? for people that have gone to MNSSHP

[moonspinner]

My lack of experience is catching up with me.

Trying in vain to make simple plans for our trip, and am seriously considering buying the tickets to go to MNSSHP. It's taken a while to come to this conclusion because that means I might have to pass on going to one of the water parks (DD8 LOVES sharks so we were looking at going to TL one day) or going to Universal's IOA (same DD also loves H Potter).

Myself, DH and DDs 5 & 8 will be at the world Sept 23rd to Oct 1 (today is the 100 mark :sohappy, so we if we go to MNSSHP we have a choice of the following dates:
Friday the 23rd (I'm thinking no to that day mostly bc we are driving there and we'll probably be pooped)
Tuesday the 27th
Friday the 30th (night before we depart).

Any advice at all? I'm wide open to any advice (including skipping it if you were unimpressed with the experience). Did you go to one of the parks earlier in the day, and if so which one worked best for you? Did you find that you had to take it easy the following morning? Did you find the price of ticket to be worth it? Do you make plans to go on your arrival day and find it a good choice? A friend of mine suggested it was a good time to for character meets and greets, did you also find that to be true?

And, if anyone feels like sharing, did you go to TL or Universal's IOA and found it a great experience? Mostly thinking of my older daughter as DD5 is into princesses (so we are well set with her).

I hate to ask so many questions and sound so lost but, let's face it, it's a big WDWorld out there and I want so much to see and do as much as possible (might be our only trip for a very long time) but want to stay loose and relaxed at the same time. No pressure, huh?

Thanks so much!!! Your advice and suggestions and experience have really been helpful, and I so appreciate reading all of the tips. Really great info and seems to be full of really great people, too.

 

[melflip8]

Hi There!

Let me see if I can help! :wave:

For TL: If you're coming from up North (not sure) and really want to get a swimming experience, I'd say do TL, however not sure there are THAT many sharks or that they are primarily Nurse Sharks. I haven't been to TL in FOREVER though.

For IOA: The Harry Potter ride is scary as heck, lol. I'm 26 and about peed my pants, but I LOVE me so IOA (don't tell people on here) and the new HP area is totally cool. But, I still think 5 and 8 may be borderline for them being a little scared on the new ride.

For MNSSHP: I LOVED IT! So this answer may be biased. The Boo to You Parade is currently my favorite parade at WDW and the fireworks are toooo die for! To answer your specific questions:

"Did you go to one of the parks earlier in the day, and if so which one worked best for you?" - I'd probably go to HS during the day and then you can actually get into MNSSHP at 4pm (even though they say 7pm...they do allow you to enter starting at 4pm) and a full evening's money worth out of it.

"Did you find that you had to take it easy the following morning?" - Not so much, it's pretty much over by Midnight and you can get a good seven hours if you are hitting another park at rope drop the next day.

"Did you find the price of ticket to be worth it?" Yes, if you go in at 4pm, you get a full 8 hours in MK for CHEAPER than a regular full day ticket.

"Do you make plans to go on your arrival day and find it a good choice?" No, I'd go on Tuesday...it will be significantly less crowded.

"A friend of mine suggested it was a good time to for character meets and greets, did you also find that to be true?" - Your friend is ABSOLUTELY right...you can get a picture with ALLL of the Seven Dwarfs TOGETHER with a minimal wait (right out front of Peter Pan's Flight) :sohappy:

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!!

 

[RonAnnArbor]

The above is very accurate -- let me just add a few things...

The closer you get to the 31st, the more crowded the parties will be.

If you are looking at doing the typical Magic Kingdom type things (Character meet and greets, and rides) you will find MNSSHP to be the BEST trip to MK you have ever had -- the rides will be virtual walk-ons at points throughout the evening, and the characters are in abundance.

Keep in mind the following -- both the Halloween parties and the Christmas parties were NOT designed with tourists in mind -- they were designed to bring in local FLorida residents who might not otherwise visit. As such, they found it sure does the trick. They come in droves -- but they come in droves for the special events, not the rides, not the characters, not the typical MK stuff....

SO, you will find that the parties are great times to do rides, visit with characters and all those other things. The parades and special events/shows are scattered throughout the evening and announced in advance, so you can plan your entire trip to get the best of the MK and the some of the party events as well.

MVMCP is a yearly treat for me -- I love having Space Mountain to myself while the florida locals flock to the Christmas Parade and the free cookies...

 

[moonspinner]

Wow, melflip8!!! You are at least 10 kinds of awesome sauce! Never did I expect anyone to actually answer everything. Just thought it might give them a gist of what kind of info I was looking for. Can't thank you enough!

I don't think you are biased as far as MNSSHP goes. If you love it, then I'm looking to hear that, too. I've only spoken to a few people I personally know that have gone and they really enjoyed it, but the more opinions I can get the better picture I think I might have.

I wondered if IOA might be just a little too much. We could go, but I'm not sure that the WWOHP is very big and if we have to skip the best ride it might be best to wait until they are older.

TL might still be on the table (DD8 would LOVE to be able to say that she has been swimming with sharks) but it's looking more and more like it will be MNSSHP (if it's a choice btwn).

Thanks again so much! If we do MNSSHP, it will help to convince DH that this one event will be worth it ($ wise). The more positive 'testimonies' I have might help. :animwink:

 

[popsicletrees]

I love MNSSHP! I've been twice, and I definitely think that it is worth the money. I would also recommend going on Tuesday to avoid larger crowds. I know that your daughters are young, but if they are up for staying later I would catch the second parade of the night. Droves of people tend to leave after the 1st parade and Hallowishes. Again, it may not be possible with young girls but just a suggestion.

 

[moonspinner]

Good point, RonAnnArbor. I didn't think of it like that. I'm hoping that going to MNSSHP in Sept might work with lower crowds.

I LOVE the idea of being able to meet with so many characters in what I hope to be a less crowded MK, and if we can ride with little to no wait time that would be great. Would love to get a pic of my kids with Snow White and all 7 drawfs! How cool would that be?

 

[moonspinner]

PTrees, you are right, they are young and I'm curious to see how long they make it. We took them to Carowinds (little amusement park on the N Carolina - S Carolina stateline) for a 9 hour day and they were WIPED OUT the following day (and that was an early day, too... think we left for home around 9:30). May have to make it a short day

 

[coltow]

We love MNSSHP & the parade is my favorite parade of all time. The ticket allows you entrance at 4pm, so on day that we go we skip parks during the day and just spend time at the pool and relaxing. The only problem we run into is that because ride lines are so short we missed a few character meet & greets. I actully had to tell my husband last time that we needed to stop going on rides and do more trick or treating, after all the Halloween stuff is what we paid that extra $ for.

 

[bmarkelon]

You have great responses already, these boards are the best for help with the many decisions in Disney. I agree that you should go with the Tuesday party. I LOVE MNSSHP! It seriously is a blast and a must in my opinion. That parade is fabulous and gets me so pumped up, the music is so fun. The Villains show in front of the castle is pretty awesome. The night is just filled with excitement and you can't beat the energy in the air.
Enjoy, have a blast and happy planning. It feels like just yesterday I hit the 100 day mark and now I am at 54!

 

[cbrune]

Mickeys not so scary is great!! I would pick the Tuesday, since they are usually less crowded.. Its a blast!!

 

[Tink28]

MNSSHP is great, really enjoyed the trick or treating and came home with loads of candy, and the Boo to You parade is one of the best, just love the music!
I am going on 27th Sept, planning to spend the morning at the pool at our hotel and then have a ADR in the MK for dinner late afternoon to be in the park ready for MNSSHP.
I am also going to IOA this year to see WWOHP, haven't been for several years but got FREE passes from Virgin Holidays when I booked my vacation so decided to spend a day there.

 

[Mukta]

melflip8 gave you some great advice.
I have been to TL, IOA and MNSSHP. They are all great in a different way.

Since your kids are fairly young, I think MNSSHP is the way to go. IOA is a great park, but it suits teenagers. Go there on your next trip when the kids are older.

TL is fun for a water park, but the sharks are over hyped. You can barely tell that they are sharks at all. Go to Epcot and spend some time in the shark room of The Seas.

I think you should go to MNSSHP on the 27th. I have done a water park in the morning and then rested all afternoon. Depending on where you are staying, you can do a park in the morning as long as you rest in the afternoon. It will be a late night.

I have not had to take it easy the next morning, but I don't sleep much. The ticket price is definitely worth it.

It is a great opportunity to meet the villains and other rare characters. The Villains stage show is really fun, the fireworks are great and the parade is amazing. The best parade I have ever seen!

 

[Disney's Mom]

MNSSHP is great! The Boo to You parade is my favorite part. Make sure you get settled in so you can see the very begining. My kids did costumes both times we went to it, and they got hot very quickly. So my advice is if you do costumes...either wear something cool or have back up clothes to change into when you get too hot.

 

[moonspinner]

I love that people on this site are really willing to share from their own experiences to make other peoples' vacations memorable and 'magical'. Great advice from everyone and lots of different advice, too! I'm thinking the 27th is the way to go and I'm also thinking that, based on much of the advice from others here, we will wait to do WWOHP.

I appreciate the warning regarding the heat and whatever costume they choose to wear. We live in SC and have to keep the weather in consideration every year, so I would already keep that in mind, but for that reason only. I'm sure most people wouldn't think of the humid Fl weather when considering costumes for MNSSHP, so I'm grateful you thought to share it. It's often warm here until the middle of November (can remember several Thanksgivings in tee shirts.... and Christmases for that matter). I enjoy that warm weather until the fall rolls around and I'm wanting it to be cool for those holidays. Seems unfitting to be 80 degrees outside and Christmas shopping. :animwink:

So much great advice! If someone thinks of something else we haven't covered, please feel free to share!!

 

[moonspinner]

bmarkelon.... only 54 days to go?!? Good for you guys!! Sometimes it feels like time is passing so slowly until we go, then other times I realize how little time I have to get ready! I have a feeling I have much more to do then I realize. I haven't even made a 'plan' of any kind and I have a feeling things will go more smoothly for us if I make the effort to put something together. It's just such a daunting task! Congrats again on 54 days... or is it 53 now? :sohappy:

 

[disneygirl1]

This is by far my FAVORITE event at Disney. We have been there 2 times and I can not say enough great things about it! Definitely worth the $$$ is my eyes.

Weekend dates are usually a little more crowded then the weekday dates. And as another posted mentioned the closer you get to Halloween day the more popular the event is.

The first time we went was mid Otober (Columbus Day weekend) and the send time was in late Sept. Definitely noticed the crowds being less in Sept. but it was definitely hotter in Sept. Take the heat into consideration when choosing a costume for you and the kiddos.

Enjoy

 

[mets7]

I am heading there for my first time on Sept 23rd. I do have one question....are the character meet and greets the same for every party night or do they vary? Are Snow White and all of the dwarfs out all the time?

 

[MagicMegan]

I loved MNSSHP! We have always went right on Halloween night, but it's just busier that night I think. It's super cute, the MNSSHP parade is my absolute FAV!! (we won't mention that i don't like parades, period. lol) And the villian show is so cute. I just love it. Oh, and FREEEEE CANDYYYYYYYY!!

 

[moonspinner]

Wow, I can't imagine going on Halloween night! Bet its crazy crowded, although it would b interesting to see if its as crowded as a peak day... probably not.

I'm a little afraid to admit that while its a personal tradition for me to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade, we as a family don't go for parades so much. Oh and the local night time Christmas Parade but we have so many friends and family members that go with us that make that more of a social thing.

I'm just hoping we appreciate the parades (including the one during MNSSHP, which sounds like a good one). Parades sound like one of the big things to do at any of the parks.

 

[bmarkelon]

Wow, I can't imagine going on Halloween night! Bet its crazy crowded, although it would b interesting to see if its as crowded as a peak day... probably not.

I'm a little afraid to admit that while its a personal tradition for me to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade, we as a family don't go for parades so much. Oh and the local night time Christmas Parade but we have so many friends and family members that go with us that make that more of a social thing.

I'm just hoping we appreciate the parades (including the one during MNSSHP, which sounds like a good one). Parades sound like one of the big things to do at any of the parks.

You got that right. We are not big local parade goers either. But I LOVE the parades in the parks, the music, energy, there is nothing that can get you more pumped up....they truly being the magic. I love watching my kids faces light up and their ear to ear smiles when watching them, that's what it's all about. But that Halloween party parade stands out for me as number 1.
In response to your earlier post, planning ca definitely be overwhelming but it is always worth it. Take a deep breath and look for help here.