I love the party and try to go every year. We are adults only, our "kids" are well into their twenty's and they have all gone with us. If you are there early on, like early October, late September, the party is not crowded at all so it is like having the MK to share with only a few thousand people so it is, in my opinion, a bang for my buck. This year we plan on going twice!
The parade itself is fabulous. It begins by Splash Mountain and runs up thru Main Street and it started by a headless horseman riding a horse thru the route. We have trialed many spots to watch the parade and this year I want to be right in front of the castle because at that point the road goes in a circle and the horseman has to walk the route. The second parade of the night I can watch from another location.
The fireworks are spectacular, making the sky so bright at times it feels like daylight and they surround you. It is hard to take them all in because there is so much going on. The Castle is lite in erie and yet beautiful colors, and shadows of ghosts and goblins fly by.
People dress up or not, we don't. Whole families dress as characters from Disney movies, think the Incredibles. Most try to do something in season, if it only to wear halloween colors. There are trick or treat sections set up along the way, lots of character interaction if you want and dance parties set up. Fun stuff! People watching at it's best cause everyone is having fun.
Most quick services places to eat are open thru out the night BUT if you want a meal and not a hamburger then eat well before you come.
The MK opens to party guest the day of their party tickets at 4 PM, even tho the party officially starts at 7 PM. This in itself gives you a bang for your buck feel, in my opinion. The MK doesn't close until midnight, so if you enter at 4 you get a full 8 hours. Cast members make sure to "sweep" the park of people not wearing wrist bands, wrist bands indentify the people paying to be there for the party.
I would recommend the party, we always have a good time!
!! I am lookimg forward to doing it again in the next couple of years. Have to wait for a trip when it can be just DH and I...and NO kids. :lookaroun With one in college and one in high school cant find a time we all can go for MNSSHP!!!
