Walking out of Magic Kingdom at 11:50 PM, we passed Mickey’s meet and greet and saw a ten minute wait.

Our daughter was already in her pajamas. She wasn’t even two yet, and because it was nearly four hours past her normal bedtime, we had fully expected her to be asleep in the stroller by this point.

Instead, we looked at the wait time and thought, why not?

So, just before midnight, she met Mickey in her pajamas. Then she danced the entire walk to the monorail like the night was just getting started.

It was, hands down, the happiest I saw her our entire trip.

That was our experience at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: six adults, one almost two year old, and a night that went so much better than I ever expected it to.

Before we went, I had the same question I hear from parents planning Disney trips now: Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party actually worth it with a toddler?

Because it’s an expensive ticket for an event that runs hours past bedtime. Are you going to spend all that extra money only to have your two year old asleep in the stroller before the parade?

In our case, the exact opposite happened.

And as a travel advisor who plans Disney vacations professionally, I think part of the reason we loved it so much was that we planned the day just as carefully as we planned the party.

What Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, often shortened to MNSSHP, is a separately ticketed Halloween event held at Magic Kingdom on select nights during the fall.

It is not included with regular Magic Kingdom admission. You purchase a separate party ticket, and once the event officially begins, guests without party tickets have to leave the park.

Our tickets were $180 per adult, although Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket prices vary by date.

So what are you actually paying extra for?

The party includes trick or treating throughout Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade, Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, character dance parties, special character appearances, Halloween entertainment, party exclusive food and merchandise, and generally lower attraction wait times than you’ll see during a typical park day.

But I don’t think the value of the party is just a checklist of everything included.

For us, the biggest difference was how the park felt.

We weren’t racing from one Lightning Lane to another or spending half the night trying to keep a toddler entertained in a long queue. The entire evening felt easier.

And at Disney, especially with a two year old, that has value.

The Most Important Part of Our MNSSHP Strategy Happened Before We Got There

We treated the entire day leading up to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party as part of our party strategy.

I plan Disney trips for a living, and I still built this day around the same thing every parent of a toddler eventually builds their vacation around: a nap.

We planned nothing that morning.

No park. No early breakfast reservation. No attempt to squeeze something else into the day because we technically had time.

Our daughter had already stopped regularly napping at home, but we put her down for one anyway because we knew we were asking a lot of an almost two year old that night.

She slept.

The adults got ready.

Then we ate dinner at our resort before leaving for Magic Kingdom.

Travel Advisor Tip: Don’t Waste Party Time on Dinner

This is one of the biggest things I would do again.

You are paying a premium for a limited number of hours inside Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I will never understand sitting down for a ninety minute dinner reservation in the middle of a party you paid extra to attend.

Eat before you go.

There are plenty of fun party snacks worth trying throughout the night, but save your actual sit down meal for before you enter Magic Kingdom. Once the party starts, I want every one of those hours available for the things you can only experience that night.

You Can Enter Magic Kingdom Before the Party Starts

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ticket holders can enter Magic Kingdom beginning at 4 PM, even though the party itself starts later.

Use that time.

We entered early and rode Haunted Mansion and Mad Tea Party with almost no wait before the official party festivities even began.

That early window is valuable because your strategy changes once the party starts. You aren’t buying a party ticket just to spend the night riding the same attractions you could ride during a regular Magic Kingdom day.

Once the party begins, I would prioritize the things you cannot experience on a normal park day.

The parade. The characters. The entertainment. The fireworks. The atmosphere.

You can ride Haunted Mansion another day.

You cannot see Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade in February.

What We Actually Did at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Once the party started, the night unfolded at a pace I genuinely didn’t expect at Disney with a toddler.

We trick or treated around Magic Kingdom and brought our own larger bag, which I highly recommend. The smaller bags Disney provides are cute, but they fill quickly.

Now, was our almost two year old going to eat all that candy? Absolutely not.

Were Mom and Dad? Absolutely.

For her, the fun was gathering it. She loved going from station to station, putting candy in her bag, and being part of the whole experience. And if you’re visiting with older kids who are actually excited about the candy itself, trick or treating through Magic Kingdom is an even bigger part of the appeal.

We also attached our candy bag to the stroller with a stroller hook.

Tiny detail. Huge difference.

Nobody had to carry a giant bag of candy around Magic Kingdom all night.

Disney has designated trick or treating locations throughout the park, so you don’t need to hunt randomly for candy. Knowing approximately where the stations are located also makes it easier to work them into whatever else you’re doing instead of crisscrossing Magic Kingdom just to find another candy stop.

Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade

This was one of the highlights of the night.

Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade is exclusive to the Halloween party and features characters you don’t normally see together, all with a distinctly Halloween feel.

And before the parade officially begins, watch the route.

The Headless Horseman rides through on horseback ahead of the parade, and it is one of those little Disney moments that makes the whole thing feel different from a normal Magic Kingdom night.

There are typically two parade showings during the party. If your family can handle staying later, the second parade can be a great strategic choice because some families with younger children have already left.

Character Dance Parties and Rare Character Experiences

One of the things I didn’t expect our daughter to love as much as she did was the character dance party.

Instead of waiting in another traditional meet and greet line, she got to dance with the characters, which at almost two years old was honestly perfect. There was no pressure to pose for the perfect picture or stand still long enough for an interaction. She could just dance and have fun with them.

And that ended up being part of what made the party work so well with a toddler.

Not everything required waiting in a line.

The party also gives you a chance to see characters you don’t normally encounter during a regular Magic Kingdom day. Pooh and his friends appear in their Halloween costumes, villains and other less commonly seen characters make appearances, and Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas are among the most popular character meets of the entire event.

Their line can also be extremely long.

We skipped them.

And I think that’s an important part of planning this party well.

You probably cannot do everything, nor should you try.

If meeting Jack and Sally is the thing your child has been talking about for six months, absolutely prioritize them.

If they’re not? Those hours may be much better spent dancing with characters, trick or treating, watching the parade, riding attractions, or doing five other things your family will love.

The Halloween Fireworks and Hocus Pocus Show

We also watched the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular in front of Cinderella Castle and Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks, hosted by Jack Skellington.

By this point, we had already changed our daughter into pajamas.

We were prepared for the inevitable crash.

It just never came.

She kept going.

And Then We Found Mickey at 11:50 PM

This is the part of the night I still remember most.

We were finally walking out of Magic Kingdom when we noticed Mickey had just a ten minute wait.

At that point, there wasn’t much strategy left.

It was simply, “Why not?”

So our almost two year old walked in wearing her pajamas and met Mickey just before midnight.

And somehow, instead of finally giving in to exhaustion afterward, she danced her way out of Magic Kingdom.

I think about that moment whenever someone asks me if Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is worth it with a two year old.

Because yes, I can tell you how many attractions we rode and how much candy we brought home.

But that’s not really what I remember.

I remember her dancing to the monorail at midnight.

What I Would Do Differently Next Time

We didn’t really dress up.

It was warm, I was seven months pregnant, and full costumes felt like one more thing to manage.

But looking back, that’s probably the one thing I would change.

The costumes are part of what makes the night feel special, and adults can dress up for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party too, something you generally can’t do during a normal Disney park day.

Disney does have specific costume rules, particularly for guests ages 14 and older, so check the current guidelines before planning an elaborate outfit.

Next time, I would choose something lightweight, comfortable, and easy enough that we could still walk around Magic Kingdom for hours without regretting it.

Tips for Visiting Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with Toddlers

If I were planning this night for another family with young kids, these would be my biggest recommendations:

1. Don’t plan a full park day before the party. You may feel like you’re wasting vacation time, but you’re protecting the experience you paid extra for.
2. Build in rest, especially with toddlers. Even if your child doesn’t normally nap anymore, a quiet afternoon can make a huge difference.
3. Eat dinner before you arrive. Save party hours for experiences you can only get during the party.
4. Enter Magic Kingdom as early as your party ticket allows. Use the pre party window for regular attractions so you can prioritize exclusive entertainment later.
5. Bring a bigger trick or treat bag and a stroller hook. This sounds insignificant until you’re carrying several pounds of candy around Magic Kingdom.
6. Bring pajamas. This ended up being one of our best decisions. When it got late, we could get her comfortable without having to call it a night.
7. Choose your must dos before you arrive. If a particular character is nonnegotiable, plan around that. If the parade matters more, protect that time instead.
8. Don’t judge the night by how many rides you accomplish. The exclusive entertainment, character interactions, atmosphere, and little moments are what make this different from simply staying late at Magic Kingdom.

Is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Worth It With a Toddler?

For us, without question.

And I think that’s the part of our experience I want other parents to hear.

I wouldn’t automatically skip Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party because your child is two, or because you assume they won’t make it until midnight.

You know your child best. If late nights reliably end in disaster, that matters. But if your toddler loves characters, music, dancing, parades, costumes, or trick or treating and can occasionally rally for something exciting, being young can actually make this party feel more magical, not less.

Our daughter was completely immersed in it.

She trick or treated. She danced with characters. She watched the parade. She stayed for the fireworks. She changed into her pajamas. She met Mickey at 11:50 PM.

And she still didn’t want the night to end!

Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Worth the Money?

This is a slightly different question.

Party tickets are expensive, especially when you’re adding them on top of an already expensive Disney vacation.

But I wouldn’t evaluate the price based on how many rides you can squeeze into the night.

For us, the value was in getting an entirely different Magic Kingdom experience: exclusive entertainment, Halloween characters, trick or treating, the parade, fireworks, shorter waits, and a park that felt easier to navigate than it did during the day.

I was seven months pregnant. We had an almost two year old. On paper, we probably weren’t the group you’d expect to make it happily until midnight.

Yet it became one of our favorite nights of the entire trip.

We had deliberately left space in the day so we could enjoy the night.

And then, somewhere around 11:50 PM, standing in Magic Kingdom with a toddler in pajamas waiting ten minutes to meet Mickey, that decision paid off.

She doesn’t remember that night now.

But I do.

And maybe that’s part of why we take these trips when they’re little in the first place.

Planning Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party With a Toddler?

If you’re considering Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party but aren’t sure whether it makes sense for your family, don’t start with the question, “Is the party worth it?”

Start with: What would make it worth it for us?

Maybe that’s meeting rare characters. Maybe it’s shorter attraction waits. Maybe your child would lose their mind over trick or treating through Magic Kingdom. Maybe it’s dancing with characters or seeing the Headless Horseman ride through Liberty Square.

Once you know what you’re actually hoping to get out of the night, you can build the party around those priorities instead of trying to do everything.

That’s exactly how I approach Disney planning with my clients. The goal isn’t to squeeze every possible thing into a vacation. It’s to figure out which experiences are going to matter to your family, then build the trip around them.

And sometimes, the moment you remember most isn’t one you planned at all.

Sometimes it’s Mickey at 11:50 PM with a toddler in pajamas.

Everyday Magic Travel With Catherine Savvides

Hi, I’m Catherine! I’m a mom, Disney expert, and travel advisor behind Everyday Magic Travel. With 100+ Disney trips under my belt, I know how magical these vacations can be and how overwhelming planning one can feel!

I help families spend less time stressing over the details and more time making memories together. Whether you’re dreaming of a Walt Disney World vacation, setting sail with Disney Cruise Line, or planning your next family adventure, I’m here to make the process a whole lot easier.

Ready to make some magic? I’d love to help you plan a vacation your family will be talking about for years to come!

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Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party vs. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

If you love the idea of experiencing Disney World during the holidays, Halloween isn’t the only time Magic Kingdom gets a little extra magical!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is actually one of my all-time favorite Disney World experiences, and there’s just something about Christmas on Main Street, U.S.A. that has my heart. ❤️

If you’re deciding which Disney special event is worth the extra ticket price, read why Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is my favorite Disney World experience and whether I think it’s worth it!