Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party allows guests to don their favorite costume and trick-or-treat at in Magic Kingdom park. MNSSHP takes place select nights from 7:00 PM to midnight, September 1 to October 31, 2014, and is a separately ticketed event.

IoM attended the event for the first time this year and we had a BLAST! Read our full review after the jump!

What’s nice about having a ticket to MNSSHP, and it doesn’t seem to be advertised on the Disney website, is that you can get in the park starting at 4pm. Because of this, I was able to get in and hit a couple of rides and spend the time after 7pm specifically focused on the Halloween event. In fact, one site that really helped plan my day was WDW Prep School, which presented me with the following tentative schedule…

• 4:00 – 7:00 – ride rides, eat dinner and then get in line between 5:30 and 6 to meet your highest priority character (the Seven Dwarfs or Jack Skellington & Sally)
• 7:00 – 8:00 – rides, shopping
• 8:00 – 9:00 – attend the Villains Mix and Mingle show at 8:50 p.m. and then meet the villains afterward
• 9:00 – 10:00 – Celebrate the Magic Villains Style Castle Show and fireworks
• 10:00 – 11:00 – Boo to You Parade at 10:30 p.m.
• 11:00 – midnight – trick-or-treat at 1 of the trails and get as much candy as you can, meet more characters with shorter lines

While I didn’t stick exactly to the schedule, it’s definitely a good way to go, as you’ll really be able to see everything. The rides around the park have scary short lines during MNSSHP (Space Mountain had a 5 minute wait!), so you’ll definitely have time to hit some of them.

Going to Disney is a different experience from going to Universal. As such, there’s a common misconception, including among myself, that Disney is the “kid’s park,” whereas Universal is the more adult park. And while HHN is certainly a more adult affair, Disney’s Halloween Event is by no means just for kids. In fact, it’s something we talk about on the Funnybooks podcast – the difference between “all ages” and “for kids.” MNSSHP is an “all ages” event in that people of all ages will find something to enjoy and, let me tell you, the second you walk into the Magic Kingdom you really do start to feel like a kid again.

The entire park (though mostly the Main Street area at the front of the park) is decorated for Halloween, with cute scarecrows and pumpkins adorned with Mickey’s face. The night we attended the event (Sunday 9/21) was overcast and just a wee bit drizzly for a short period, so the nice cool breeze was perfect and helped with the autumn atmosphere.

As soon as I walked into the park, I got wrapped up in the excitement of the event. However, since it doesn’t start until 7, I was able to hit the Haunted Mansion and a couple of other rides (including the brand new Snow White Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which is uber cool) before things kicked off. As mentioned above, if you’re there early, hop in line to meet Jack Skellington early. He’s right there in Main Street (well, he was that night) and I waited about an hour to meet him and Sally. Still, as a character rarely seen in the parks, it was worth the wait (and really, just about the only wait I had all night). The actors portraying Jack and Sally were fantastic, really getting into the characters and even walking and moving like them. Jack walked up to meet every guest in line to walk them into the picture taking area. Well worth the wait.

Following meeting Jack and Sally, we swung by to meet Mickey, who’s dressed in special Halloween garb and man…it was so cool. The new Mickey costume talks with a moving mouth and blinking eyes and it really sells it. I was not ready for the costume to do that! Not only that, on the way to Mickey, there are some cool little easter eggs for fans of Ducktales and Uncle Scrooge!

The Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade starts with the Headless Horseman riding down the street, followed by a ton of dancing Disney characters, all decked out in Halloween garb and dancing to theme appropriate music. It happens twice a night, and is a must-see!

I was able to attend the Villains Castle Show show – it’s very short (maybe 10 minutes?), but you get to see some characters you rarely see in the park, including Dr. Faclier from Princess and the Frog. Immediately following the show, an absolutely amazing projection show (Happy HalloWishes) on Snow White’s castle starts, which pretty much leads right into the big fireworks show. I’ve never attended a Disney fireworks show before, but it was certainly one of the best fireworks displays I’ve ever seen.

After the fireworks show, we walked around the park Trick-R-Treating (my first time doing so since I was probably 13) and man is that fun! Little signs around the park show you were to go and fill your bag of candy – and it will get full!

Though we’ve never attended Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party before, I guarantee we will be again. While it would be great if some of the rides would be re-themed (like Hollywood does with their Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy Space Mountain attractions), there’s still plenty to do…and there’s nothing quite like Disney. Definitely a blast for kids and just those who feel like a kid around the Halloween Season.

For more about the event, check out the official site.

As a note, apparently the following takes place in Frontierland, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out – if you do, let us know how it is!

Frontierland
Venture into Frontierland where you might even meet a barbershop quartet of dead cowboys who sing songs in the style of the Dapper Dans. They like “axing” Guests questions and answering with puns as part of their “dead pan” humor.

Also, a separately ticketed event, Villains’ Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle is available. Disney also offers a hotel room package that includes a special Halloween-themed room at an on-site hotel that sounds like a blast.