My hubs and I had the good fortune to get away, just the two of us, for a magical few nights at Disney in August, and as part of the trip, we experienced our first Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party. Let’s dive right into the review!

We intentionally planned an early morning flight, despite partygoers not gaining entry to Magic Kingdom until 4 p.m. on party day. We didn’t want to risk a flight delay. And it was a good choice because we arrived more than an hour after we planned, getting to our hotel around 11 a.m.

Luckily our room at Pop Century Resort was ready, so we relaxed for about half an hour before changing into our party attire (very simple Halloween-themed t-shirts) and catching the bus to Magic Kingdom. We had reservations for lunch at Wailulu Grill (Polynesian Resort) at 2 p.m. and knew we wanted to try out Trader Sam’s first. It was all so good. Trader Sam’s has some of the best theming and patron engagement on resort property, I think. (Also, try the Ahi Tuna Crisps at Wailulu. I am still dreaming about them!)

Around 4 p.m., we headed over to MK via monorail. There was definitely a big queue for party entry, but it went quickly. I would not suggest lining up any earlier, especially if it’s hot outside, as there’s no shade and I’m not sure what lining up super early really gets you (unless you want to be first in line to see Jack and Sally).

Once you enter the park, you’re directed to the right of town hall where you’ll receive your candy bag (with a full sized twix!) and see some delightful characters who engage the crowds. It was a really cute way to kick off the party.

There are lots of ways to “do” the party, and each one revolves around your own priorities. To be clear, we didn’t really care about the character photo ops or the trick-or-treating, but from what we saw, the lines could get fairly long at these locations. Pack your patience if they’re a big draw for you.

We mainly cared about the parade, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and shorter ride times. Since we didn’t have kids in tow, we opted for the later parade time, which allowed us to walk onto Tron twice in a row during the earlier parade. Amazing.

In general, the wait times were super short. We are usually big-time Lightning Lane users, but it was nice not even needing them during the party. We never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride. It was glorious and, to me, justified the price of the ticket.

The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular was fantastic, and we were able to go right up towards the front even after it started. It was refreshing to not feel like we were being crushed to death to get a decent viewing spot–such a departure from HEA fireworks. And the performances were top notch (Dr. Facilier was a particular highlight). The castle projections really added a lot, we thought, and created an incredible spooky vibe….which is, of course, what we’re there for!

The parade. Hmm…overall, we thought it was just okay. Maybe we were just tired since we waited for the late showing, and maybe it was the lady who chose to stand and block everyone’s view the entire time despite being in the front row, but it didn’t quite pack the punch I expected. Don’t get me wrong, seeing the headless horseman was incredibly cool and checked off a bucket list item for me, and the gravediggers were memorable, but everything else just sort of fell flat. We thought it was a good parade, but not great. What I DID love was the pre-show from the Cadaver Dans. They were so talented and did a great job engaging a tired crowd.

Since we loaded up on a HUGE lunch at 2pm, we didn’t actually eat while in the park. Which…was a mistake. By the time the second parade rolled around, we had just started to get hungry and everything was closing at that point. We honestly went to bed hungry that evening and it was entirely due to a rookie mistake. We should have taken advantage of at least a couple of the cool snacks available at the party, but we were too excited about maximizing the number of rides we could do. We’d plan better next time and make sure we weren’t leaving the park hungry!

Overall, I loved our first MNSSHP experience! The wait times, vibe/decor, and entertainment left us properly ready for spooky season to begin. I’d love to take our girls in the future, and I know it would be an entirely different experience since our priorities would be different. That said, I’m really glad my first experience was with my husband and that we were able to do it exactly as we wanted….as most parents are aware, those occasions don’t come around too often!!

Boo to you, and thanks for reading!