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CinderAbby · 10-20-2018, 06:01 PM

Mickeys's Not So Scary Halloween Party Ideas

Hey guys it's Abby!
In this post I am going to talk about some ideas that I came up with (with a little bit of help from mom) for MIckey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. For those that don't know, we went to the first Halloween Party on August 17th and it was sold out.

Now depending on when you are reading this, the Halloween Party may already be over for the year.

So therefore I'm going to talk about my "TOP 10 FAVORITE IDEAS FOR IMPROVING MNSSHP" Let's get started!

10.Halloween Shorts
Let's start with something that everyone likes to watch at times. Halloween shorts are fun and they really do get a good laugh out of you. During the party, some of the attractions do not remain open. Mickey's Philharmagic is one of them. After the park closes to regular day guests, they turn Mickey's Philharmagic into a treat trail. The cool part about this particular treat trail is that not only do you get candy you also get to see some Halloween shorts playing on the screen in the main theater. It's a good way to soak up some AC or if you need to get out of the crowd. Another attraction that was also turned into a treat trail for the party was the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. Unlike Philharmagic, it didn't play anything on the screen except that one screen where Roz was "always watching" you. It would be nice if they played Halloween shorts on the main screen instead of that same background you see at the start of the show (it's the one that Buddy Boil uses when he introduces you to the "Hello Humans" screaming). Another place that would be cool to feature the Halloween shorts would be the Hall of Presidents. It has a theater with a lot of seating, AC, plus it could be a treat trail as well. You get treats when you enter, watch some shorts, and get some more treats on your way out. I know that most people will only do them for the candy, but I'm pretty sure that the kids would love to watch something that is Halloween related while they are taking a break. Either from the heat or just the crowd in general.

9. Halloween Character Times Guide
Times guides are helpful for those who don't use the My Disney Experience app, either they don't have a good device that supports the app or a problem we had was struggling just to get good WiFi. It can really be a problem during the different events because the only times guides they have are for a regular park day. So the only way you'll be able to get times for the Halloween characters is through MDE. Sometimes people will just rush straight for a M&G area without even checking the times. Now most of those people who do that have already done the parties before, so they will tend to skip the shows just to do the M&Gs. But what if someone wants to do characters and they don't have the MDE app to check the times? Now sometimes people will ask the CM about the M&Gs, but if you're the type of person who is shy to ask and don't have a good device, that's where a times guide would come in handy. The times guide would show the times just like a normal day times guide, only it would show times just for the Halloween M&G. It would be helpful for those without an iPhone, but like I said they're just going to rush to a M&G even after reading the times.

8. Halloween Show Time Changes
Now this is where the crowd becomes a maze of where to go and what to do. For those that don't know, there are 3 different Halloween shows that happen every party night. The Hocus Pocus castle show times are 8:30, 10:45 and 12:00, Boo to You times are 9:15 and 11:15, and Hallowishes has only one showing at 10:15. The castle show is about 20 minutes long, so the 10:45 show doesn't end until 11:05. That time is when the Headless Horseman comes down the parade route. Those who haven't seen the parade, or want to see it a second time can stay. That I can understand, but those who don't want to watch Boo to You again have a tough time making their way through the crowd to their next destination. I really think that the shows should be more apart from each other. I think they should do Hocus Pocus at 7:45, 9:45 and 12:00, Boo to You at 8:45 and 11:15, and have a Hallowishes go off at 10:30. It might be early for the entertainment to happen, but it can get dark very quickly in Disney. At least the good news is that people don't have to push and shove their way through a crowd to get to where they're going.

7. Change Park Hours for Regular Guests
In order to have the Halloween Party happen, the Magic Kingdom closes early to those who don't have a ticket for the event. After the park closes, you have to show the CM your Halloween wristband in order to get in the queue for rides that operate during the party. When we went, the park closed at 6 to regular day guests. It's early, but not enough. I really think that once the Halloween guests start entering the park, they should also close it to regular day guests. So therefore they could use one side of the train station for Halloween guests entering and the other side for regular guests leaving. It would be a bummer for regular guests getting only 8 hours of park time in the Magic Kingdom, but the problem is really on them. They probably didn't plan their trip until the last minute. So if you plan to go to Disney, make sure you get some information on the park hours, especially when there are hard ticket events going on. Other then that, I really think that it would be helpful to the CM because they would have 3 hours to search the entire park for anyone who is camping out during the party without a ticket. Don't do that!

6. Halloween Character Meals
Now we get to probably the most popular thing at MNSSHP, the M&G's. The lines get so long it's like you can't even sneak in a single M&G, even before the party ends. What if there was a way to be able to see some of the exclusive Halloween characters right before the party? That would be really helpful for those who want to see the characters, but can't due to long wait times. Now one of the things we like to do at Disney is have a meal with the characters. We do them because not only do we get to meet the characters, but also we get something to eat while we wait. If there were meals where you could meet some of the characters who appear at the Halloween Party, I would totally do them. My idea for the meals was to do them at The Crystal Palace, since it's open during the party and it's a buffet. For Breakfast and Lunch you would meet Pooh and his friends like a normal day, the only difference would be meeting them in their Halloween costumes. For Dinner it would be some of the more popular M&Gs like Jack and Sally. One important thing to know is that if you wanted to do dinner you would need a ticket to MNSSHP, and everybody can experience breakfast and lunch. It's a good chance for people who aren't going to the party to experience one whole M&G with Pooh and his friends in their costumes. Only exceptions are you would meet them individually and you could get their autographs. They really should have the characters do autographs only at the meals.

CinderAbby · 10-20-2018, 06:01 PM

5. Halloween Character Tour
Another cool idea to get to see the characters before the party would be a tour during the day to get the chance to meet them. It would be like the Family Magic Tour we did but instead of finding objects in the different lands, you would be meeting some of the Halloween characters. In this tour, you would be put into a group with other families doing the tour and a CM would guide you to the different M&G areas. Now in order to do this tour, you need a park ticket for the day and a ticket to MNSSHP. Since the characters would be out during the day chances are people would want to jump in the line to see them. They would probably have CM making sure that only guests who are doing the tour get to see them. This would probably become the very first character tour that Disney has ever done and just like with the meals, when the party starts you won't have to worry about waiting in line for hours just to see the characters again. You won't be seeing all the characters during the tour or at dinner, so keep that in mind and be prepared to wait in long lines during the party if you plan to see everyone.

4. Earlier M&G Times
Everyone knows the M&Gs start right when the Halloween Party begins. However, are a few M&Gs that start a few hours before the actual party, mostly because they have the longest waits. Although the last two ideas would help decrease the wait times, the lines are still going to be long even before the characters come out. What if they started all the M&G's at the same time, but right when Halloween guests start entering the park? That would make a big difference in the wait times. One thing that was new this year was that DVC and APs were let in at 2. I feel like if all the M&Gs started at that time, then the DVC and APs would have 2 hours just to themselves only for the lines. Then at 4 when everyone else enters, they could just go to a M&G line without having to wait 2-3 hours for the characters. It would be a big game changer to people who love doing M&Gs. So if you are a die hard character fan, be sure to plan your party accordingly.

3. Food Locations and Mini Treats
At Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, they give out Christmas cookies and special Christmas drinks at no additional cost. What if they did the same thing at MNSSHP? That would totally shake things up. At the Hallowishes Dessert Party, they have mini treat versions of some the Halloween exclusive snacks. It would be cool if they had those same mini treats at some of the food locations. So instead of buying a large dessert for say $5, you could get a mini version of the same dessert without paying any money. This could help out those who have already had a dessert in past and don't want the large version, or if someone wants to try a dessert for the first time. It would make the lines move a little faster than before. Another thing that would help with the lines would be to have all the food locations at the Magic Kingdom open during the party. If you don't remember or if you haven't our TR yet, we tried to go to Sunshine Tree Terence for the orange cream treats only to find out it was closed during the party. It would be cool if that place was open during the party and what they would have to offer. Not only would they have treats that were available only there, but also some of the treats that were being sold at other locations. Having more food places open and giving mini treats for free would totally change the wait times. You could choose where you wanted to go, check how long the line is, and which size treat is right for you and your family.

2. Extended Halloween Hours
For those of you who attended Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, you'll know that event usually lasts from 6:30-2 in the morning. Compare that to MNSSHP which only lasts from 7-12, it's an additional 2 hours of event time. Although MNSSHP ends at midnight, they have one more Hocus Pocus stage show to present. Once that show ends, everyone who stayed for the show is escorted out of the park. What if they kept the park open for an extra hour or two before sending everyone home? That would mean an extra two hours to do some last minute attractions. Wether you wanted to go on one last ride or if you want to try to do a M&G you can. Not only would the lines for things be shorter, but also it wouldn't be as crowded ever since the party started. Those who wanted to stay until park close could, while everyone who wanted to leave can. Just note that if you wanted to stay up till 2 in the morning, be sure to get plenty of sleep before the party because it would be long night.

1. Sell Less Tickets
We saved the best for last, and by best I mean a change that Disney has to do. Usually only up to 20,000 tickets are sold per Halloween Party night. That's a lot of people don't get me wrong, but I think crowd control is the biggest problem. During the first parade everyone is completely squished together like sardines in a can. What if instead of selling 20,000 tickets per an event night they did only 10,000? It would become a very big change and guests would have a different experience. It wouldn't be very crowded during the Halloween shows, and the M&G's wouldn't have as long of a line (along with the other ideas for M&G changes). Plus the lines for candy and treats wouldn't be very crowded either. Having less tickets sold for the parties is something that everyone wants Disney to do. Maybe Disney might do that in the near future, who knows? All we can do right now is hope for the best.

So there you have it, those were my Top 10 ideas for MNSSHP. If you agree with any of these ideas or if you have an idea you would like to share, let us know.

CinderAbby · 10-20-2018, 06:05 PM

Once again I'd just like to thank everyone for their patience and for joining us on what turned out to be our not as Incredible as we hoped it would be vacation. I hope you've enjoyed everything from start to finish including my other wrap up, my final thoughts and Abby's ideas for MNSSHP and that some of what I wrote will help others in planning . As for a return trip? Who knows when it will happen. I will let you guys know though but it most likely will be several years away.

Pris · 10-20-2018, 07:53 PM

Thanks for taking us along with you. I think you and Abby have some good thoughts. You really should send Abby's ideas to Disney. Who knows what they will do with them, but what have you got to lose.

NanaTink · 10-21-2018, 09:09 AM

Thanks for sharing your trip with us and Abby, thank you for sharing your ideas. You have some very interesting ideas, to be sure! Crowd control is the biggest issue Disney has, imho, and the crowding around the stage and the parade route never seems to go away at all during the parties as people camp out. I loved your idea of less tickets sold, but unfortunately, I believe I recently read that Disney has actually INCREASED the number of tickets per party. I don't believe Disney will change that to a smaller number much as we would wish them to do. Thank you for putting ideas together that could make the party more enjoyable!

clio · 10-21-2018, 09:09 AM

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. No one's trip is perfect so sharing the good and bad just makes it real.
Abby put a lot of thought into her suggestions and came up with some good ones. I hope you send them to Disney. Maybe they'll consider them.
Liz

**manticorjenn** · 10-21-2018, 11:06 AM

Thanks for sharing your trip and Abby's ideas for the party with us. I hope that you are able to get back soon. I also think you should send Abby's ideas to Disney as they are good ones.

SuperDave · 10-21-2018, 12:55 PM

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

Although, you say your next WDW trip is several years away, you just never know! Not easy as WDW trips generally don't come cheap!

**Cam22** · 10-21-2018, 08:25 PM

Darlene, since I'm way behind on your TR, I'm going to ready a day at a time over the next week to catch up. I want to respond while I still remember what I want to say.

First of all on this Epcot day, I'm glad things got better after that grouchy security guard tried to destroy the magic. We love Garden Grill for dinner, but have never gone for breakfast. Two times on Soarin' and the day is still early. Awesome!

We also love Teppan Edo. The chefs make this meal both delicious and entertaining.

purplegal · 10-21-2018, 11:25 PM

Thanks for a great trip report, it’s good that you put in the positives and negatives as not all trips go as planned. Abby had some great ideas for the party, I especially liked the idea of the character dinner and character tours, it would be great if Disney adopted these ideas.

**Colexis Mom** · 10-22-2018, 08:13 AM

Glad you guys had a great time! Great list of final thoughts and suggestions. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

**Cam22** · 10-22-2018, 09:41 PM

Tuesday -- You all did quite well in Toy Story Land. Now that I've been there during the continuing heat wave in Orlando, I totally understand how the lack of shade makes this a very, very hot part of the park. Any day that ends in Mickey Bars is a good day.