Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is Expensive and Worth It

I’m not a big Halloween person. Maybe it’s because I was forced to dress up like Kermit the Frog and trick-or-treat with my then-girlfriend when I was 16. I was 6’3″ and had a mullet. The looks I got from people who answered the door…

I guess I’ve recovered from that trauma, because I loved Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We visited on a Friday in early October. The weather was perfect. The crowds weren’t bad. And the candy scoops were flying.

We spent the day at EPCOT enjoying Via Napoli and our first look at Journey of Water. We wanted to arrive at Magic Kingdom before they closed the regular park guest entrance. You can see why in the photos below. The first shows those with Party tickets waiting to enter. The second shows the lines for guests with park tickets or Annual Passes. Guests with party tickets didn’t have to wait long, however.

I didn’t know what to expect from a Not-So-Scary party. I had watched my share of videos, but I had no idea how different the scene was from a regular Magic Kingdom visit. As always, Cast Members were excellent.

Main Street was crowded with day guests leaving the park, but that thinned out quickly. The hub was not crowded at all. PhotoPass photographers were waiting for people in front of Cinderella Castle. I had time to take some great castle pics, too.

We didn’t want rides to be the focus of our evening, but we needed to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run. At a minute before 6:00 PM, I put away the camera and opened the MDE app. My heart rate still goes up every time I try for a Virtual Queue (there has to be a better way). We got a group. The pressure was off.

Checking in

Now it was time to get wristbands. We could have gotten them at the park entrance if we entered with Party guests, but again, that line. So we headed to PhilharMagic as Cast Members repeatedly stopped us to ask about our lack of party identification.

You don’t need to see my identification.

They were cool and let us pass. In addition to our wristbands, we also picked up our treat bags, party guides, and big bags of Brownie M&Ms.

Our return time for TRON was coming up, and since the party hadn’t officially started, we wanted to eat during the lull. We chose Pecos Bill, which was still offering its regular menu. We didn’t want to wait for the specialty items and miss out on the party outside.

Treat Trails

After that, we headed to TRON, stopping at a number of Treat Trails along the way. They were easy to find. The inflatables and the Cast Members never let us miss one. The Mars Wrigley candy they give out is the good stuff (albeit in small packages) and the Cast Members are very generous with the scoops.

As I said, we didn’t want rides to be too important, but we had to ride TRON at night. Daytime is fun. But the lighting at night makes it even better. Disney understands lighting.

From there, we took the path to Fantasyland, stopping at every Treat Trail along the way. The lines were long but never stopped moving.

PhotoPass

Disney photographers created some cool moments with light wands and long exposures. It was awkward to hold the pose for as long as we did, but the pics are cool.

Our friends grabbed a Magic Shot while I wasn’t paying attention.

We wanted to ride the Haunted Mansion, but so did everyone else. Standby times were over 45 minutes, so we passed. Our group decided on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but getting to Frontierland was a chore. The parade was just starting and the crowds were massive. We found a better place to view the second parade. I’m a fan of personal space, and we had plenty later in the evening.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was a walk-on. That ride is stellar at night.

Pirates of the Caribbean was also a walk-on. Pirates is always fun, but we were disappointed that the queue and ride didn’t have live performers.

Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular

Now it was time for the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Party headliner events. First up was Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular. Remember, we don’t like crowds. We’re also not fans of foregoing rides and scoops of candy to stake out a spot in the hub. So we decided to watch from Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. You might not see every castle projection from that spot, but the incredible lighting more than makes up for it.

Read more: Photo Gallery: Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular

Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular

We did have to approach the hub to see the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular on the Cinderella Castle stage. Once again we found a great, crowd-less spot to the left of the stage.

The show was as advertised. It would’ve been the highlight of our night if not for what came next…

Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade

We set up shop in the Central Plaza in front of Town Square Theater. Not many people were near us, which was surprising. Yes, it was the second parade, but I expected to be elbow-to-elbow with strangers. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Here’s another benefit to our viewing spot. The posted wait time to meet Jack Skellington and Sally was 20 minutes. The parade was set to start in 10, so we asked a Cast Member how long the duo would be meeting guests. “They could leave at any minute.” Rather than risk not getting a pic, my son opted for the photo session. The posted wait time was a fabrication. He was back before the parade started.

Is there a better intro to a parade than the Headless Horseman? This gave us chills!

Finally got to see this magnificent beast and his rider a week ago today. #mickeysnotsoscaryhalloweenparty pic.twitter.com/kRdF9Mqjfm

— Diservations (@diservations) October 14, 2023

Unfortunately, my camera’s battery died right after Ursula swam by. But I got some decent shots before that happened. Boo-To-You was phenomenal!

Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party worth it?

This was our first paid after-hours Disney event. I always resisted paying a surcharge to visit a park I could enjoy with my Annual Pass during the day. But our group talked me into it, and I’m glad they did. For me, the value wasn’t in the bagfuls of Mars candy, the Halloween treats, or even the character meets. It was all about the special entertainment and the Cast Members. The vibe in Magic Kingdom was special that night, unlike anything I’ve experienced at Disney.