News Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2023

[Addo]

Our first time last night. From the UK. Always go in September but never bothered with Halloween.

We had so much fun. It felt busy out in the park. But rides, meet & greets and trick or treats felt quiet. No problems with shows. Managed Tron. Queued 20 mins to meet the Seven Dwarfs. Very impressed by parade. 3kg sweets, aka candy. Stayed till 1230am and got lucky with a bus.

My only grumble was lack of mobile ordering for food! Hard to fit it all in. Will definitely do it again.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

you were in the Stitch line behind us. We got there and it started to pour while we were in Tomorrowland and got in line for Stitch. we were about 5th in line and he came out exactly at 6:26 (very cute!) he was adorable. We spent most of the party riding rides; not really my way of doing the party but some times you have to give and take. I've done the party a few years before and know I'll do it again so I wasn't crazy disappointed. Overall, we had a great time.

 

[Gran Fiesta]

My family and I did the August 29th party and we loved it. Definitely worth the $109 we paid for it. All the rides were hop ons and the trick or treating was fun.

The Halloween Parade is definitely the best parade on property in our opinion. My wife was unconvinced she would like it better than the Christmas Parade, but then she agreed it was better when she saw it for the first time.

Overall, a great experience. Loved that there was no Genie+ during the party as well.

 

[MisterPenguin]

and got lucky with a bus

Sir, this is a family forum.

 

[FromMaldonia]

I’m curious if anyone has any suggestions to my proposed itinerary?

(We’re going in October! Just me and my fiancé - no kids and we’re city walkers..)

• Line up between 3-3:30 after a 1/2 pm lunch at SH71 Lounge.
• 4-7: see Main Street, take photos, go to Fantasyland, 7DMT ride, Pooh ride, grab treats: whoopie pie, queen slushy, and witches brew, Pooh M&G at 5:30, go back to TST to visit Mickey at 7
• 7-8:30: go to Tomorrowland, space mountain ride, monsters inc overlay, people mover ride, snacks: zombie fingers, sully slushee, see Tron (not riding)
• 8:30-10: Donald/Daisy M&G, grab buffalo chicken pie snack, haunted mansion ride/photos
• 10-10:30: grab a Jack cake pop & fireworks
• 10:45-11:45: second parade in Frontierland, snacks: fries and corn milkshake, Rusty Cutlass show
• 11:45-12:45: final Hocus Pocus show, photo pass spots, any merch

I went to the party last night. In general your itinerary seems pretty good to me. I can't provide a lot of help because we didn't meet any characters, but I can give some info in case it helps.

We also went to Steakhouse 71 for lunch (1:30pm -- Our waiter was great and everyone was happy with their food). We had lots of time to kill afterwards so looked in the Contemporary shops a bit before finally walking over to MK. We were in line at 3:30pm -- in the crazy long switchback section by the Ferry. Like others have said, the line moves fast once they start letting partygoers in (which seems to be just a bit before 4) and we were in by 4:02.

I know October is a more busy time than September, but as I was checking ride times throughout the day yesterday our family was shocked. Space Mountain was 5 mins every time I checked. Mine Train was often 45, always under an hour. Big Thunder Mountain was 15 or less. My kids are at the age where they mostly only want rides and we couldn't pass up these lines. Sure enough we went straight to Space Mountain and it was a 5 minute wait. We had ILL for Tron after, and then headed to Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. By then the times went up a bit due to all the partygoers overlapping the day guests, but the posted times seemed highly inflated. Haunted Mansion said 30, we must have waited no more than 5 to get to the stretching room. We stayed clear of Mine Train as it jumped up to 55ish for a while, but then it dropped down around the time of fireworks so we rode it after fireworks a couple of times with a 10ish minute wait despite the sign saying 30.

So we rode a lot of rides, but as for parade, fireworks, shows: We watched Rusty Cutlass a bit while in Adventureland around 8 or 8:30 and really enjoyed it. The gathering was small so easy to get close and a good mix of music and entertainment for kids. We walked up to the Frontierland section of the parade about 15 minutes before the first parade and had no problem getting a spot with a view (technically behind the first row of people, but the kids maneuvered to see and we all had a clear view. We also showed up in front of the castle 15 minutes before fireworks and easily got a close spot for a great view of Jack and the projections. We hit the midnight Hocus Pocus show and again easily got a spot close to the castle 15 minutes (maybe less) ahead of the start. I think the earlier post about making sure not to wait if there's a chance for rain is good advice, but we had 1% chance in our forecast. I will say don't expect to get/do too much after the show as many things are closing down right at midnight (food, stores, photos). I know some stores are still open, but it looked like mostly just main street.

You didn't mention trick-or-treating/candy. If you are seeing Tron from the outside (I suggest at night), taking the trail from there to Storybook Circus is pretty great as they have multiple candy stations. But really there is candy to be had easily all over the park.

TL ; DR - SH71 before hand worked great for us. Don't worry about the line to get in at 3:30. Rides were all very short waits regardless of the posted times -- you can see the 7DMT queue so you can kind of judge it, but it's very likely switchbacks are not being used so even shorter than what you see. We all enjoyed the entertainment, don't waste time lining up 30+ minutes before they start. Character lines often looked long, but we didn't do any so I can't make any real comment. Jack Sparrow seemed super short when we walked by around 8pm. Treat trails were generous with the candy, especially toward the end of the night. Overall, the crowd level seemed easily manageable for people to do what they're most interested in during the party.

 

[Figments Friend]

Overall, a great experience. Loved that there was no Genie+ during the party as well.

Another major reason why a lot of folks spend out for the Halloween Party Event tickets.
It is a big factor for some, and motivates people to want to do the parties instead of a regular Park day.

-

 

[Figments Friend]

Sir, this is a family forum.

You gotta admit, buses are pretty hot.



But then again….
Anything made out of metal is going to be hot in 90 degree weather!


-

 

[Cliff]

I'm reading and seeing a lot on YouTube that Disney has been publically reporting big wait times only to have people get in line and waiting only 10, 20 or 50% of the actual public time published.

Anybody else seeing this? Why would Disney publish/report much longer wait times than actual (real) wait times.

Is Disney losing it's ability to accurately judge line/que times? They used to be decent at doing it in the past.

 

[Tha Realest]

I'm reading and seeing a lot on YouTube that Disney has been publically reporting big wait times only to have people get in line and waiting only 10, 20 or 50% of the actual public time published.

Anybody else seeing this? Why would Disney publish/report much longer wait times than actual (real) wait times.

Is Disney losing its ability to accurately judge line/que times? They used to be decent at doing it in the past.

I think a few things go into this:

1) it’s better customer service to overestimate and deliver quicker on-ride times in terms of what’s displayed vs the alternative

2) I do think they inflate wait times intentionally, especially at the end of the night (eg go home or go shop on Main Street instead of waiting 10 mins (says 40) in this line).

3) the sudden monetization of wait times comes at a time which makes one suspicious, but I don’t think we can infer they’re doing so to boost G+. I believe a recent Disney Dish podcast speculated that only 25% or so of those using the LL were paying customers, with the rest DAS, VIPs, and plaids.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I'm reading and seeing a lot on YouTube that Disney has been publically reporting big wait times only to have people get in line and waiting only 10, 20 or 50% of the actual public time published.

Anybody else seeing this? Why would Disney publish/report much longer wait times than actual (real) wait times.

Is Disney losing it's ability to accurately judge line/que times? They used to be decent at doing it in the past.

This has been going on for years.

It's better for Disney to have people pleasantly surprised by a shorter wait than to be annoyed by a wait much longer than the announced time.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I think a few things go into this:

1) it’s better customer service to overestimate and deliver quicker on-ride times in terms of what’s displayed vs the alternative

2) I do think they inflate wait times intentionally, especially at the end of the night (eg go home or go shop on Main Street instead of waiting 10 mins (says 40) in this line).

3) the sudden monetization of wait times comes at a time which makes one suspicious, but I don’t think we can infer they’re doing so to boost G+. I believe a recent Disney Dish podcast speculated that only 25% or so of those using the LL were paying customers, with the rest DAS, VIPs, and plaids.

I agree with 1 and 2. Not so sure about 3. I may be mistaken but I believe @lentesta said this is not true.

This has been going on for years.

It's better for Disney to have people pleasantly surprised by a shorter wait than to be annoyed by a wait much longer than the announced time.

You definitely agree with number 1. As far as number 2 above. My wife has DAS. We have seen wait times as high as 90 mins at park close, but if we ask for a DAS return time, they just say go in and the actual wait time is usually really low. I'm talking walk on or under 15 mins. I am talking about Rise, FoP, or other top tier rides.

 

[bmr1591]

Also, wait times are generated based on standby queue length and estimated LLs that hour. If people with LLs shows up later than expected in their hour, it can lead to a much faster experience for those at the front of the hour.

 

[RoadiJeff]

What a contrast on the last two replies and crowds. I will find out on the 24th when we will be there and I will post my experience.

I've been occasionally practicing for the TRON virtual queue and the micro second timing to get a low number. Today, I got in BG 5.

Woohoo - BG #1 this morning. I think I'm ready for the real thing on the 24th and my adventure to Neverland. I will find out soon if the MDE app published wait times are inflated.

 

[JustInTime]

I'm reading and seeing a lot on YouTube that Disney has been publically reporting big wait times only to have people get in line and waiting only 10, 20 or 50% of the actual public time published.

Anybody else seeing this? Why would Disney publish/report much longer wait times than actual (real) wait times.

Is Disney losing it's ability to accurately judge line/que times? They used to be decent at doing it in the past.

Jack and Sally were posted 60 minutes a few hours into the party but we waited less than 10.

 

[lentesta]

I agree with 1 and 2. Not so sure about 3. I may be mistaken but I believe @lentesta said this is not true.

You definitely agree with number 1. As far as number 2 above. My wife has DAS. We have seen wait times as high as 90 mins at park close, but if we ask for a DAS return time, they just say go in and the actual wait time is usually really low. I'm talking walk on or under 15 mins. I am talking about Rise, FoP, or other top tier rides.

Yeah, I suspect that the majority of guests using the LL line at some attractions, aren't paid Genie+ guests.

For example, on July 23, we counted this many guests getting into the Haunted Mansion line in one hour, between 11 a.m. and noon:

• Standby: 1,736 guests
• Lightning Lane: 1,752 guests

There was a similar ratio at BTMRR at the same time (1,200 standby and 1,000 LL)

During that hour, the number of VIP guests was under 50 at BTMRR and 0 at HM.

I also spoke with folks with insight into how many G+ reservations Disney gives out per hour per attraction. They say it's never more than around 300 per hour.

So if there were 0 VIP guests at Mansion and less than 300 G+ customers, that means ~1,452 of 1,752 guests (or 75%) were either DAS or child-swap. And I don't think it was child-swap.

 

[Ayla]

Yeah, I suspect that the majority of guests using the LL line at some attractions, aren't paid Genie+ guests.

For example, on July 23, we counted this many guests getting into the Haunted Mansion line in one hour, between 11 a.m. and noon:

• Standby: 1,736 guests
• Lightning Lane: 1,752 guests

There was a similar ratio at BTMRR at the same time (1,200 standby and 1,000 LL)

During that hour, the number of VIP guests was under 50 at BTMRR and 0 at HM.

I also spoke with folks with insight into how many G+ reservations Disney gives out per hour per attraction. They say it's never more than around 300 per hour.

So if there were 0 VIP guests at Mansion and less than 300 G+ customers, that means ~1,452 of 1,752 guests (or 75%) were either DAS or child-swap. And I don't think it was child-swap.

Which confirms DAS is still being abused.

 

[lentesta]

Jack and Sally were posted 60 minutes a few hours into the party but we waited less than 10.

Glad to hear your wait was so short!

The issue with overestimating wait times to this degree is that it doesn't give guests enough information to make decisions in their own best interest.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who would've waited up to 30 minutes to meet Jack and Sally, but balked when they saw it was 60. So they didn't get the experience they would've chosen for themselves, because of bad information.

 

[lentesta]

Which confirms DAS is still being abused.

There are sometimes things I can't say or post in public that would confirm a statement. This is one of those times.

 

[Ayla]

There are sometimes things I can't say or post in public that would confirm a statement. This is one of those times.

That's ok, I'll say it for you.

 

[NotCalledBob]

They need to be able to ask for proof of disability like they do at DLP.

It isn't in the slightest bit offensive for the people that genuinely need DAS.