We’re now less than one month from the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! Disney has released some more details about what we can expect at this year’s party. Catch all the details below from a Disney cast member.
“Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” serves as the host of this all-new nighttime extravaganza, with state-of-the-art projection effects, lasers, lighting and dazzling fireworks filling the sky above Magic Kingdom Park. Jack has come to tell a not-so-scary story about how anything can happen on Halloween night. Jack’s ghost dog, Zero, then flies off carrying everyone along on a trick-or-treating adventure, where four friends – Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy – find themselves drawn into a mysterious haunted house. Their journey takes them from one room of the house to another, encountering dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts and a whole series of troublemaking Disney villains. “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” promises to be the perfect Halloween treat!
The fireworks are just part of the Halloween fun. Several attractions across the park receive special enhancements just for the Halloween party! New this year, when you follow the treat trail into the Monster World at Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, they’ll interact in all-new ways with the comic cast of monsters, as they learn about the curious Human World holiday we call Halloween.
Embarking upon the high seas with the Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll discover a crew of live pirates on your journey, engaged in a whole new adventure in search of treasure. Space Mountain goes completely dark again this year, hurtling you through the blackness of deep space to the riffs and chords of a new hard-rockin’ soundtrack, and at the Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland, each spin of the teacups takes guests into madder and madder territory, as special lighting and music give the attraction experience an extra energy after dark.
There’s also the amazing “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular,” the ride of the Headless Horseman, “Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade,” Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball and “Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam,” where this year Nancy Clancy from the hit Disney Junior series “Fancy Nancy” joins other Disney Junior pals like Vampirina and Doc McStuffins.
You won’t want to miss the all-new “Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular” or any of the other delightful treats in store at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, select nights August 16 – November 1, 2019.”
This year’s Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween party runs from August 16-November 1 on select nights at Magic Kingdom. Disney has announced an awesome new experience featuring Cruella de Vil at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant which sounds amazing.
You can now book the all-new event, the perfect place to mix and mingle with Cruella de Vil and be part of her circle of puppies, aka friends! Enjoy a fun, festive atmosphere, with themed background music and décor, and a great view of Town Square.
Beginning at 9:30 p.m., this new and special experience will allow you to pop in and out at your leisure and indulge in savory hors d’oeuvres with a taste from the Witches Cauldron—a kettle of gooey and creamy spinach dip with ciabatta crostini, assorted Halloween flatbreads and more! In addition, there will be sweet treats such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheesecake and mini cannoli, Kanine Krunchy cake and Mini De Vil brownies and a variety of beverages including beer and wine selections and more!
You will also have access to a special reserved viewing area for the truly enchanting “Mickey’s Boo-To-You” Halloween Parade at 11:15 p.m., featuring some of Cruella’s villainous pals.
After the parade, the fun continues at Tony’s where you can hang out until 12:30 a.m.
Cruella’s Halloween Hide-a-Way is available for $99 per person (plus tax).
Seating is available for guests as they dine on a first come, first serve basis and shared seating is encouraged amongst guests to enjoy both the food and company the party has to offer.
As Disney fans already know, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will once again make its way to Magic Kingdom starting this August, but that’s not all.
The Disney Parks Blog has announced a new Halloween fireworks spectacular will light up the nighttime sky featuring incredible elements such as projections, lasers, and of course, fireworks.
“this new show will feature state-of-the-art projection effects, lasers, lighting and dazzling fireworks that come together to tell a not-so-scary story about how anything can happen on Halloween night. The show will take guests along on a trick-or-treating adventure, where four friends – Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy – find themselves drawn into a mysterious haunted house. The journey takes them from one room of the house to another, encountering dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts and a whole series of troublemaking Disney villains.”
Some other returning events will include;
the popular live show “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular,” featuring the Sanderson Sisters and Disney villains the likes of Oogie Boogie, Dr. Facilier and Maleficent.
“Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade,” which happens twice nightly and features favorite Disney characters dressed in their Halloween best, along with the Disney villains and a cavalcade of fiendishly fun floats.
Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam in Fantasyland is the spot for all of the young partygoers to get their groove on with favorite Disney Junior characters like Doc McStuffins and Vampirina.
In Frontierland, prospector Cactus-Flower Cate rounds up youngsters for the “Frontierland Costume Promenade,” encouraging them to show off their costumes in a quest for the greatest treasure in the land – candy! The “Frontierland Costume Promenade” takes place just prior to each run of Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade.
Trick-or-treating throughout the park!
Tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are on sale now starting at $79.
So you have decided to take a trip to Walt Disney World, the first question that must be answered is…WHEN? What are the best times of the year to visit WDW?
Most of the time, the answers to these questions are dependent on your family’s schedule. Here is a short list of some of the other questions you need to ask yourself before setting a time of year to go.
When can I get time off of work?
When are the kids not in school, or are we OK with taking them out of school for a vacation?
What type of weather do we want to encounter in central Florida?
How much do we want to spend?
What type of crowd size are we comfortable with?
What special events do we want to experience at the parks?
There are pros and cons to going at different times of the year. You need to weigh out all of your options and understand the cons that do exist at certain times.
When we went to Disney World for the first time as a family, our daughter was 2 years old. We wanted this trip to be special for her (even though, I am sure she doesn’t really remember much from that first trip). We chose to go during Christmas Week. We understood the cons associated with this time of year but felt the special atmosphere of Disney at Christmas time outweighed the cons.
Since that time, we have went a few different times of the year. My wife and I decided, early on, that we were willing to take our kids out of school for a week (and by the way, I am an elementary school teacher). The memories we have made on these trips have far surpassed the 1 week a year that the kids have missed of school.
We have visited Disney in early December, February, April, and May. We refuse to go in the summer time and have planned on going in October in the next couple of years.
Knowing the pros and cons can save you time, money, and frustration.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing!” –Walt Disney
Note: 2019 ushers in the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios so expect heavy crowds here even at times which are normally low crowd times.
Summer (June-August)
This is probably the most convenient time for people to go to Walt Disney World. Schools are out for summer break for June and July and even early August. Less scheduling conflicts for families in the summer months, means more people visiting the parks. These are 3 of the busiest months of the year which will mean longer ride wait times (some being well over 2 hrs) and less dining accommodations and choices.
Because of the larger crowd sizes, the parks will extend their hours to accommodate longer wait times and have more in-park shows available. However, with the longer hours comes a higher cost.
Early June sees the end of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival which features amazing topiaries around the park and the last few concerts in the Garden Rocks Concert Series. July 3rd and 4th will feature a special Fourth of July fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom. Mid-August begins Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on select nights which means early park closure at Magic Kingdom for those without event tickets.
The weather in these summer months can be grueling with the Florida heat and humidity. This can be a true test for even the biggest Mickey fan combined with very long wait times due to the heavy crowds. Make sure to prepare accordingly. This is also the rainy season in Florida as well as June being the beginning of hurricane season.
Winter (December-February)
The winter season can bring some lighter crowd sizes depending on the week. The holidays bring a heavy crowd but if you plan it right, you can find some light crowd levels during this season.
The parks are decorated festively and there are always special holiday themed events throughout the month such as Mickey’s Very-Merry Christmas Party.
One highlight of December at Epcot is the Candlelight Processional. This retelling of the Christmas story features a celebrity guest narrator and full orchestra.
Early December also welcomes hundreds of youth groups as the ESPN’s Wide World of Sports hosts the Pop Warner youth football championship tournaments and Cheer and Dance National Championships
While the holidays bring heavy crowds, there is just something about being at WDW on Christmas day.
Daylight temperatures hover around 70 degrees which makes walking the parks and standing in lines less of a frustration. The park hours will, however, decrease as the New Year begins and the festive decorations will begin to come down. The two Disney waterparks are also closed during this time.
Aside from the Holiday weeks, prices during this season are some of the best that you will find all year.
Fall (September-November)
***Galaxy’s Edge Opens August 29th — Expect much larger crowds during a typically low crowd season***
Magic Kingdom and Epcot both celebrate their birthdays October 1st. The Fall season typically brings low crowds and the heat of the Florida summer begins to subside. September brings low wait times for attractions while also giving visitors the option of visiting the 2 waterparks with temperatures still higher but not as grueling as July and August.
Schools are now back in full swing which means that Disney needs to provide an incentive for people to still visit. This incentive is Free Dining Plans during the month of September. This is a huge cost saving opportunity if your schedule allows for a September trip. Overall, these months provide the best financial opportunity if you are wanting to save some money.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is in full swing. Special parades, characters, and fireworks help celebrate the experience of Halloween magic throughout the parks and resorts.
Children AND adults are able dress up and go trick-or-treating during this evening party session.
November can be a great time to go with the exception being Thanksgiving Week. It is a transitional month for the parks as they go from Fall decor to celebrating the Christmas season.
Overall, these months provide a ton of advantages to visiting.
Spring (March-May)
This time of year is our typical destination time. Choosing your week carefully is a must. If crowd size is an issue, avoid late March and early April with school letting out for Spring Break during these times.
The weather begins to trend warmer as this season progresses. With warmer temperatures comes more events and celebrations in the parks. Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival runs a majority of these months with flowers blooming and character topiaries taking form.
Prices have not reached their Summer hike so good deals are still able to be found.
The waterparks also begin to reopen in early March giving crowds more options.
As May rolls around, crowd sizes begin to trend upwards to moderate levels, as does the potential for an afternoon thunderstorm becoming a common occurrence.
Understanding what you want out of your trip is key in picking the appropriate time of the year to visit. There are always going to be challenges to a Disney trip. However, by prioritizing what is important to you and your family, the positives can far outweigh any negatives. Just understand your choices.
For more information on how to book your own Disney adventure, Click here or the Book Your Trip tab at the top!
