looking for a little info for mickey's not so scary....

[matt clark]

hello! universal and bush gardens annual pass holder here.
we typically pick a day to 3 days in disney each year since i have a 4 year old that still loves disney.
this year we have picked September 23rd since it is little man's 5th birthday to do the halloween party.

we plan on leaving the clearwater area around 1pm to try to get in like most folks say around 4pm.
this way we can do some rides, since my son is going to want to do that.

i went and read a lot of planner websites and they all basically say to skip rides and the trick or treating.
this is OBVIOUSLY not going down like that since i have children with me.

does anyone have any suggestions or plan of attacks?
last year we did the florida resident 3 day 3 parks and i planned it all out to the T.
unfortunately by the end of day 3 our feet were going to fall off.
the only thing we missed was the projection show on the castle, but only because it malfunctioned after 60 seconds and was cancelled... we luckily saw the Christmas version the year before.

i definitely want to hit all three key halloween shows, but id like to know how realistic it is to also trick or treat and hit a decent amount of rides.

anyone with children have a solid plan of attack to share?

i also see that the more expensive days and Fridays are kind of busy.
september days arent as crowded.
but, they also added extra days this year.
i sort of anticipate a MEDIUM crowd level on Friday the 23rd of September.
am i off on that?

 

[marni1971]

Rides should be secondary. You won't hit all the popular rides and see the stage show, parade and fireworks and trick or treat.

Schedule around the entertainment. Choose a parade - second is usually a bit quieter but it is later. If rain is forecast take the hit and camp out a spot for the first one though. Then work in a stage show around which parade you see. There's one HalloWishes.

Then see what rides you can fit in. Or try and get as many in before 7.

 

[thomas998]

hello! universal and bush gardens annual pass holder here.
we typically pick a day to 3 days in disney each year since i have a 4 year old that still loves disney.
this year we have picked September 23rd since it is little man's 5th birthday to do the halloween party.

we plan on leaving the clearwater area around 1pm to try to get in like most folks say around 4pm.
this way we can do some rides, since my son is going to want to do that.

i went and read a lot of planner websites and they all basically say to skip rides and the trick or treating.
this is OBVIOUSLY not going down like that since i have children with me.

does anyone have any suggestions or plan of attacks?
last year we did the florida resident 3 day 3 parks and i planned it all out to the T.
unfortunately by the end of day 3 our feet were going to fall off.
the only thing we missed was the projection show on the castle, but only because it malfunctioned after 60 seconds and was cancelled... we luckily saw the Christmas version the year before.

i definitely want to hit all three key halloween shows, but id like to know how realistic it is to also trick or treat and hit a decent amount of rides.

anyone with children have a solid plan of attack to share?

i also see that the more expensive days and Fridays are kind of busy.
september days arent as crowded.
but, they also added extra days this year.
i sort of anticipate a MEDIUM crowd level on Friday the 23rd of September.
am i off on that?

First thing to remember is use a stroller, it will insure your son will enjoy more and you can move faster.

Toward the party start dates maps should make there way to the internet so you can then plan out a route for the trick or treat stations. They shouldn't be that hard to hit that early in the year as the place wont be that crowded. If you want to maximize candy the route closer to the speedway and tomorrow land usually has more stations in a close proximity than on the other side of the park, Also very the quality of the candy they are handing out because some years it is good stuff some years it has been very crappy so if it is bad candy try not to waste time on getting it when your son will probably throw it away.

As for rides, when you enter at 4:00pm you will still be in a park with lots of non-party people. So the lines will not be that short for most rides.... When the party is going on and later in the evening Pirates tends to be a near walk on so don't waste time on it before the start of the party. Know that some of the meet and greets will change for the party so use the formentioned map to decide which ones you want... If you want a popular one like the Dwarves then be headed in that direction so you can hit it as soon as it is available because the biggest lines we have usually endured during a party are for meet and greets. Also the Haunted Mansion is popular during the party so don't expect a short line there unless it is later in the evening.

Ask an employee which way the parade is going to come from, they have it twice a night and once it will start on main street the other time it will end on main street... If you want to see it I suggest you plan for the one that ends on Main Street and stake out a place back closer to the lake and frontier land because the viewing is better there.... Try to get a spot that faces the lake and not the shops because the lights in the shops can be distracting and a pain if you are taking photos... but if you get the frontier area for the parade that starts there then you will be finished with the parade sooner than people waiting on mainstreet because it moves rather slow, but once it is over you'll have about 20-30 minutes of time when you can go to rides before the full rush of people comes back.

Don't waste a lot of time on the show at the castle if you have a small child. Unless you want to waste a lot of time staking out a spot very early they will often have a hard time seeing the show and just get upset that all they see is someones backside. You can usually find a good video of the show online and it is one of those things I would rather just watch online than stand around wasting time to see during the event.

Fireworks are nice at Halloween, at least they have been in the past... But don't waste time staking out a spot to see them from because they are decent from lots of places around the park... If you are a die hard firework junkie then consider paying extra for the desert packages with viewing and avoid having to waste an hour or more trying to hold a good spot.

Last but not least, don't wear any hot and heavy costume. Florida is still going to be hot in September and you don't want to die from a heat stroke.

 

[Matt_Black]

Grab a map or chat up a cast member to find out what the best trick or treat spots are. Splash Mountain had a bunch of candy stations, so I got quite a bit for little time investment, and it's thanks to a helpful CM at the Country Bear Jamboree.

 

[matt clark]

so I actually plan on taking all of the "bad" candy and stuff my kids dont like and putting it in my own bag... that way at the end of the night i can claim to have some sort of candy related issue and use the candy swap at city hall and try to swap them out for jelly belly's.

anybody else try this?

jelly belly is gluten free, so i assume i can just say i cant have gluten and swap out the werthers right?

 

[matt clark]

im going to try and do as many rides as we possibly can at 4. The only ride i find to be a MUST DO during the party is the haunted house... so i will try to save maybe haunted mansion, pirates, splash mountain, and maybe the mine train as we are around the park at night. so i think i will just head towards tomorrow land when i first get into the park.
my fiance will probably want to do the little mermaid. my son will want to do the race cars...

i really like carousel of progress and small world, but i think im the only one lol.

 

[JillC LI]

You can get in at 4pm with your ticket even though the party doesn't officially start until 7pm. Take advantage of that.