Tuesday the 18th of October finally came and we could attend Mickey's Halloween Party. It was hard entering the park on an ECV as the regular guest were leaving. They were checking wristbands frequently as we traversed down Main Street U.S.A. for Adventureland.
As usual we were misguided in thinking we could ride the rides with no waits. This was not true. Our first stop was for Alex. He wanted candy so we went through the very long queue at Pirates. There were 3 treat stations and a queue as long as it was when Captain Jack Sparrow was added to Pirates. It took quite a while to get through this line.
Next we went to Haunted Mansion which had a 30 minute line. We used my GAC because there was no way I could stand for 30 minutes, and we ended up waiting about 10 minutes. Alex wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh next, so we went ahead and did that with no wait and stopped at two treat stations with minimal lines in Critter Country.
Frankly the crowds were like those you would see on a summer holiday (4th of July) and that was a shock to us. The character lines were horribly long so we skipped everyone we saw. They had Mickey and Minnie together on Big Thunder Trail and some spooky effects going on back there. The boys rode Big Thunder with just a 10 minute wait. Alex and I went into the Big Thunder Barbecue treat queue which had three different stations. Andy was taking pictures of various things. Next we headed into Fantasyland and I tried to get into the treat line but people were amazingly rude and kept cutting me off. I sent the boys in and I waited at the exit. That was the end of our candy collecting. It was our last night and we didn't want to take a bunch of candy home.
Peter Pan was over an hour wait so we skipped it and headed toward Tomorrowland. I was ready to sit and wait for the parade but Andy didn't want to do that. Being on a scooter it is harder to save spots so I went with them toward Star Tours with a stop at the bathroom. We were stopped by a Cast Member doing a survey and boy did people put up a fuss when we stopped! I thought I was grumpy because of the crowds but these people were downright angry. The boys wanted to ride but I didn't so we went our different ways. I went back to Main Street and got a pretty good spot for the parade in the second row. Being in a scooter put me up higher than the front row so it was perfect for me.
They boys rode Astro Orbitor and then Andy found me and left me with the video camera so I could tape the parade. They rode Star Tours and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy during the parade. The parade is cute, but doesn't hold a candle to the Boo to You Parade at Walt Disney World's Halloween Party. After the parade I moved about five feet to wait for the Halloween Screams fireworks. I met people from Utah who where there for the first time with their two kids. Conversation was great, the older child was adorable, and the wait seemed minimal thanks to this family.
Andy and Alex came about ten minutes before fireworks. I had told all the people around us they would be coming. Alex was upset with the location because he knew we would not see the whole Orb but the problem was I could not check the other side by myself without losing the spot I DID have, so I stayed put, knowing we would have a view and it would be fun, because this is the spot I had seen these fireworks from the first time two years ago. With our love of Halloween Screams we thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks.
Once done, Alex wanted to ride Autopia and Andy wanted to do some taping. We used my GAC because there was no way I could do the stairs that are required there. They have it set up so that you still end up waiting the same amount of time as if you had been in the queue. Or it worked out that way for us anyways. We had a rocky ride with Alex driving, but it was fun. After our jaunt in a miniature car we had one goal. Storm Troupers. Alex was a Jedi so we had to get a picture of him with those villains. The queue wasn't too bad and we waited in it, knowing we would probably miss the second parade so Alex would not see it.
We ended up hitting Main Street just seconds before the parade was going to be there, so Alex sat down and I parked behind him. Andy was closer to Town Square for the parade so we were not together. After the parade we talked to the scarecrow, and Alex really enjoyed that. I wanted to do a dance party because Alex loves them but dancing was not something I could do this trip. It was then that Andy sent me a text to let me know that Perry the Platypus was at Plaza Gardens. Crowds had thinned after the second parade so navigating our way over there wasn't as hard as it would have been earlier. We grabbed our spot in the line and both of my boys had their pictures with Perry. That was one of the highlights of our night.
Unfortunately just as the crowds get manageable the time is getting late and the party is ending. I was just starting to have fun.
Once again we decided that next time we would not ride the rides. We say this every time, yet forget it the next year. Now I have it in writing so maybe we will remember for next year.
My plea to Disney is a hope that they will reduce the crowds and have more parties. This was a miserable experience before the second parade. Treat lines were horribly long, and moved slowly. Character lines were over an hour long and ride lines were much longer than expected, around 30 minutes each for the more popular rides.
It is very hard to recommend this party when I didn't start having fun until the end, but I think we went about this party the wrong way. I also have to remember that I was in a scooter so it made everything harder.
Mickey's Halloween Party was super crowded, so if you plan for the huge crowds you will be fine. Prepare yourself to wait for anything you want to do and have fun! And make sure you bring a camera. The decorations are amazing. Huge Mickey Ghosts signify the treat stations and there are decorations you can only see during the party. We never made it to the villains so I don't know who was out, but I do know there are villains that you can't see unless you attend the party. For these reasons I recommend Mickey's Halloween Party.
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Website: Mickey's Halloween Party Review