2018 Edition
Well, it’s that time of year again here in Central Florida. It’s the middle of hurricane season, the temperatures are still well into the 90’s, Fall baseball season is in full swing, and we are recovering from another successful installment of the after hours Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. We’ll let you share in our favorite traditions, how we “do” the party, and our thoughts on some of the the new features this year.
This year brought back many of the “old reliables” that we count on to get us into that Autumn Halloween spirit each year. We began the evening by donning our glow-in-the-dark necklaces in the traditional Halloween colors of orange, purple and green (of course). Although we entered the park while the sun was still shining (Disney Vacation Club members may enter this year at 2:00pm, and everyone else with a party ticket at 4:00pm), we looked like geniuses within a couple of hours when the sun finally set. We were guided through the backlot and took immediate advantage of the first trick-or-treat candy station and Party-themed photo stations that were already up and running.
Although Disney does this for crowd control purposes, we always appreciate the immediate candy and photo ops! We then made our way to our favorite party dining place…Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, featuring the animatronic alien Sonny Eclipse on his space keyboard instrument. It’s silly, but we enjoy his same jokes every year, and the variety of food serves all of us well…especially my bacon pulled pork cheeseburger with the toppings bar!
We then made our way back to the Storybook Circus tent where they were just starting to put out Party merchandise. We bought the Annual Passholder exclusive and 2018 edition party pins, the new Zero dog and Minnie Mouse party ornaments for our Halloween tree (Yes, you just read that correctly. Picture of the tree will be added to our social media profiles), and one large event bag to carry all of our individual candy bags. This makes it much easier while walking from candy station to candy station. But we chose to pass on the 2018 Halloween Party Magic Band because of its price ($39.99 was a bit much, even for us). Beginning shortly after 7pm, we were able to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with their 35 minute and 5 minute wait times respectively! Unfortunately, we did not ride the People Mover or even walk through Tomorrowland after dark. Which is a shame because it is always lit with themes lighting and is where the Monsters Inc. dance party (called the Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball this year) is located. And, of course, we always have to see the “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks show and the “Boo to You” parade. The fireworks are so much better than the other displays throughout the year. And the parade music is so catchy!
Truth be told…we actually listen to the music from both of those on CD for a couple of weeks before we even go! There were fewer trick-or-treat candy stations this year, creating longer lines at each. The lines moved fairly well after the party got going , but were way too long at the beginning. Strange for a not-so-sold-out event night. And there was much less chocolate this year, and much more Skittles. Make of that what you will, but we consider that a “miss”.
Several new additions were added to the festivities this year as well. Additions that we experienced included the special lighting and effects in the Mad Tea Party ride, a new dance party called the Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam, and various new party-specific treats. The special lighting effects of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party were interesting. Lots of purplish lighting effects and fast-paced music (somewhat spooky) made for a whole different experience than the usual ride provides. I definitely underestimated how festive this overlay would be. The Storybook Circus Disney Junior Jam dance party was rocking. Although our son is no longer a toddler who would enjoy this type of event, we did witness many families and tons of small children enjoying music being spun by the the DJ and dancing with the Disney Junior characters.
And then there were the party-specific treats. Oh, the treats! My family very much enjoyed the Maleficent and Hitchhiking Ghost desserts! The Maleficent dessert was a light chocolate waffle cone filled with delicious lime sherbet, covered generously in purple sprinkles, and featuring dark chocolate horns. Not only did it have the perfect appearance of Maleficent and encompass the spirit of Halloween…it also tasted amazing! My wife badly wanted the Hitchhiking Ghosts dessert. This one also did not disappoint. This featured a cream puff Haunted Mansion Doom Buggy pastry, filled with cookies and cream mousse, with a chocolate piece depicting the three hitchhiking ghosts.
We were not interested in the other party-specific desserts. These included the Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie Meringue, Madame Leota, and Worms and Dirt desserts. Although we did examine these, we ultimately did not feel as though they looked worthy to try.
Unfortunately, it was so humid that we decided to leave a bit earlier than we normally do, foregoing watching the second installment of the parade. And by the time we got around to the Pirates of the Caribbean, none of us had the inclination to wait in line for even the short 30 minutes to see how the live actors added to the attraction. Although the Halloween lighting effect on the outside was awesome, as was the lighting inside of the Enchanted Tiki Room!
Overall, this was another great Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party! Please be sure to check us out across all of the social media outlets. Like and subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Like and Follow us on our Facebook Page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter. You never know where and when we may be live and sharing a part of the Disney Magic with you! Thanks for reading!
Sharing the Magic '71 