A big disney debate is "Should we go to the Halloween Party or the Christmas Party"?
The majority are definitely on the Halloween Party's side.
So the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is definitely a MUST at least once in your life. From the trick or treating down Main Street to the outstanding shows and parades, it is going to be worth every penny, I assure you! The biggest upside to the Halloween and Christmas parties are a huge decrease in regular hour crowds. You will still have wait times but the difference in the crowds between normal hours and these party hours is astounding! The Halloween party definitely has the higher crowds due to it's popularity but it is still so much more enjoyable than regular park hours.
Let's dive into the Halloween Party: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
My family, for years, has been obsessed with dressing up for halloween. We always let the kids decide on the costumes and then we follow them with the same theme. This is probably the best Part of the Halloween Party! EVERYone is dressed up! Even Mickey! It is like one huge trick or treat neighborhood block party. Cast members everywhere hand out candy and the costumes you will see are amazing. Remember going to certain houses on Halloween and only some would hand out the "good stuff"? Well Disney definitely hands out the good stuff! In October of this year, 2019, my family will be going back to the Halloween party so look for an up-to-date blog on that. I would do one on years past but Disney is constantly updating and tweaking events to perfection so I want my first blog on the event to be completely current.
Now onto my personal favorite: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
What's not to love? Cooler temps, lower crowds, cookies and hot cocoa, christmas tree trails with different Disney themes, snow on Main street... The list literally goes on and on. To put it into perspective: it rained the entire christmas party while we were there last year and it was still beyond magical. That's how awesome the Christmas party is. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday but even during October, Florida can still be scorchingly hot. And that's what tips the scales for our crew. You are almost guaranteed that in December, the temps will be 75 or below. And that's just perfect as far as Disney weather goes. Even during the summer, I always make a trip to the Christmas Disney store because nobody does Christmas like Walt Disney World. Just like our future trip to the Halloween party, we will also be going to the Christmas party this year as well so keep a look out for that blog the end of this year. ;)
Remember for both parties, you are allowed to enter the Magic Kingdom park as early as 4 pm and the park is open late for only the party goers so if you are thinking about doing one of these parties, my advice is always to make it a long weekend trip and go from 4pm to close. Its the best and most affordable way to get a quick and short Disney fix. Parties are usually on a Friday but not on the weekends. We usually plan this short trip during our kid's "fall" break. The day of the party for my family and I usually goes as follows:
Breakfast with the characters: This way we don't feel the need to stand in line that evening at the party for hours just to see the gang, ie Mickey, Minnie and Goofy, however, you should still be prepared to stand in line for a few special characters because special ones that are never seen throughout the rest of the year at the parks, come out for rare appearances at these events. Then it's "get ready to party" time. In the past we have also done resort hopping instead of character meals to pass the time, and save money, for the first half of the day. Do not over do it though. You will definitely need your energy for the party later. We have squeezed in lunch time naps in the past to ensure a pleasant time for the night. One last thing to help you with your choice.
After Christmas, regular park hours temporarily treat all guests to the special Christmas Party extras except for the cocoa and cookies and crowd control. This is usually a very crowded time to go to the Magic Kingdom but if you want a taste of the Christmas party but can't make it during the party calendar then you can have a similar experience with your regular park ticket. Again, this is after Christmas and does not require a special ticket, but tends to be very crowded since most people are on christmas break and all traveling to the castle.
So which should you do? Base your decision on temperatures, time off and whether or not your kids or yourself would rather dress up and trick or treat around the castle and see some superb villains or dance with reindeer in Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and walk under the snow on Main street? The choice is yours. Hopefully this has helped.