The crowd level during the party is significantly less than the regular daytime crowd thanks to a limited number of tickets being available. That being said, I heard last year's parties seemed to be more crowded than normal. Keep in mind that Disney ultimately controls how many tickets are sold. It's also good to consider as the fall really starts setting in that people are more into Halloween. Halloween night is usually a sell out. I went on Halloween a couple years ago and it was crowded, but still had an easy time getting everything I wanted to get done, done. I went one year towards the end of September and it was significantly less crowded than on Halloween. Then again, there was also a hurricane that hit the state right around the same time, so the crowd in general that week was pretty light. My point is that you will not be dealing with the typical crowd at The Magic Kingdom which makes the whole experience so much better.
Costumes are permitted at the party and are a lot of fun. Disney does have costume guidelines that they ask guests to follow. For example, someone dressed as a princess that too closely replicates Disney's official princess cast may be asked to alter a part of their costume (hair, jewelry, etc) before entering. This is done for safety reasons. Disney does not want random people becoming a meet and greet and taking pictures of kids in their park, especially since it's not like a background check is needed to enter. All of the costume guidelines are reasonable and can be found on the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween page on Disney World's website. Costumes are a great part of the Halloween Party. I had a blast seeing families and random people dressed up as their favorite characters. It's great to see just how far the Disney fandom goes. Of course you see a ton of popular costumes such as Elsa, Moana, etc, but I've also seen deeper cuts from The Great Mouse Detective and Bedknobs and Broodsticks. Personally I've gone as Flotsam and Jetsam from The Little Mermaid as well as Fantasmic, the nighttime show at Hollywood Studios.
So what is there to do at the party? Well a ton really. Before going into it though I want to throw this out there. Dining locations are available during the Halloween Party. Since the party runs from 7:00 to 12:00am, there is time to sit down at a restaurant and eat. For some people the Halloween party presents a unique opportunity to get into a hard to get into location such as Be Our Guest. For me though, I'd rather grab some quick service grub during the Halloween party as opposed to going to one of the restaurants. I'm more of a ride person in Disney, so any opportunity I have to hit things like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with minimal wait, I'll take. Oh yeah, did I mention nearly all of the rides are open during the party? Yeah! They are and with much shorter wait times than a typical day too!
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party features a ton of entertainment. Throughout the park there are Trick or Treat stands where you can pick up some candy. Both times I went the candy was various snack size Mars brand candies. Overall the candy selection is pretty good to be honest. The fun thing is you can Trick or Treat as much as you want. I've seen people with huge pillowcases full of candy walking around these parties. Along with Trick or Treating you can visit some unique characters such as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Jafar from Aladdin. Also scattered throughout the park are unique Halloween snacks for sale. I haven't seen the menu released yet for this year's party, but the two that I went to had some awesome treats for sure, so make sure you bring your sweet-tooth.
In addition to that stuff, there are three more big events at the party. One is the Boo To You Parade. This parade features all kinds of spooky characters ranging from Mickey and the gang to the hitchhiking ghosts of the Haunted Mansion to the villains themselves. It's got an incredibly catchy soundtrack and is probably the coolest night time parade that Disney World has to offer.... It's also the only one outside of the Christmas party parade that Disney World currently has to offer... Anyway... The Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular takes place in front of the castle a few times throughout the night. This is your chance to see the Sanderson sisters put on a show for all to see. Also in the show are some of the most memorable Disney villains of all time. It is certainly worth at least one watch. Lastly, 2019 will debut a brand new fireworks spectacular! This unnamed show will be taking the place of Happy Hallowishes which in itself was a great show. I have no idea what the new show will look like, but here is the old show if you are interested in watching it.
With allllll of that said. Is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party worth the price of admission. My answer is yes! I feel like there is enough going on from 7:00pm to midnight to completely justify the price of admission. In addition to all of what I mentioned there are other smaller things that go on such as dance parties, street performers, etc. that just add to the spooky magic. Personally I try to save money on a day ticket for that day. If I know I am doing a Halloween Party, I won't get a park ticket for that day. If you want to hit Magic Kingdom from park open till the end of the party, you'll need two tickets, which is by no means cheap. That said, being allowed in the park at 4:00pm was a great benefit and allowed for me to hit a few more rides and eat before the party started up. If you are going to the Walt Disney World Resort between August 16th and November 1st, check the calendar and try to get some party tickets! You will not be disappointed!
As always, thanks for reading. For more information on Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party visit The Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Page!
