Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

During the 2017 Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend, we made sure to plan around the Halloween party. Robby is obsessed with Halloween, and we thought this would be a great way to celebrate the holiday! This was our first time attending the party. Since we also wanted Robby to do real trick or treating, we opted for the last night of the party, November 1st. This was also significantly cheaper than attending on Halloween, so it worked out perfectly!

We flew down to Orlando the day of the party. This allowed us to take full advantage of the 4:00 pm admission ticket without "wasting" a day of our park hopper tickets. We made sure we were at the gates of Magic Kingdom by 4, and we were let in just a few minutes before the hour. Our first stop was the trick or treat stop behind Main St. We were given bags and a few treats to start the Halloween festivities.

We had ADRs, so we headed over to Liberty Tree Tavern for an early dinner. This was our first time eating there. I wish I had planned this a little differently, but it was a great start to our WDW vacation! We spent our time at dinner planning our "attack". We knew the fireworks and parade were a must. We also wanted to make sure Robby got at least one ride on Pirates.

After hitting a few rides, we started trick or treating. Disney is no joke when it comes to this! It was all good candy and lots of it. The lines were fairly short, and we were able to continue throughout the night. We also went over to the Monsters Inc. dance party. Meh. It was a bit disappointing. Robby loves the monsters and he didn't really get into it. We could've skipped it and done an extra ride.

We then lined up for the parade a bit later than we wanted. The parade was AWESOME! By far my favorite part of the night. Robby loved it, especially the pirates and skeletons. The music was great, the costumes were amazing, and it was definitely worth seeing. We opted for the earlier parade (it happens twice over the course of the night) because we didn't know if we'd make it to the later one. It was definitely a good thing, too, because from being up super early to travel, we were zonked by the time fireworks were over.

Robby was mesmerized by all the pirates!

After the parade, we headed to Main St. and got a great view for the fireworks. That short walk from Frontierland to Main St. was enough to put Robby out. Poor little guy slept through the entire fireworks show. We definitely enjoyed the fireworks with a twist for Halloween. It was the perfect way to end the party.

Our loot from the evening.

As much as my heart wanted to stay until closing at midnight, I was beat too. Once Robby threw in the towel, we headed back to the hotel. That was definitely the drawback of a 6 a.m. flight the same day as the party.

Overall, this was TOTALLY worth it! You have to do it at least once! I have heard from so many Disney friends that this is THE party to go to. We've been to the Christmas party twice, and this one was hands-down better! Dates are up for 2018, so be sure to book quickly, especially if you want to go on Halloween.

Before you go, here are some things I wish I would have done differently:
1. Bring a better trick or treat bag for Robby. I really didn't "get it". I had read you get a lot of candy, but you get a LOT of candy! It would've been easier to bring his own bag and just dump some out as we went along.
2. Eat before you go. We spent the first hour or so eating an early dinner. Yes, it was great, but between our travels and time, I would've preferred to take in some rides early and get more of the special snacks throughout the night (we were so stuffed we didn't eat anything at the party).
3. Get a better spot for the parade! The first parade was super crowded (I've heard it's better if you watch the later one). We squeezed in but Robby would have enjoyed it more if he could have been closer.
4. If possible, rest earlier or nap so you can stay until midnight. I bet the crowds thin out nicely and you get even more bang for your buck.

Have you ever been to MNSSHP? What did you think? Is it on your bucket list?