It's Not So Scary!

We had a good time at this years Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween event.  There were villains and treats a-plenty, but there's sometimes confusion about what is included in one of these special ticketed events.  There are actually two types of events:  Special Ticketed Events and Special Ticketed After Hours Events.

You can have a Ghoulishly good time either way, but you have to know what to be prepared for.  Let me run through this years event and we can compare it to last year's Boo Bash After Hours Event to see where the differences are.  Follow me through these Spooktacular Disney events.

The great thing about these events is that everyone can come dressed in costume!  Disney is very strict with their costume rules for adults the rest of year, but here you can come dressed as the princess of your dreams; or the villain of their nightmares...
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There are still some rules, like no masks, weapons, or costume pieces that drag on the floor.  We have seen some VERY elaborate costumes that some guests have come up with.

Both events also have trick or treat locations.  So you can definitely walk out of Magic Kingdom with your fill of candy.  You might have to get creative if you plan on bringing all that candy back in your suitcase.

The biggest difference between the two events is the time that they begin.  Mickey's Not So Scary begins at 7pm and runs till 12am.  Guests are allowed to start entering the park for the event at 4pm, but the Halloween fun doesn't start till 7pm.

The Boo Bash After Hours Event didn't start till 9pm, with guests entering at 7pm.  Both events technically end at midnight, but these are a soft close, so no one is rushing you out the gate.  We actually stayed till 1:30am before we finally walked out the gates.

There are all sorts of specialty Halloween themed treats that can only be purchased during these events.  Such as the Not-So-Poison Apple Pie Milk Shake, the Pain and Panic Hot Dog, and the Sweet Candy Corn Soft-serve Swirl Cone.  Every event has it's own menu of special event food that will be listed on the event map.

Now After Hours Events like Boo Bash had the added FREE snacks and drinks.  You could get bags of popcorn, bottles of water and soda, as well as Mickey Ice Cream Bars.  Getting the free sodas was a great way to caffeinate my way through late hours of the event.  Though the After Hours events aren't as nearly as long.

There is Halloween fun to be had all over the Magic Kingdom.  We visited some monsters at the Monster's Inc. Dance Party.

The stage shows are always entertaining.  And I have yet to be disappointed by the fireworks and projection shows that Disney puts out. 

Disney knows how to put on a performance and Halloween is no exception.  It was really cool seeing Jack Skellington leading this portion of the show.

I can never get enough of the villains during these Halloween events.  The parade during Mickey's Not So Scary is a long one.  You get to see Villains from across the Disney pantheon as well as many of the classic characters in their Halloween costumes.

​Boo Bash happened during some of the pandemic restrictions, so it limited small parade cavalcades that periodically rolled through the park.

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There is a lot you can do at these events.  We enjoyed taking in the special character meet-and-greets during this event.  Fair warning that some of the rare characters can have a LONG line to see them.

Even if you are't into all the Halloween hoopla, these are LIMITED ticket events.  So that means the ride wait times at Magic Kingdom will be significantly shorter.  Many of the rides had 5-10 minute wait times.  The only ride that had an overly long wait was the Haunted Mansion.

When the rides times are this low most rides are "walk-on" rides.  It takes those 5-10 minutes just to walk through the queue to get to the ride.  This is by far my favorite aspect of the event.  When going to Disney World is a rare treat for you, these short waits feel miraculous compared to the usual long lines you can encounter in the parks.

We always have a blast at Disney, but these special events add that extra bit of magic.  Getting to navigate the park without much of a crowd at night with all the decorations is the real treat!

We've done the Christmas Special events too and they certainly add that magic of the holidays to the parks.

Let us know if you'd like to plan out your own holiday adventure at the parks!  We're always ready to help you make that dream vacation come true.
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When it's time to plan for Disney:

It's Mouse O'Clock!

Here's an extra little gallery of pictures from this years Mickey's Not So Scary Event.