MNSSHP Tickets and Crowds About This Page:

[ravensgirl76]

This will be our first MNSSHP and i have no idea where to begin

When do tickets usually go on sale and how crowded do you think the party on 9/30 (tentative date, saw it on Touring Plans) will be? It's a sunday and one of the first parties so i'm hoping not very busy

What tips do you have for the party, it'll be me, DH, DD5 and DNiece 16.

We're at AoA, should we eat before the party or eat once we get there? If we eat there , should we just do QS or TS?

[notjustamom]

If I remember correct from last year, tickets went on sale in July/ i'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I chose a day that was mid-trip (it was a Tues) so to give the kids some anticipation but not right before we left. We chose to eat before hand since we didn't know what to expect with crowds, events, etc. Good call, I would've been annoyed having to take time to eat. I also didn't schedule much for the next a.m. so the kids could get up when they were ready. You'll have a blast, my kids were 10 & 8 and loved every minute of it

[Patrick FaMILY]

When do tickets usually go on sale? - I believe they are usually available around May 1.
How crowded do you think the party on 9/30 will be?
- Weekends are more crowded. But since you have to buy the extra ticket for the party, the crowds seem to be much more manageable.

What tips do you have for the party, it'll be me, DH, DD5 and DNiece 16.
- Dress up in costume appropriate for hot humid weather. It's easy to modify a costume for a short sleeved shirt (rather than a long sleeved one. Same for substituting shorts for long pants).
- Collect the candy. Remember how fun trick-or-treating was as a kid? Give you family that great memory from WDW too!!
- Stay until the end.
- Make sure you are near the castle for the fireworks.
- Go to the rides that usually have lines during the first parade.
- Go to the second parade. Make sure to get a good location to see the beginning. The headless horseman is really a sight to see.

Should we eat before the party or eat once we get there?
- I suggest eating before the party. Then, snacking all through it!!

[bsblady01]

I hope that tickets go on sale soon we are planning to go to the party on october 31st

[mrswhitbey]

I would love to know too as it is our first party as well. I am taking DD3 and staying at AOA 10/4-8!

[Ashli]

We usually go in early Oct (sometimes Columbus Day weekend, sometimes before that). We've gone to MNSSHP on I believe every different night of the week that it's usually offered and I have no noticed a significant difference in crowds depending on the day of the week. We've always experienced low, very manageable crowds at the party during that time of the year. Enjoy!!!

[Linnynad]

If I have done my "planning" correctly, it looks like we may be hitting the party on the very first night, it's a Tuesday. Anyone know how nuts the first night is?

[aliciabruce]

I went on 7/27 last year. We bought our tickets at the hotel that morning when we arrived, so it obviously wasn't sold out yet. I decided to take my chances on that because I read usually the first night and the dates close to Halloween are the ones to sell out usually.

[aliciabruce]

Awesome advice written above! Here are sine more tips:
I agree with above-eat before you get there. You'll want to actually enjoy the party once you're there.
Do some research and talk to your family about their intentions. Are they more interested in the Halloween party stuff, or getting on the rides? You can obviously do both, but at least you'll know what to focus on. Or you can just wander and see what you stumble upon.
The line for pictures with characters like the Seven Dwarves gets crazy long, like and hour and a half at least. As much as I LOVE character pictures, it wasn't worth it to stand there and miss out on the party. I snapped a picture of the Dwarves as i walked by and moved on.
I went with the advice about skipping the first parade to go on rides in hopes that the crowd would thin for the second. It was still really crowded for the second parade. This was also a weeknight, not a weekend, so it wasn't like it was a busier day, either. So just make sure you head over early for the second parade. We had a decent seat (second row of the hub right in front of the castle) because we did, but only because I was about to go on more rides and I noticed it was filling up. I had this idea that it would be practically empty the way I was reading about it, haha. I was so wrong.
Go at 4pm! We were going to but opted for a nap instead (we arrived that morning, having gotten up for our flights at 3:30 am), but next time I'd make a point to go at 4. We didnt get park tickets for that day, so it would have been a good deal to have up to 8 hours of park time on the MNSSHP ticket. (Party starts at 7, which is when non party goers are told to exit the park. With your party ticket you'll get a wristband. Those without-and they check- won't be allowed past main street or on rides past 7. However they do start letting guests in with party tickets starting at 4. There's some debate over it every year but it always seems to work out. Even at our resort when we bought the tickets, they told us we could head over at 4.)
Don't miss the fireworks. One of the best shows (only second to the new years eve show I saw in MK in 2000/2001).
Trick or treat! As two young adults without kids we enjoyed getting to trick or treat again!
Dress up! But heed the advice above about dressing for the heat and humidity. Simplify your costumes to make it more comfortable. But so many people dress up, you may be sad if you don't.

[shanealaina]

2012 dates are out????

[ravensgirl76]

Originally Posted by shanealaina

2012 dates are out????

not that I've seen, i'm going by the predicted dates on Touring Plans.

[JKnott17]

Originally Posted by ravensgirl76

not that I've seen, i'm going by the predicted dates on Touring Plans.

Yes, and if you don't have a subsctription to TP, you can "guesstimate" when the parties will be held by using the calendar on Disneyworld.com. Any night the MK closes at 7 PM will most likely be a party night.

[shanealaina]

I called. Dates are out. Price is not till may 1. Lol. Tomorrow they go on sale. I only asked abouts dates when I go so I know they have a party on October 12, 14, 16, & 18

[bsblady01]

we are planning to get to magic kingdom at 4pm and have dinner at a counter service place as we do not want to waste party time eating.