This post is my pretend trip report for a Disney trip that got cancelled thanks to 2020 being the absolute worst. If you need to catch up…
Day 3 – Tuesday, September 1, 2020
This would have been our night to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Unfortunately I have no idea what we would have dressed as (and now I assume I’m not dressing as anything for Halloween because what’s the point if I’m just going to stay home by myself anyway), so more time to plan a costume for 2021 (or 22) I guess?
On party nights, I typically don’t go to a park before the party. For the past couple of years I’ve had an annual pass anyway, so it hasn’t mattered from a ‘paying for a park ticket’ standpoint, but before I was an AP, I never thought it made sense to use a park ticket that day and then have to use the party ticket later. Party tickets let you into the Magic Kingdom beginning at 4:00 pm even though the party starts at 7:00, so even if you only have a party ticket you still get three hours in the park before the festivities begin.
In this imaginary trip, we would have slept in the morning of our Mickey’s Not So Scary. If we weren’t tired enough the night before, we would have spent the evening at Jellyrolls, and with another late night ahead for the party sleeping in today would have made sense. Plus, I’d want to spend some time exploring Animal Kingdom Lodge. The pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge is amazing, and I’ve never had lunch at Sanaa so it would have been fun to spend the morning relaxing at the resort and maybe having lunch there.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is also (in normal times) full of all kinds of activities like crafting, Hidden Mickey hunts and educational opportunities to learn more about the animals and the parts of Africa that the resort’s cultural representatives are from. I’m sure we could easily have filled an entire day at the resort leaving enough time to get ready for the Halloween party and head to the Magic Kingdom (in costume) for 4:00.
This would have been my first trip to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in a couple of years, and I was excited to see the new fireworks. I LOVED HalloWishes, and I really wish they kept those despite the regular Wishes being replaced with Happily Ever After. Of course, I watched a YouTube videos of the new fireworks and they seem fine, but I loved the Ghost Host narration in the old show and it’s very possible that a video just didn’t do them any justice so I’ll need to see it for myself….Oh well, someday.
Halloween is really my favorite time of year in the Magic Kingdom (yes, more than Christmas). I love the fall decorations and snacks, and if I’m there during it Mickey’s Not So Scary is a must-do. Speaking of snacks, I’m not sure what the snacks would have been like at this year’s party but in the past the Hades nachos and whatever the burger was the last time I went to Cosmic Ray’s during the party *chef’s kiss*. Throughout the fall season the Confectionery and the other sweet shops around Walt Disney World usually have Halloween-themed cookies and rice krispie treats so I always make sure to have some of those too.
I like to ride the Haunted Mansion before the Halloween party starts. Those couple of hours between 4 and 7 are usually pretty quiet with day guests leaving and party guests slowly making their way into the park, so I like to spend this time getting on some rides (something I really don’t do during the party). The Haunted Mansion is a must-do for Halloween, and I’m always trying to avoid crowds when I ride this one (the stretching room annoys me when it’s packed, I know that’s silly because it’s a theme park and there are crowds, but…yea).
If I have time after that or if I had a FastPass I’d probably ride Space Mountain- Maybe not this trip because I’m not sure my friend would do it (we would have maybe determined that from a ride on the PeopleMover but now we’ll never know…) If not Space Mountain, I’d always be down for more rides on the PeopleMover though or checking out some of the Halloween merchandise before the party gets going.
Once the party official starts, my priorities essentially shift to: Trick-or-treating, character meet and greets, and the parade/fireworks, in whatever order makes the most sense to do all of that. I know there is the Hocus Pocus show too and it is pretty awesome, but for whatever reason if something doesn’t make it into my night that’s usually what it is. (I don’t believe the friend I might have gone on this trip with has seen Hocus Pocus– Crazy, I know.)
Trick-or-treating at the Halloween party doesn’t get enough hype in my opinion. I know you pay a lot of money for these tickets and people like to break it down as not being a great deal somehow because candy is so inexpensive, but whatever. There is obviously a lot more to the party that gives value to the ticket and trick-or-treating as an adult is pretty awesome. I mean, I can’t just do that in my neighborhood at home on Halloween (or could I…Should I try that? At least this year, in lieu of missing Not So Scary??)
Character meet and greets are my favorite part of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and that’s probably what I’d spend the most time on. I love seeing the characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes and getting to meet characters that aren’t usually out. Last time I went I was dressed as Lilo and I had the most fun interaction with Stitch, and I think the villains are always fun to meet.
Mickey’s Boo to You Parade is one of my favorite parades at Walt Disney World (perhaps my favorite…at least of the current parades which I guess there isn’t much competition for. I’m not sure it would beat Spectromagic or Mickey Mania). But Boo to You is high on my list at the party and I like to grab a spot for the parade in Frontierland to be at the beginning of the parade route.
Frontierland also usually has some fun Halloween snacks that are only available during the party. I’ve had the Hades nachos from Peco’s Bill’s in the past (basically buffalo nachos on black bean tortilla chips– Actually if you want to make these at home, I think the black bean chips from Trader Joe’s will get you pretty close). Other party snacks I’ve had in the past that I’d love to try again- the worms and dirt complete with the Haunted Mansion tombstone, and any of the pumpkin ice cream treats.
This is probably the most weirdly disjointed post I’ve ever written on here, but I’m not sure what else to say really about what this day of the trip would have been like. I guess it’s pretty self explanatory without spelling out every single thing that happens during the party in painstaking detail. I can’t share thoughts on the new fireworks because I haven’t seen them aside from YouTube (which I really need to stop doing– I have so many regrets about watching a ride through of Rise of the Resistance).
But I think that’s probably it for now. I did recently learn that my friend actually loves haunted houses and the Simpsons, so while a trip to Universal wasn’t in the original plans for this trip, I think spending the day there and getting over to Halloween Horror Nights one day could have been fun. More plans for next year, I guess! Hopefully the next one of these posts is more interesting, but if you made it this far, uh, thanks for reading this mess!
