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Dates announced for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 2019

Mickey and Minnie at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom ParkSo quite a bit earlier than usual Disney have released dates for this year’s Halloween Party.  Usually dates are released and tickets go on sale around April/May, but this year it would seem that Disney want us to be planning early.

This is a good thing as it can help people budget for the party if they know it is going to be on when they are there, or it can help them plan park days if they are not going to the party.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (known as MNSSHP) is a hard-ticketed event held in Magic Kingdom from 7pm till park closing on a selection of dates from mid-August until the end of October. If you buy a party ticket you can enter from 4pm without having to buy a regular park ticket. If you don’t have a park ticket then you will need to leave the park before the party starts. And yes, they do police it – if you don’t have a party wristband they will ensure you leave the park. This means that there is not a regular showing of ‘Happily Ever After’ (the firework show) on party nights.

We love MNSSHP having now done it three times. This is the only time that guests over the age of 14 are allowed to dress up in costumes (the best aspect of the party as far as I’m concerned), there is free candy, special fireworks, a special parade and show, Halloween themed snacks and desserts, along with merchandise

This year there are 36 dates and are as follows:

August – 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30

September – 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29

October – 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29 and 31

November – 1

Ticket prices are from $85-135 for adults and $74-130 for children (under 10). Slight discounts apply to some dates for DVC Members and Annual Passholders.

Tickets can be purchased from the Disney World website

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When should you go to WDW?

This is a question that is often asked – when is the best time of year to go. Unfortunately there is no simple answer, but I shall try and give some general advice here. There are a number of things to take into account.

The weather

This is the big one with Florida. It’s hot! Even in winter time it is in the low to mid 20s – what we would call a nice comfortable summer over here. The downside of all of this is that June-August is VERY hot. It is worth bearing in mind that unlike the UK there is air-con everywhere, and most rides have indoor queues, but despite this it can feel very hot walking around. To add to this you have hurricane season. Only once in recent years has Disney actually closed due to weather (Hurricane Matthew in 2016) but for some people this is a concern.

Crowd levels

Okay, so the bad news here is that there is really no quiet time at Disney anymore. Queues are to be expected all year round, but they can vary. The two busiest times are Christmas and Easter (Spring Break in the US). They are so busy that when free dining is released, those dates are the only ones excluded from the offer – no need to give an incentive. Of course Christmas can be a magical time to be at Disney, but when you can hardly move it’s not so magical. You can also sometimes get park closures at these times where they start restricting entrance to the parks due to the volume of guests. 4th July can also see this happen.

School holiday options

Of course, coming from the UK we like to visit for two weeks or more, which can rule out half-terms unless you are prepared to pull your kids out of school. So, looking at crowd levels/weather and school holidays, when are best.

  • Febuary half term is lovely weather wise, but can clash with President’s weekend (it did in 2017 for example) which leads to a spike in crowd levels. Also quite nice now that the Arts Festival has been introduced at Epcot. Towards the end of February is usually the Princess Half-Marathon which is popular.
  • Easter is busy, as previously mentioned and you won’t get any free dining offers. However the Flower and Garden Festival is running at Epcot (usually March-June) which is lovely. Spring Break is a much shorter period of time compared to our Easter holidays so it is worth checking the dates for the year you are planning on going.
  • May half-term is a popular one for people willing to take their kids out of school. The weather is starting to heat up but it hasn’t hit the real highs of summer. Do be aware that it often covers Memorial Day weekend which sees a spike in crowds.
  • Summer holidays are busy as kids all over the US are off school. If this is the best time for you then try to go the last two weeks of August. Yes it will be hot (and is still in hurricane season) but US schools start to go back mid-August so crowds will die down. If you are lucky you can also catch the early Halloween parties at Magic Kingdom (in 2018 the first one was the 17th August).
  • October half term is one of our favourite times to go. The weather is lovely and the crowds are not too bad. Halloween is in full swing with parties on selected evenings and Halloween/Autumn decor all over Magic Kingdom. Epcot also has the Food and Wine Festival which is very popular with tourists and locals (some people recommend avoiding Epcot at the weekends during this time).
  • Christmas is obviously extra magical at Disney but peak crowds kick in around the 20th December. New Year is also peak crowds – everyone seems to want to watch the Magic Kingdom or Epcot fireworks on 31st December.
Wait times on the MDE app

So how do you decide?

It depends what you want. Is it a quieter park? Is it cooler or hotter weather? Is it one of the festivals at Epcot? Or the magic of the festive season? Only you can answer that but there are things that can help you make your decision. Highly recommended is the WDW Prep School Crowd Calendar. This is published for the year in advance from September to August. Another fun way is to check the MDE app (My Disney Experience) a the time of year you are interested in going to see what the wait times are like. The higher the wait time, the busier it is!

And of course, lots of us like checking the app just to imagine we are there 🙂

Ultimately, the best time to go to Disney is whenever you can! It is just best to be prepared for crowds and heat.

When is your favourite time to go? Let us know below.