Tink In The Parks: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, TAKE TWO!

Good morning, Tinkers!

     Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a magical weekend! Last night we did our second Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party of the season. This was sort of a re-do, since the first one we went to, on September 15th, (the first one of the season), was somewhat disastrous for us. To read the full review, click HERE! Since I have been reading some reviews that state that the Not So Scary Parties have been better since that first one, we decided that in order to be fair, we would need to try another one.

     This second one we did was on a Sunday night, and was the sixth party of the season. This time, we also brought along my mom, who was in town from Boston. All day long we had been watching the weather reports and keeping our fingers crossed. It was NOT looking good for our party. Rain was supposed to be moving in from about 4pm-11pm, so, yeah... pretty much the exact time of the party. We put both kids in for a nap around 2pm, hoping that they'd be up around 4, and we could head into the party and be there around 5 or 6. Well, my little dude decided to rage against the machine and didn't fall asleep until after 3, so that backed up our plans a bit. When the kids were finally awake, (around 5), we started getting ready. The rain was still holding off, but the sky was dark gray and ominous. Looked like Maleficent was stirring up something fierce. Hopefully, it would blow away, without blowing US away. We headed out the door anyway, since the party is rain or shine. D had decided to be Rapunzel and K insisted on wearing an Elsa dress, so we got in the car with two bedazzled children.


     By the time we pulled on to Disney property, the sky had opened up. The slashing rain was making it hard to see out the car windows, but we did notice that the inflatable jack-o-lanterns were back on top of the Magic Kingdom toll plaza, as they had been in years past. I also saw a somewhat disappointing sign, pointing out that the party was once again sold out. I had a flashback to the first night we went and hoped things were not the same. We parked, and got out of the car. When K saw that it was raining, he said, "No Elsa dess, RAAAIIINNNcoat!", so we took the dress off and he just wore his regular clothes, with his raincoat over them. I can't say I blame him. Getting an Elsa dress all wet would be a shame. The cold may not have bothered Elsa, but I bet the rain was a different story. D, on the other hand, was doing everything she could to avoid putting on a raincoat, since she was busy marveling over her new, "magically" extended hair, and her puffy dress.

The humidity made the fog super dense.

     When we stepped off the monorail, and down the ramp, by some Not So Scary miracle, it had stopped raining! It was PERFECT! (Hot as Hades, and super humid, but no longer deluging.) We entered the park, got our wristbands and trick-or-treat bags, and were off. At this point, it was 7:40, so the party was well underway. My mom loved the decorations and special lighting on Main Street and again our fellow Guests were out in some stellar costumes! Lots and LOTS of emotions from Inside Out, many princesses, and I saw a lot of Universal characters. Minions, Harry Potters, and even a Jack the Clown. (Which was unnerving to see at Not So Scary.)

     This time we decided to head toward Adventureland first. The crowds were packed pretty tight, but I think the rain encouraged some of the would-be-stragglers from the day to head on out. Tarzan, Turk and Jane were not in their regular spot, nor was Jafar. I looked to see if they were in an alternate location, due to the rain, but we didn't see them. (Turns out, they WERE in an alternate location, over near the new sunglass store, but we couldn't locate the area through the crowds early in the night.) The trick-or-treat line for the Tiki Room was massive. Like, all the way through the Tiki queue, around the building, and down past Pirates. Oh man. A repeat of the last party we went to. Ugh. We were going to try the Jungle Cruise treat station, but for some reason, it was closed off. Next we tried the Pirates treat station. The line was again, huge, but at least moving quickly, so we hopped in. We made it through the line in less than 15 minutes, and the kids FINALLY had candy in their bags! They were psyched! We probably could have gone home at that point and they would have been perfectly happy, but we were in it for the long haul. I had wanted to ride Pirates, since it just reopened, but it was a 35 minute wait, so we passed it up, and pressed on. Jack Sparrow had about a 20 minute wait, so we skipped him too.

     Already I had noticed two vast improvements over the first party: 1.) There were Cast Members patrolling the streets and yelling, 'Show me your wristband!", in an effort to get non-party Guests out. This seemed to be extremely effective, since they could quickly identify who should be there and who should not.  2.) There were managers at the candy lines, trying to herd people along as quickly as possible. They were shouting, "There's a station open here, move on down! Have your bags open!"  Yes, these actions might have seemed a bit militant and not very Disney-like, but heck, I'll take that over there being tons of non-paying Guests there with me any day!

     In Frontierland, the Splash Mountain treat station had a very, very long line, but again, it was moving quickly, so we hopped in. We got through it in about 10 minutes. Then we ran over an did the Tom Sawyer Island queue one, and got our Halloween Peeps. We got through that line in about 5 minutes. Thunder and Splash Mountain each only had a 5 minute wait, so The Hubs took D to ride Thunder, while K, Mom and myself headed away from the crowd. There was already a very full street of people waiting for the first parade, and it was about 8:15pm. There were people shoulder to shoulder. It didn't help that there was a medical emergency in front of the ferry dock, so they had a whole section closed down. Once The Hubs and D caught back up with us, we moved into Liberty Square. In search of a fountain drink, we tried to go into Columbia Harbour House, but were told by the Cast Member out front that it was closed. I thought that was weird, since it was on the map as being open, but oh well. Haunted Mansion was on a 35 minute wait, so we skipped that too. The kids now had their eyes on the (candy) prize, so we went to the treat station in the Peter Pan queue. That line was also enormous, and took us about 15 minutes to move through it, but tonight was really all about the candy and the stuff the kids wanted to do, so we waited.

     After that, we all needed a break from the heat and from standing, so we went to Pinocchio's Village House to grab a bite. I will do a full review of it for you tomorrow, but it was way better than I remember it being in the past. Tasty flat breads and yummy garlic rolls. MMmm... I knew it was a poor strategy to be parked on our butts while the parade was happening. We should have been taking advantage of the lighter crowds, but again, we had been to a party already and so we had a little more luxury to fly by the seat of our pants. Beside, the kids were quiet and semi-calm and enjoying some food that was NOT sugar-based, so I was happy to stay where we were.



     When we came out of dinner, it was sprinkling again. The parade had ended, so the crowd in Fantasyland was pretty heavy. We opted for a spin on the Carousel, which the kids are always thrilled with. Princess Fairytale Hall looked deserted, and the kids wanted to see those Frozen sisters, so we checked on the wait times. Cinderella and Rapunzel: 5 minutes. Anna and Elsa: 40 minutes. I said to D, "Wouldn't you like a picture with Rapunzel, since you're dressed like her?" Worked like a dream. Hooray for creative parent problem solving! We actually had NO wait and walked right into an empty meet and greet. Rapunzel fawned all over D and her gorgeous braid, and K jumped up and down yelling, "Punzel!!!" Totally worth the trip in! We said hi to Cindy and got some more princess hugs, and then went back out into the crowd of Fantasyland. But it had stopped raining again, so that was awesome!

 

     Next we decided on Teacups, since that is K's new favorite ride. After a nauseating spin for their candy-filled bellies, the kids wanted to shake everything up some more, so we went into Cosmic Rays, where they had moved the Monsters Inc dance party out of the rain. We sat for a bit while the kiddos bounced around to pop songs and yelled for more candy, like any villagers. We were only about 10 minutes away from fireworks, so we hit up another trick-or-treat stop next to the Speedway, with only a 5 minute wait, and then headed toward Story Book Circus. We watched the fireworks from right in front of the Story Book Circus sign and had a great view! If you haven't seen Hallowishes before, I really recommend watching it from in front of the castle for the best view, but since we had already seen them, this was a nice place to watch, without being packed in tight.

The special perimeter fireworks seem to pop up everywhere!

     After fireworks, we hit up the treat station inside the queue of Pete's Silly Sideshow with no wait, and caught a glimpse of Jack and Sally as they returned from a break. Woah! They look amazing and super creepy, all at the same time!

     I decided to let K see if he was tall enough to ride The Barnstormer on the way by and he WAS! YEAH! First coaster ride for K! He loved/hated it. As soon as we went down the first hill, he buried his head in my chest and wouldn't look up, but when we came to a stop at the end, he was all smiles and yelling, "Again! Again!" When we had to step out of the ride vehicle, he lost his mind. I had to promise him more candy to get him to get off of the ground, where he was protesting exiting the ride by laying in fetal position. In all fairness, it was almost 11pm and he had a slow sugar-burn going. D had wanted to take a picture with Cruella, but she had a 30 minute wait, so she opted to pass on that, in order to get more candy. We did the trick-or-treat trail that runs down to Tomorrowland, with only small back ups and a little waiting. Tomorrowland was pretty deserted at that point, and we did the treat station at Carousel of Progress in under ten minutes. We also went to the one over to the side of Carousel of Progress, where we found no line at all. Turned out, the queue was empty because it was basically the house that gives out toothbrushes on Halloween. (They were giving out bags of Craisins.) Lotso still had a good sized queue, so we opted for a ride on Buzz Lightyear, which was down to no wait. We hit up the treat station in the Stitch queue with no wait too.

     Since the second parade was about to start and my mom hadn't seen it, she and D grabbed a spot for it in the already VERY crowded hub. The Hubs and I opted to keep moving with K, in order to keep him from melting down. (K, not The Hubs. The Hubs was managing to keep it together.) While they watched the parade, the three of us got in some more trick-or-treating over  in Adventureland. We hit the treat stations in the Tiki Room, the (now open) one at The Jungle Cruise, and the one at Pirates, all in less than 20 minutes total. We did happen to see Tarzan, Jane and Turk leaving their photo spot for the night. K jumped out of his stroller to go see them, but they were already walking away. I was a little irritated when they did, however, stop for Cast Member friends of theirs who were walking by. That was a bad judgement call on their part. Don't rush past an excited 3 year old because you're done for the night, and then be willing to stop for your adult friends, a few feet later.

     We could hear the parade wrapping up in the hub, so we went back to collect my mom and D. We were going to stay for the last Hocus Pocus show at midnight, but since the hub was already PACKED, we instead decided to head down Main Street while the stores were still open, to grab a drink and hopefully a specialty cupcake. Well, as I had feared, the Confectionery was totally sold out of cupcakes, and they did not carry the candy corn cotton candy. We overheard a girl complaining to a Cast Member that everywhere they tried to get the cotton candy and the cupcakes they were sold out, so it sounds like maybe there weren't enough treats again tonight. No worries for us, since we had collected a GIANT grocery bag full of candy. Score!

Our trick-or-treat haul

     It was midnight. We were exhausted. We were sweaty. We were exhausted. Oh, wait. Yeah.... It was time to go. We had Not-So-Scaried until we couldn't Not-So-Scary anymore.

     So overall, here are my positive and negative thoughts about the party:

Positive: They definitely did a MUCH better job of clearing the party of non-paying Guests, much quicker than they had on the first night. They also kicked butt at moving people along at the candy stations and made the treat lines move a lot faster. From what I understand, there was more party-exclusive merchandise available later in the night than there had been at the first night. Maybe it was rationed better or something. Most attractions had little to no wait. Even Mine Train was down to 20 minutes for parts of the night.

Negative: The party was still super crowded. I feel like the cap on the number of Guests allowed in is way higher than it has been in the past. We truly NEEDED two parties in order to see and do what we wanted to. If we were at the party last night and had not been there on a previous night, we would have found ourselves in the same position, having to miss out on most of the trick-or-treating and characters, in order to have a spot for the parade and fireworks. There also should have been signage, or at least a Cast Member, at each of the designated character meet and greet areas, telling Guests where the alternate location was in the case of inclement weather. I talked to Guests that said they had a hard time finding several of the characters, since they were moved to covered or inside spots, which were not labeled in any way. They also need to make sure that if they are going to advertise specialty treats on the map, that they are available for the whole night, or at least almost the whole night.

     Was this one better than the first night? Yes. Was it as good as previous years? No. Would I go again? Maybe. I certainly won't do the first one next year. I think I'll wait and see what some of the reports are like before I spend the money. But for now, my kids are napping, so I'm going to sneak into their candy stash!

     I hope you all found this helpful and I would LOVE to hear what YOUR Not So Scary experience was like this year!! Let me know!

Extra! Extra! Tink All About It!: Live Stream of Halloween Festivities!

Goooood morning, Tinkers!

     Do you wish that you could attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year, but it's not in the cards for you? Well, I have some great news! Tonight, (Friday, September 18th), starting at 8:35pm EST, The Disney Parks Blog will be live streaming the Boo to You Parade and the Hallowishes fireworks show! Yup, you and your family can enjoy a couple of the best elements of the party from the comfort of your own couch! Heck, you can even get dressed up if you want! Or just wear your PJs. I won't judge. I know I'll be in mine.

     Here's the link: Disney Parks Blog

     Check it out! Oh, and Happy Halloween (season), Tinkers!!!

Ask Tink: Is It Worth Buying Tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party?

"I'm visiting Disney in the fall, with my kids. Is it worth spending the money on the Halloween Party? It seems expensive. Why would we buy an additional ticket to that, when we already have park tickets?"

                                 

Thank you to the Tinker that submitted the above question! It's a great one! If you're visiting Walt Disney World between September 15th and November 1st of 2015, you may have the opportunity to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at The Magic Kingdom. It is a special, hard ticketed event, occurring a couple of times per week, on designated dates. (Sept. 15th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, 27th, Oct. 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th, 31st, and Nov. 1st) The party admission is NOT included on a regular Magic Kingdom ticket. In fact, if you are visiting The Magic Kingdom on a night that the Halloween Party is scheduled to take place, be prepared that if you do not have tickets to the party, you will be escorted out of the park, promptly at 7pm. Party tickets run about $75-$85 per adult and $70-$80 per child. (Pricing varies a bit depending on whether you pre-purchase, and the date you plan on attending. September dates are the least expensive.) The party runs from 7pm-midnight. For official information, and to purchase tickets, click HERE!      So, why would you spend an extra $70 or so to go to the party when you can already get into The Magic Kingdom on a different night with your regular park tickets????      Because Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is AWESOME!!!! I've loved every single one I have attended, and I think The Hubs and I went to about 10 of them before we even had kids. We have done one with the kiddos and plan on doing at least one or two this year.      Of course the rides and attractions are open for you to enjoy, (with a few small exceptions), but let's start off with what's unique about the party and then I will give you a couple of tips to help you plan.      The Halloween party has ALL sorts of special things happening during it that you will not get to see during regular park hours. For starters, there's not only cool Halloween decorations all over Main Street, there are special lighting effects, spooky background sounds and music, and more.      You'll be given a free Halloween goody bag to fill up, as you Trick-or-Treat your way around the park! That's right! Trick-or-Treating IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!! All over the park you will find glowing orange and white globes marking the Treat Stations where you can line up and collect your candy. And it's like, awesome candy! No crappy raisins here. Everything from Nerds and Wonka candies, to Snickers, M &M's and more. The Cast Members are generally pretty generous too. You can easily fill up the small treat bag they give you, no problem. In fact, feel free to bring a larger bag with you. That's a must for this family. We trick-or-treat like it's a sport!           'But wait, Tink', you're saying to yourself. 'If I am going to trick-or-treat, I need a costume!' Well, dear Tinkers, have no fear! You are welcome to get all done up in your Halloween finest, whether you're an adult or child, and whether you want to do it low key, and wear a Halloween t-shirt and Mouse Ears, or you want to do it up and wear an exact replica of Everest around your body and dress as a yeti. You will see anything and everything in the park that night. In fact, my absolute FAVORITE thing to do at Not So Scary is to people watch and check out the costumes other Guests come up with. Nothing like watching a chubby Jasmine or a bearded Ariel walking around the park. Just remember that the weather may be really hot, or chilly, or rainy. Be prepared for all options. And keep in mind that you may have to board ride vehicles in your costume, so make it something easy to move in and easy to pack in your suitcase. And for obvious reasons, costumes should not include weapons, or be offensive. (Keep it "Disney", Kids!)      Like getting your pic snapped with the characters??? There are tons of characters out during Not So Scary, including some rare ones, like Jack Skellington and Sally. Plus, you'll see Mickey, Minnie and pals in their Halloween costumes! These are some super fun photo opportunities and meet and greets! Last year you could visit all of these guys: Mickey Gaston Merida Tiana Ariel Tigger, Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore Anna and Elsa Tinker Bell All Seven Dwarfs together Tarzan, Turk and Jane Jack Sparrow Lots-O-Huggin' Bear Jack Skellington and Sally Snow White with The Evil Queen Aurora with Maleficent The Queen of Hearts Jafar      There are also opportunities to have your picture taken in front of the Haunted Mansion with ghosts magically added to your shot, or sometimes with Cinderella's pumpkin coach with a Halloween make-over.      There's Halloween entertainment all over! The Dapper Dans become the Cadaver Dans on Main Street. You can dance alongside your favorite characters at a DJ dance party next to Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland, or in the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland. K and D LOVED dancing the Cha-Cha Slide with Cruella de Vil last year!      New this year, The Sanderson Sisters from "Hocus Pocus" will be putting on a musical stage show in front of the Castle, and inviting their Disney Villain friends like Oogie Boogie from "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Dr. Facilier" from "Princess and the Frog". I can't even put into words how excited I am about "Hocus Pocus" being incorporated into the party this year. Like, I can't. Even. (Fangirl moment, sorry.)      Did I mention the food???? Special Halloween themed treats are sold all around the park, like Candy Corn flavored Cotton Candy or Soft Serve Ice Cream, or a Pumpkin Spiced Waffle Sundae. Halloween? More like Yum-O-Ween, amIright?!!?!!!      Oh, and there's special Halloween merchandise items sold exclusively at the party, like pins, t-shirts, plush and more.      Not convinced yet? Well I've saved the very best for last! Exclusively at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, you will get to enjoy one of the best EVER Disney parades, "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade". The parade runs twice nightly, and starts off with the traditional running of the Headless Horseman on his mighty steed. You'll get to see fantastic floats and unique characters and scenes, like Captain Jack and Barbosa on a pirate ship, the ballroom dancers from The Haunted Mansion, Christopher Robin and his friends in the 100 Acre Wood, and even Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope. Oh! And Bowler Hat Guy from "Meet the Robinsons" was there last year!!! That's a crazy-rare sighting! (If you have no idea who I am talking about, go rent "Meet the Robinsons" right now. In fact, buy it. You'll want a copy. It's awesome.) It's a fantastic parade, and worth the entry ticket in itself. But it gets even better.... Bowler Hat Guy! Goob!!!!           There's also a special Halloween version of the Castle projection show, Celebrate the Magic, and an incredible, you've got to see-it-to-believe-it fireworks show, Hallo-Wishes!      It truly is a remarkable and memorable night and totally worth going to, even if you are traveling with all adults!      I will make this recommendation, though: To make it more worth your while, don't buy a park ticket for the day that you'll be attending the party. Use this day as a "chillin' out day". Hang by the pool, do an elaborate breakfast out, walk around Downtown Disney, or do something else fun outside of the parks. Make sure your kids, (even older kids), get a good nap in, and then head to The Magic Kingdom early. Your Not So Scary ticket will grant you entrance to the park as of 4pm, even though the Halloween festivities don't begin until 7pm. In the hours before the party starts, get in some rides and attractions. That way you can use your party hours to enjoy the actual themed events. I recommend knocking out character meet and greets early on, as lines get HUGE! There was a three hour wait to see Jack and Sally last year. That's a waste of a perfectly good Halloween party. Not that Jack and Sally aren't totally awesome. No offense, guys. It's just that, I didn't pay $70 to meet two characters. Visit the dance parties, and check out the Sanderson Sisters in front of the Castle. Do some trick-or-treating as you go, but hold off on the majority of it until the end of the night. I say this partially because you won't have to carry a heavy candy bag around all night this way, and partially because I personally found the Cast Members' candy-giving hands to get heavier as the night wore on, thus filling your bag quicker at the end of the night. During the first parade, get in some attractions, or more meet and greets. The first parade is always the busier of the two. Make sure you are in front of the Castle for the fireworks, since most of them are designed to incorporate effects on the Castle too. Then, when it's time for the second parade, make your way to Frontierland, which you will likely find pretty close to deserted. Then right before the party is over, trick-or-treat until you DROP!!!! (Ok, this is the way WE do Not So Scary. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's how I have found you get the most out of the party ticket price.)      So, that was a really long-winded answer. I can make it shorter. Yes. Yes, it's worth it. Hope that helps!!!!! Have a magical day!!!