attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Our priorities on this trip with a rising middle-schooler were much different than our first and second visits with an elementary school age child.

One key “thing to know ahead of time” that hasn’t changed is that it is impossible to do everything offered during the party time, so having a plan and prioritizing must-do activities is a must.

Disney Characters

Plan Ahead if Exclusive MNSSHP Character Meet and Greets are a Priority

We planned to meet Mirabel and Bruno before the fireworks, but were disappointed to learn at 9pm that they wouldn’t return until 10:45pm. We arrived at 11pm and waited 45 minutes before entering their meet and greet at Fairytale Garden adjacent to the Cinderella Castle (formerly Merida’s area). We found similarly long outdoor lines for the Pooh Characters outside the The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction. Alice and Wonderland, The Queen of Hearts and Tweedled Dee and Tweedle Dumb had divided lines instead of taking photos as a group like our past visits, so the waits were slightly shorter. Some meet and greets (like classic characters at Storybook Circus) had wait times that hovered around an hour listed on the app, but to know how long others were we had to judge by the queue size. 

Magic Kingdom Attractions

Arrive Early to Experience Rides and Attractions
(but be prepared to wait in lines)

Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Tron without having to book a time in Advance.

While guests need multi-passes and/or a Virtual Queue spot during the day for these newer and popular attractions, they are standby-only when the party begins. We had just a 35-minute wait for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (our first time riding the rethemed former Splash Mountain) at 7pm. 

Parades & Performances

The live performances scheduled for the party were enough to fill the evening with entertainment, and included twists on regular Magic Kingdom favorites. These included the barbershop quartet Dapper Dans becoming the “Cadaver Dans” and Mickey’s Philharmagic showing classic Halloween movies.

Dance Parties Were Ideal for Families with Young Children

The DescenDANCE dance party in Tomorrowland and the Moonlight Melodies with Disney Jr. Character in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe were filled with families of toddlers and elementary-age children who were dancing away their sugar rushes.

Watch the Second Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade

The parade began in Frontierland, so to wrap it up early and head to rides find a seat around the entrance to The Country Bears just before either the first or second parade time. The first parade was at 8:15pm and the second at 11:15. The second was far less crowded and we were able to see much of it on Main Street without finding a seat in advance.

Plan to Stay VERY Late 

We were surprised when we exited Adventureland at midnight to find Main Street still lively, with guests in long lines for Castle-front Photopass with Cast Members and watching the midnight Hocus Pocus Stage Show.

Trick-or-Treating

Collect All the Candy You Can Throughout the Park

Other guests brought their own bags, but the souvenir Trick-or-Treat bags supplied at the event were just the right size for us (we were flying home on Spirit Airlines so we couldn’t justify paying for another bag just to bring home Halloween candy).

Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular

Splurge on the Dessert Party

We were able to return to both the dessert bar and the drinks bar as much as we wanted and could leave the party and return as needed during the hour and a half before the 10pm Spooky Spectacular start time. The location was nearly empty at 9:45pm, so we enjoyed a last drink and coffee before finding the reserved fireworks viewing area in the Plaza Garden.

The view alone was well worth the extra cost. To find the same view would have likely required securing a spot two hours before the show.

Photos from MNSSHP in 2018

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