The best time of year is almost upon us…Halloween Time at the Walt Disney World Resort!
Now if you’re like me and live for spooky season, then the fact that WDW kicks off Halloween in mid-August is spooktacular news. This year Halloween will start with the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party on August 11th and yes, as of publishing this post tickets for ALL party dates are still available.
Here is the 411 of MNSSHP 2023
- The party will run on select nights from Aug 11th-Nov 1st.
- Prices range from $109-$199 for guests ages 10+ and $99-$189 for guests ages 3-9. (Discounts for Annual Passholders and DVC members might be available on select nights)
- Ticketed guests can access Magic Kingdom starting at 4 pm the day of the party. Park reservations are not required unless you plan to visit Magic Kingdom before 4 pm.
- The event takes place from 7:00 PM to midnight.
- You can book tickets via the Disney World website or contact your Disney Travel Advisor.
Misti’s Tips!
Here’s the deal, I’ve been going to MNSSHP since 2018 and have come up with a pretty fool-proof system to get the most out of this 5-hour event.
- Get there early. If you are able to I suggest getting a park ticket for Magic Kingdom on your party day. I usually store my costume in a locker and change around 4 pm. This way you can try any of the non-party exclusive Halloween treats, get an early dinner reservation and even get some pictures in.
- If a picture with Jack & Sally (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) is a must-do. You have to arrive at the parks early. If you are not already in the parks, plan to arrive at the front gate event check-in between 3-3:15 pm. You want to be as close to the front of the check-in line as you can be. Once you have your wristband, you’ll go directly to the Town Square Theater and follow the signs for Jack & Sally. The line hits capacity quickly, I’ve seen it a 2hr+ wait by 4:30.
- Unless you have younger children, I suggest skipping the first showing of the Boo to You parade. I usually use this time to either hit up some treat trails or visit some character photo ops.
- In regards to the parade, be advised that the pre-parade (currently featuring Max Goof in his Powerline costume) only happens on Main Street.
- In regards to treat trails, hit up the ones in Adventureland and Fronteirland BEFORE the first parade, otherwise, you might be stuck a bit waiting for the parade to finish before you can work your way up to Fantasyland.
- Mobile Order is your friend when it comes to party-exclusive treats. Not all locations will offer this, but 100% use it for the places that do.
- The best viewing spots for the fireworks are not in front of the castle but down by Casey’s Corner/Ice Cream Parlor. So don’t stress too much about camping out in the main hub.
- However, the closer to the castle you can get for the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular the better. Since this is a live stage show, you want to try to be down near the front. That being said, this show is performed multiple times during the party. I’ve found the last show of the night (usually around midnight) to have a smaller crowd.
- My big tip is to have a plan of attack before you go. I went in blind my first time going and didn’t experience as much as I wanted to. If you are going mainly for the entertainment great, find out the show times in advance. If you want to get ALL the candy, map out the most efficient route to hit all the treat trails. If you are looking for low wait times on rides, the best times will be during the fireworks and parades.
