The Halloween season is one of the best times of year to visit Walt Disney World. From the park decorations to the seasonal food, there are countless ways Disney gets you into the spooky spirit, but at the top of that list is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party. We made a point to visit Walt Disney World during a week in which the Halloween Party was offered, and in this review, we’ll go over some of the basics of the event, while also some of the tips and tricks we picked up along the way!
A quick note: these details are for 2022 (and often apply to events in the future), but we’ll be sure to update in future years as the event changes!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate ticket event at the Magic Kingdom, meaning that it isn’t included in your standard park ticket (and the park closes early to those that have standard park tickets). The party isn’t offered every night of the week during the Halloween season, but parties are offered as early as August (and the date of the first night seems to be earlier and earlier every year).
Special Attractions
Some of the more popular aspects of the Halloween party are those rides/attractions that get seasonal “overlays” or additions. There are four rides that are different from their typical state during the day (or have “Halloween Twists”): Space Mountain, Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, Mad Tea Party, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Of the four, our favorite was Pirates of the Caribbean – the ride includes cast members as characters that interact with guests that are in line. Lily didn’t quite know what to make of them, but it made for a great break in the monotony of standing in line!
Shows
Arguably the highlights of the party are the shows: namely the “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” and Disney’s “Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” (the evening’s firework show), as well as the “Boo to You” Halloween parade. Starting after the sun sets (the exact times are different each evening), these three shows run in succession throughout the rest of the evening. If seeing these are a priority for you – and they were for us, which we didn’t regret – there are a number of spots that accommodate viewing for all three. The Spelltacular is a perfect integration of the Sanderson sisters into the standard Disney Villains Halloween proceedings of the season, and the Boo to You parade has one of the best earworms you’ll hear at Walt Disney World. To cap off the evening, the Spectacular is a great/fireworks projection show, and the “host” is probably the best appearance of Jack Skellington we’ve seen in the parks. Although it was difficult to leave once we committed to a spot to stand/sit, the three shows proved to be well worth the wait.
Food
Readers of our previous Disney parks posts likely know that we are big fans of their food offerings, and if you’re like us in that way, Halloween is one of the best times to visit. Not only does the Magic Kingdom already have the widest variety of food options out of any WDW park, but they then provide seasonal Halloween options and options exclusive to the Halloween party. Of those that we tried, the one that stood out the most was the one pictured above: the Binx Pastry Tail. Is it your standard cat tail with piece of white chocolate on it? Yes. Does that make it any less delicious? Not at all.
What Would We Do Differently?
If we were to change anything about our time at the Halloween party, two things standout: (1) we would have better prepared for the nuances of the party, and (2) we would have chosen our priorities and focused the night on them.
What do we mean by nuances? The best example was in our dinner plans. We chose to eat a later dinner because we knew we’d be there later than most of the park’s day guests, and we wanted to try as many of the seasonal items as possible. We did not, however, plan which of those items we’d go for- and when those restaurants that served the limited items were hit with an initial rush of customers, we found ourselves scrambling to find dinner… because as it turns out, not all of the park’s restaurants are open during the Halloween party. We found a surprisingly delicious meal at the Liberty Tree Tavern, but we’re lucky that we turned out so; it was the only restaurant we could find with a reasonable wait time!
For the second point, we ultimately got to see the things we wanted most: the Hocus Pocus Spelltacular, and we had the best view of the fireworks that we’ve ever had. However, it felt like we had to dedicate our entire night to doing so; if we hadn’t stopped doing the treat trails 30 minutes before the Spelltacular, we wouldn’t have gotten a decent spot, and because the parade came between the two, we effectively stayed seated in front of Cinderella’s castle for roughly two straight hours (and then ultimately had to leave right after, because it was way after Lily’s bedtime). It’s important to remember that if you’re taking a little one to the party, you’ll have even more limited time to enjoy the festivities. In retrospect, we would have likely gone to the party exclusively (instead of also visiting the Magic Kingdom that morning), and taken the day to rest so that we could stay later.
Ultimately, although there were some things that we would have done differently, we did get to see the shows and rides that were important to us. And in Lily’s mind, the bag of candy she came home with would make the night a resounding success! There’s no question that we would attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party again, and hopefully our tips above will help you make the most of your trip!
