Tink In The Parks: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Review

Good morning afternoon early evening, Tinkers!

     Look at that! It's evening already. I'm basically cross-eyed tired at this point, since we got in from Not So Scary at about 2am and after Instagraming my pics, I went to sleep at 3:30am. I should also mention that the kiddos stayed awake until right before we pulled into the driveway and were up around 7am this morning. Everyone is down for a nap now but me.

     So last night we attended the very first Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party of 2015. This was probably my 10th party, or something around there. We go at least once, every year. For those of you that do not know, the party is at The Magic Kingdom, and it is what is called a "hard-ticketed" event, meaning that in order to attend, you must purchase a separate ticket from regular theme park admission. Tickets run right around $75, (There's some variance depending on the night that you attend and whether or not you pre-purchase tickets.), and the party runs on selected nights throughout September and October. Though the event officially starts at 7pm, Guests with Halloween Party tickets can enter the Magic Kingdom as of 4pm. So from 4-7pm, the park is a mix of Day Guests and Party Guests, but there are no special party events taking place yet. After 7pm, Day Guests are very slowly weeded out of the park, and the special events start. Since they don't actually close the park to Day Guests and then reopen it to Party Guests, they use wristbands to identify Party Guests. Day Guests will not be allowed to get in line for rides after 7pm, or to participate in party activities like character meet and greets, etc., and if a Cast Member sees them, they are politely asked to leave the park. (There was also a special announcement from our "Ghost Host", that all Guests without Party tickets needed to exit.) For the most part, this system works to remove Day Guests from the park, though I did see a couple of different parties wandering around without wristbands well into the evening. The Hubs even saw people getting candy without wristbands, but to be fair, it was the first night, and a lot of the Cast Members are working the party for the very first time.

     We arrived at The Magic Kingdom around 6pm. I was surprised to not see the giant, inflatable Mickey jack-o-lanterns on top of the Magic Kingdom parking plaza, like they usually are. I don't know if they are not having them at all this year, or if they just weren't up yet. There were wreaths and garlands of autumn leaves and Mickey pumpkins, so that looked cute. We did also see one other shocking thing when we pulled into the plaza: a sign saying that tonight's event was SOLD OUT! Say what???? Usually Not So Scary only sells out a few nights of the season, and it's typically not until the ones close to Halloween, and it's also typically not the weeknights that sell out. This was a Tuesday in mid-September! Well, ok. I guess I'll chalk it up to it being the first one of the year. I had never been to the first one before. And I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Sanderson Sisters had something to do with this too... but more on that later.

     The weather was absolutely beautiful and the coolest we have seen since the spring! Ahh! Since it was 6pm and the party hadn't started yet, wristbands and trick-or-treat bags were being given out, but there were no official party events taking place. This year's treat bags featured The Good Dinosaur and Aladdin on them. We already were seeing some awesome costumes, including many versions of the emotions from Inside Out, multiple groups of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus, many manly men dressed as princesses, and even a family of Waldos. (I found all of them, multiple times throughout the night.) I also saw a totally stellar Mad Hatter. Not the animated version, the Johnny Depp version. This kid had an incredible costume and spot-on make up! I was impressed!

   

     They do always do some super cool decorating at the park entrance, and on Main Street, and this year was no exception.

 

     We did notice VERY heavy crowds, but we assumed this was due to there still being Day Guests in the park as well, so we headed on down Main Street and into Tomorrowland. Since there was no wait for Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, we decided to see a show. The kids have never been, and they thought it was silly and fun.

     When we came out, it was just after 7pm, so the trick-or-treat stations, character meet and greets and dance parties had started up. There was a treat station right near the Tomorrowland bridge, so we got in line, only to realize the queue was MASSIVE and it was an approximate 15-20 minute wait to get candy. We figured there would be shorter lines elsewhere, so we headed further into Tomorrowland instead. I had heard that Lotso from Toy Story 3 would be doing meet and greets over by Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, so that was our next goal. Well, Lotso's line was also gigantic. My kids are far too spoiled by living near the Mouse to wait in a thirty minute line to see a character, so they opted to skip Lotso too. I remembered that there was a treat station in front of Carousel of Progress last year, and I saw a large line of people, so we went to get in it. Well, we were at the exit. When the Cast Member pointed us to the start of the line, I felt like Ralphie in The Christmas Story. I just kept looking back, and back, and back, trying to find where it started. The beginning of the line was not only zig-zagged all through the queue area for Carousel of Progress, it stretched down around the Rockettower Plaza stage, and almost to Space Mountain! It was craaaaazy! No thanks again. We were batting zero!

The never-ending line for candy

     Luckily, the Scream-O-Ween Monsters Inc Dance Party was going in full force, and it wasn't too crowded, so we stopped by there. The kids had a blast dancing to the music, and even getting to say hello to Sulley and Boo.

 

    We spent about twenty minutes there, before moving on to the Teacups. No wait there either, and according to the My Disney Experience app, almost every attraction had little to no wait. Probably because everyone was busy standing in line for candy or a character. We ended up riding The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and the Carousel too, also with no wait. Sure, not having to wait was nice, but we didn't pay $75 per person to go on rides. Especially considering that K and I had visited last week and done almost everything without a wait, simply due to it being off season. The treat station next to the Teacups was at about a twenty minute wait to get candy, and the line wrapped up past Dumbo, so we skipped that one too. We figured we'd hit shorter lines once the parade started.

     When our little monsters started getting really cranky about not having any candy yet, we figured we would pop into Gaston's Tavern for a specialty holiday cupcake and a snack. Guess what? Gaston's was sold out of cupcakes. And it was only 8pm! Instead we tried the Candy Corn Soft Serve Ice Cream from Storybook Treats. I feel like I'm just being the bearer of bad news now, but it was disappointing. It was a very small portion, and didn't taste like anything other than vanilla soft serve. There were a few candy corns at the bottom of the stale cone, which was a nice little surprise, but otherwise, even the kids were not impressed.

     While walking through Fantasyland, we did see Snow White and Gaston each doing meet and greets, and they both seemed to have semi-reasonable wait times, since the first parade was now taking place. The Seven Dwarfs, on the other hand, had a massive, multi-hour long wait time. They were adorable, and I did snap a picture of them with a Guest, but there was no way we were waiting in that line. The littles opted for It's a Small World instead.

 

     As we walked toward Liberty Square, there was another treat station, next to Peter Pan's Flight. The line stretched down past Columbia Harbor House. Seriously? What is going on? How is it THIS busy????

     I was at a loss. I am usually really good at avoiding crowds in the parks, anticipating flow of the mob, etc. I felt like I was failing miserably. We didn't know where to go next. The first parade was just ending, and a guy standing near us, outside of the Tangled rest area, was saying that the hub was packed from 5pm on, all in anticipation of the new Hocus Pocus themed show, so we figured we should head toward the hub, to get a spot for Celebrate the Magic and Hallowishes. We passed the Evil Queen in the form of the Old Hag, whom you pretty much never get to see in the parks. Her line was also enormous, so we just kept going.

     The 9:15pm Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular was taking place and the hub was quite literally PACKED with Guests. Like, it was virtually impossible to walk through the hub at all. We ended up giving up and just standing still, even though we couldn't see the stage at all from where we were standing. The show did sound incredible. The crowd was going nuts for Winnie, Mary and Sarah and Winnie's singing voice was pretty spot-on for Bette Middler's. Poor D was very angry at not being able to see the show, despite us promising we would come earlier and get a spot for a later performance. She's a big Hocus Pocus fan too. Villains, in general, are her thing. She loves them. Last year, the villains at the Sinister Soiree couldn't believe how quick this little 5 year old girl was to run up to them and hug them. She's weird like that. In the best way possible, of course. The show ended, (much to the audience's delight), with a fabulous performance of "I Put a Spell On You", right out of the movie. It was fantastic! I couldn't wait to actually SEE the show!

     The crowd didn't really go anywhere when the show ended, since it was now 9:45pm and time for Celebrate the Magic. We did manage to move into a spot where we could see the castle. We always love the projection show on the Castle and the little Halloween insert that they did, featuring Ursula and other villains, was a nice treat.

 

     Then it was time for "fiyawooks", according to K. We all LOVE Hallowishes. That show and Holiday Wishes are beautiful to watch, and very special, since they have the "perimeter fireworks" that pop up all around you. K was totally mesmerized by them.

     The crowd went wild for the bright, loud and spectacular finale, and then they started rushing toward us! We stood still as groups of costumed people pushed passed us, on their way out, or off the other attractions. We stood still for a bit, then decided to head toward Adventureland, to move away from the hub. There was already a massive crowd gathering for the next Hocus Pocus show and we didn't want to get stuck.

     Over in Adventureland, we passed meet and greets with Tarzan, Turk and Jane, one with Jafar, and one with Abu, Genie and Aladdin. All pretty awesome to see, since they are rare finds in the parks, but all had lines far too long for my guys to handle waiting in. At least if we kept moving they felt less restless and didn't feel like we were hurrying up and waiting. It was about 10:30pm and the second parade was at 11:15pm, so we crossed into Frontierland and grabbed one of the few spots left, near Pecos Bills. Holy cow! I remember last year, after the Sinister Soiree, we came out and watched the second parade and there was NO ONE in Frontierland! We had a huge section to ourselves and the kids actually danced during the parade. This was so totally different. Was it because it was the first night? Was it because they were sold out? Did they sell more tickets than they normally allow? Was this all because of the introduction of Hocus Pocus? I don't know!

     While waiting for the parade, I popped into Pecos Bills and got a couple of sandwiches and sides for us to share, since no one had really had anything to eat other than a couple of spoons of ice cream. (They do a great pulled pork at Disney! Try it some time.) The food filled everyone up again and got rid of some of the hANGRY faces. By the time the Headless Horseman came galloping down the street, everyone was all smiles again.

     The Boo To You Parade is usually an annual highlight for us. We love the fun and unique floats, like the Hitchhiking Ghosts and Jack Sparrow on his pirate ship. Most of the same favorites were there this year, but the parade seemed shorter than previous years. There was no Phineas and Ferb pre-parade this year. No Hundred Acre Wood float and the Pooh characters were not in their Halloween costumes. No bloodhound and groundskeeper. No tombstone float. No Lost Boys or Tick-Tock Croc. No Country Bears float, (though the bears themselves did appear in the parade). The "Goofy's Candy Company" section got trimmed way down. Less floats, and they didn't pass out candy. We did get to see Wreck It Ralph and Vanellope, Bowler Hat Guy and Oogie Boogie, so the kids were pretty excited about that. (I apologize in advance for the total lack of quality pictures!)

 

Grave Diggers make a spark in the parade with their shovels

     When the parade was over, we crossed back into Adventureland to get away from the crowd, and walked to the hub, where we saw the end of the parade again, and we able to walk to the front of the Castle, to grab a spot for the midnight Hocus Pocus show. It was STILL packed. I mean, we were at least able to GET a spot this time, but it was still SO full. There were Guests who had attended all four of the Sanderson Sister's shows. This show was a massive success, and when it started, I saw why!

 

Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog

They incorporated projection elements on the Castle, the set was great, there were dancers, and the characters were incredible! The sisters were funny and had wonderful voices. And since the show incorporated rarely seen favorites, like Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog, and Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, the Disney fanatics in the crowd were smitten. The show really was amazing, but it's popularity is really overwhelming and I think it may have caused some of those huge crowds and wait times. And since it IS such a good show and Guests were so excited about it, I would think that more nights of Not So Scary are going to sell out as the dates come up.

     When the show was over, the park was closed, so we headed down Main Street. K was freaking out for a snack, and I had promised candy, so we went to the Confectionery for Candy Corn Cotton Candy, only to find that it was closed. In fact, everything on Main Street was closed except for the Emporium! I have never seen that before. I thought they always kept the Main Street Shops open beyond park close, but I guess not for parties. I wasn't the only one that thought this though. I must have heard fifty Guests saying that they wanted to get a coffee, or go into the candy store, or buy merchandise from a closed shop. I figured I'd take K into The Emporium and at least get him a pack of lollipops, since the kid was still going strong at 12:30pm, but the lines in the store were insane. There was no way I wanted to spend 15 extra minutes in the park, waiting to buy one pack of lollipops. I decided to get him an ice cream bar. The carts were all closed. WHAT???? Was it not my night or what?!?! So we left the park, with K screaming "Candy!!!!", and D bummed/angry that she didn't get her treat bag filled. She asked if we could trick-or-treat next week, on Halloween. Breaking the news to her that Halloween is actually a month and a half away was rough.

     The Hubs and I had NEVER left a Disney hard ticketed event feeling let down. In fact, we are Disney suckers. Disney announces a new Dessert Party or a new special event, and we are all in, no matter the cost. And trust me, it's not like we have the money to burn, we just have our priorities in order. It goes: Family, then Disney, then Food. No wait. Food, then Disney? Disney Food? Yeah. Family, then Disney Food, then Disney. Anyway, the point is that we are willing to spend the money, because we are never let down by Disney experiences. And we have LOVED every Not So Scary Halloween Party we have been to. The crowd made this one kinda miserable. Ok, not miserable, but it felt like we wasted our money. And I am specifically speaking of OUR experience. I know there were plenty of other Guests there that LOVED it, but it just didn't work out well for us. The crowd was overwhelming and since we really weren't there to do rides, since we can come back whenever we want, we didn't get much out of this. Yes, I know we could have gotten in the lines for the candy and the lines for the characters, but we (stupidly) kept thinking that the crowd was temporary and that the lines would be shorter later. NOT the case. A big part of what we generally love about the late-nights in the park, is that since our kids are rock-stars are rallying, we can usually get a ton done in the final hours, due to the thinned out crowd, but that was not the case tonight.

     When we got on the monorail, we started talking to a couple who had also been to the party in previous years, so I asked them about their experience, and they echoed many of our same sentiments. They felt that the lines created a situation where they didn't have time to do what they wanted. They had also been hoping to purchase some of the party-exclusive merchandise and found that most of it was sold out almost as soon as the party started. Though there were a couple of more treat stations this year than last year, the super long lines meant that everyone got less candy, or in our case, none. Our new friends that we met on the monorail though were extremely kind, and they gave each of the kids some of their candy. They may have just wanted K to stop wailing, "CAAAAAAAAAAAANNNDDDYYYY!!!", but either way, it was nice of them. I had also noticed that there was no character dance party in the Diamond Horseshoe this year, like there was last year. That was a great place to go and see some of the villains, be inside, in case of rain or just to cool down, and to dance and enjoy yourself. I wonder why they took it away. Our monorail friends were also able to help me out with a comparison because they attended last year's opening night as well, and said it was no where near as busy as this, so that at least helped me to understand that it was not this busy based solely on the fact that it was opening night. They had also attended the Sinister Soiree in the Castle last year and agreed that it was a fansastically awesome event. Yes, it was costly to attend the party ($75 per person) AND pay for the Soiree ($100 per person), especially because we then missed most of the party... but the event was so spectacular, that we didn't mind. Many Guests DID mind, which is probably why they didn't do it again this year, but we would have done it again in a heartbeat.

     Overall, I was disappointed. Most of what was a problem for us was the crowd and how that effected the event. Yes, there were some changes with the event that I wasn't thrilled with, like the shorter parade, the missing dance party in Frontierland, and the shortages of specialty food items and merchandise, but mostly the lines were what caused us to end up feeling like we paid $75 per person to see the parade, fireworks and Hocus Pocus show. I think if we were to attend on a night when there were fewer Guests in attendance, we would have enjoyed it more, however, with the popularity of the event this year, I don't see there being any slow nights. In previous years, we have left the park with multiple bags full of candy, awesome character photos, and having enjoyed multiple dance parties and shows, so this year, leaving empty handed was a real bummer.

     Should my review stop you from attending the party? By all means, NO! Especially if you have never been and you don't have anything to compare it to. I just hope that this helps you to be prepared. Have a "Top 3" things that you want to see and do and focus on getting those done. Plan everything else around getting to those 3 things. Don't expect the crowds to dissipate as night goes on, because it seemed that they did not. If you want one of the specialty food items or merchandise, get them when you enter the park, so that you are not disappointed. And if you can get a night where the party isn't sold out, go for that one!

     I honestly HATE posting this review. I am by no means a Disney-Downer. I tend to always look for the positive when it comes to changes that Disney makes that not everyone agrees with. I love sharing what I love about Disney parks, events and attractions with you. I hate sharing a negative review, but I also owe it to anyone that takes the time to read my blog, to give you a truthful and honest report, and then let you do with that information whatever you choose. I love Not So Scary as a general rule of thumb. This year, it might have been partly me, and partly them, but I was let down. Sorry, guys. I'm gonna go take a nap now.