"Official" 2015 MNSSHP thread

[Disneyliscious]

We went to Thursdays party on 10/22. It was wonderful. We had a BTMRR FP+ that expired at 4:10pm abd didnt make it there till 4:30pm. They let us use it anyway. Went to Pirates League at 5pm and it was horribly busy and backed up. Didnt finish till 6:30pm. Back to BTMRT and rode it 5 times back to back, no wait at all. Rode POTC and had feont of the boat. Got utterly soaked. We had rode it a few days prior and the entire boat was standing with 2 to 3 inches of water. The boat was lop sided and water was only a few inches below the edge. It was splashing inside the boat over the sides. They have ruined this ride.

Got lots of candy from tot and saw the 2nd parade from main street from front row (got there about 10 mins early).

Did the dessert party and was told to take home desserts. We were also given extra skull mugs of candy where a party of 4 beside us didnt show up.

Was not dissappointed and crowds were great.

 

[melana]

Here now. Was in line for Jack and Sally at 520...massive line was head of me. Met then at approx. 630pm. Sister and Niece are in line for the 7 Dwarfs..they are like the second in line. So great for them.
I heard tonight is sold out. I think we have a plan but who knows!! Today has not worked out totally how we wanted but hey...it could be worse!!
Weather is nice..Cool breeze.

 

[robndani]

Hi,
Can you explain a little more about the whole first area?
Thanks

Lol sorry. When you first enter MK. Where the railroad station is, and the character meet and greets are. The whole loop around the front section of the park. The beginning of Main Street I'd guess you'd say.

The same was true for the 10/22 party which we also attended!

 

[melana]

Have been having a good time. Had a good spot for the Hocus Pocus show and the fireworks. Now sitting on main street waiting on parade.

Only did one ride..Haunted Mansion. Not that I wouldn't have done more. Frustrated with sister. We had a plan and she just..well it's been frustrating!! But I am having a good time despite it. I think if I ever do another party..I'm coming by myself. I travel better by myself...

 

[kittyab]

We had a blast on our party night and infact we booked to come back for the 2016 party

 

[nfggirl5454]

I was at the Sunday, October 25th party with my sister, her fiancée, my 4 year old nephew, and my 11 month old niece.

We got in line about 4:25 for Jack and Sally, and there were roughly 8 groups in front of us. They came out at 5:01. After meeting them, we headed to the 7 Dwarfs. In line about 5:23, 3 groups in front of us, and the dwarfs started meeting at 6:48. We had a FP+ for Peter Pan from 6-7, and made it there just in time. Next up was Donald, Daisy, Minnie -- in line at 7:15, finished about 8:20.

Walked on to the Barnstormer next. Did a ToT stop. Went to the Emporium for party shirts. Dinner at Casey's, sat in front of the Plaza, had a great view for the fireworks. I saw the 10:40 Hocus Pocus show (I thought it was pretty good, the Sanderson Sisters were very well cast), while the rest of my group went trick or treating.

The only downside was all the parade spots were taken. People who had curb spots for the 10:40 HC show stayed put. I walked from the Hub to Liberty Tree Tavern, and the best we could do would be behind people. In 2014 we were able to get a spot right in front of the castle about 10 mins early, and in 2013 a curb side seat in Frontierland about 15 mins early, so this was a bit of a bummer.

There were crowds of people pouring out after the fireworks, so I was surprised at how crowded the second parade still was. We left after that, too tired to squeeze in one last ride, and waited maybe 10 mins for the bus back to Riverside.

The weather was much better this late in October, but before the sun went down, it was still very hot and sweat-inducing. I'm a native Floridian, but ugh, I hate the heat.

 

[pmaurer74]

I got an ADR for CRT at 5:30 on party night. We are dressed as Alice in Wonderland characters so getting in their line is a priority. What time do you think we will be done with dinner in order to get into line? I heard there are two lines, one for Alice and the Mad Hatter and the other for the Queen of Hearts. How long should I plan to be in each one? I wonder if I should cancel CRT, we have been before.

 

[Miumiu4me]

We went last night. My 2 year old daughter had fun, but her parents serious questioned their judgment in booking a late party + on a work night + on one of the most crowded nights of the year. I've been to the event a few times before but 1) without a kid 2)I always went in Sept, so it wasn't sold out. I remember there being more shows around 2008ish/2009...

We didn't do a lot of party specific stuff cause, ya know, toddlers. We saw the first parade and met Lotso and Jafar (and my kid enjoyed shorter lines for characters that regularly meet). My daughter was a big fan of the dance party and had fun trick or treating. She doesn't like fireworks - she ended up grabbing Lotso for comfort during them (childhood trauma makes for a cute picture). I was a little surprised by the crowds. I also noticed a small number of people without bands on at the parade (in fairness, I was really looking). We ended up near a group of parents that brought high chairs from Tomorrowland and let their kids stand on them. One of their kids nearly knocked my stroller over cause he grabbed it to leverage himself when he climbed into his highchair, and he bumped me while I was holding my toddler, causing me to accidentally bump the guy in front of me. That was annoying - and while the cast members were all nice, the one near us ignored the highchair family (in fairness - it wasn't like he wasn't busy).

I won't say never again, but never on Halloween week again!

 

[MjrDucky]

My family and I just returned from a weeks stay. We were able to attend the MNSSHP on 10/20 and 10/22 and we had a wonderful time.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who provided tips on the party as I was able to use a couple of them to our advantage.

My plan for 10/20 was to meet Jack and Sally (got in line at 4:30) and they came out at 5PM and by 5:30 we were on our way over to the 7 dwarfs. They came out about 6:45 and we were completed with them by 7:30 and that left us the rest of the night to do rides and a few other meet and greets. We did catch part of the parade but it wasn't on the list this night. Of course we did some ToT.

On 10/22 our priorities were to see the parade and Hocus Pocus show. I used the tip to catch the parade near the beginning and then we followed it to the castle to see the HP show. It worked perfectly. Found a spot in Frontier land 2nd row and followed the parade to the castle and were able to get third row in front of the stage with an excellent view.

The ride times were always doable in the 10-20 min wait for most and we were able to get plenty of candy at the ToT stops. The parade and HP show / Main street were busy but we had no problems moving around. We moved on before the fire works show but you can see and HEAR it anywhere just about so we took advantage of the short ride times on the most popular rides during this time.

This was our first MNSSHP's and I would certainty do them again if I get the chance. I don't see how you can do it all in one night, but spreading it over two worked great for us.

PS I still can't get the Halloween song out of my head from the parade. LOL

 

[trammell]

I went to the party friday 10/23 with my 5 years old and had a great time. was worried about it being crowded, but never felt like it was. we were in the park all day and again yesterday so her priority was characters, Tot, and parade.

4pm--got wristband and went straight to Jack and Sally while she went on rides with rest of family (who all left park by 5:30)
5:00 met Jack and Sally (was 2nd in line) and went for a bite to eat with DD
5:30 got in line for 7 Dwarfs (5th group)
6:45 Dwarfs came out and we were done by 7
7:00 in line for Pooh and friends and done by 7:20
7:20-8:30 Tot by Haunted Mansion, pics with Old Hag, Jafar, Aladdin and Abu
8:30 walked up and got great spot for parade by country bears
After parade went Tot at tiki birds, met Terk and went to tomorrow land
did a little dancing with monsters , Tot by Carousel of Progress, pic with Lotso and Queen of Hearts and went to main street for Castle show. Main street was wide open so easy to see show and got a couple of magic shots on main street saw Hallowishes and got right on bus back to resort

Overall did all we wanted (with possible exception of meeting Cruella and Genie)

 

[Dis703]

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. We fly out tomorrow morning just for the day to do MNSSHP. Of course it's sold out so I'm trying to have realistic expectations. It's just me, my sister, and her BF. He's never been to Disney at all so I'm trying to make sure we do some of the classic rides as well as party stuff. None of us have done the party before.

One thing I'm wondering is do they have a midnight Hocus Pocus show every night? Or will the fact that it's sold out mean they will definitely have it? I was figuring on doing Celebrate the Magic, Hallowishes and then the 11:15 parade followed by the 12:00 Hocus Pocus show, but I recall when I bought my tickets they told me there would be "at least" 3 shows so it sounds like there isn't always a fourth.

Also, is guest relations inside MK the only place you can go to add the one day Memory Maker? We want to get it but also have a FP time for Peter Pan that ends at 4:15. Just wondering if I can buy it outside the gates at the ticket booth while we wait to get in.

Thanks for everyone who has been sharing their experiences!

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

We went on Friday night and had a great time! One thing I thought I would let people know is, we asked at the Emporium for a party pin and they told us the entire park was sold out. We checked in Frontierland and they had plenty of pins So, you might want to check around even if you are told they are out.

 

[JZate_GatorFan]

Had a great time on our 10/22 party. We thought we had an aggressive plan going into our first ever party and we actually got to do everything we planned except a M&G with Alice and friends. We purchased the 1 day memory maker and had no problems with our pictures whatsoever and thought it was definitely worth the money. We even got a picture with 'Book' from Hocus Pocus thanks to the tips from this thread. It was 12:20 as we walked into the emporium thrilled from the entire party experience but crestfallen because we weren't able to make it into the emporium earlier for a picture with Book. We figured it wouldn't hurt to ask even if the party was officially over and much to our excitement the castmember took it out and we were still able to take pictures with it. She even told us that it was the mom of a cast member that made it. Anyway, here was our itinerary in case it helps anyone plan their night:

4:30 ~ Got in line for 7D there were 6 groups ahead of us, by 4:50 there were at least 12 groups behind us.
Since there were 3 of us, 2 people were able to do fast pass rides while the 3rd stayed in line and we'd switch occasionally until 6:35 - at that time the 3 of us stayed put.
6:50 ~ Dwarfs came out
7:00 ~ Got in line to Pooh and Friends. There were at least 10 groups ahead of us when we got in line. Characters did not come out until about 7:15
7:40 ~ Got in line to J&S. We planned to be there during the 1st parade and the CM told us the line was *only* an hour and that it was the least busy she had seen. The line moved really fast at some point and slow at others. I overheard some party vets saying that it depended on what Jack was out at the time (one apparently interacted and talked more than another?)
8:40 ~ Got in line for Cruela - This took about 45 mins mainly because she seemed to take frequent breaks. I thought it'd be faster because there were only 10-15 groups ahead of us.
after Cruela ~ TOT down to Tommorowland trail **LONG LINE** but as others have reported it moved fast.
9:45 ~ Found a spot in the hub while the castle show was going on
10:00 ~ Hallowishes fireworks
Immediately after fireworks moved up to stage for Hocus Pocus show. There were about 5 rows of people in front of us with plenty of space all over right up until 7-10 mins before the show started.
10:40 ~ Watched Hocus Pocus Show
11:15 ~ Watched Parade (good parade but our least favorite thing of the night. The 3 of us are in our late 20s and we would have much rather gotten another M&G in).
Immediately after parade got a picture with the old hag and then got the Magic Shot at the HM. Then got the magic shot at Splash Mountain (we RANNNNN).
After the magic shot we made our way towards main street there were some CMs still handing out candy specifically by the riverboat but others were not but at that point we were just happy to get any candy.
12:20 picture with book @ emporium
~throughout the night~ we stopped for any photgrapher and were able to get the poison apple magic shot, the dancing ghost magic shot, one by Ariel's Grotto a few with Cinderella's castle in the background and maybe someother pics I'm forgetting right now. In total we got close to 60 pics from disney photographers so that's why I say we got our money's worth.

Good luck to party goers this week!

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I got an ADR for CRT at 5:30 on party night. We are dressed as Alice in Wonderland characters so getting in their line is a priority. What time do you think we will be done with dinner in order to get into line? I heard there are two lines, one for Alice and the Mad Hatter and the other for the Queen of Hearts. How long should I plan to be in each one? I wonder if I should cancel CRT, we have been before.

There are two lines. We walked by them several times on Friday night and neither had more than about 15 people in them at any time. Once, we saw the Queen of Hearts with about 5 people in line. I personally wouldn't do CRT on a party night, but if you do, I wouldn't be rushing through it to get to Alice and QoH.

 

[BrianL]

I hit the Friday, 10-23 party and found it to be wonderful. It wasn't too hot and, even though it was a sell-out, seemed less crowded and hectic than last year (also a sell-out). Maybe it was better crowd management techniques, or the new, expanded hub really works. The Hocus Pocus show was very good and we hat a great parade spot (2nd parade, right where the Liberty Square bridge meets the hub.

The only downside is apparently they sold out of Poison Apple Sundaes several nights before and had not gotten any more in. Good luck to anyone looking to get one.

 

[mjmouse77]

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. We fly out tomorrow morning just for the day to do MNSSHP. Of course it's sold out so I'm trying to have realistic expectations. It's just me, my sister, and her BF. He's never been to Disney at all so I'm trying to make sure we do some of the classic rides as well as party stuff. None of us have done the party before.

One thing I'm wondering is do they have a midnight Hocus Pocus show every night? Or will the fact that it's sold out mean they will definitely have it? I was figuring on doing Celebrate the Magic, Hallowishes and then the 11:15 parade followed by the 12:00 Hocus Pocus show, but I recall when I bought my tickets they told me there would be "at least" 3 shows so it sounds like there isn't always a fourth.

Also, is guest relations inside MK the only place you can go to add the one day Memory Maker? We want to get it but also have a FP time for Peter Pan that ends at 4:15. Just wondering if I can buy it outside the gates at the ticket booth while we wait to get in.

Thanks for everyone who has been sharing their experiences!

I purchased memory maker at guest relations outside the ticket area while the rest of my party waited in line for the turnstiles, then joined them.

 

[kittyab]

I hit the Friday, 10-23 party and found it to be wonderful. It wasn't too hot and, even though it was a sell-out, seemed less crowded and hectic than last year (also a sell-out). Maybe it was better crowd management techniques, or the new, expanded hub really works. The Hocus Pocus show was very good and we hat a great parade spot (2nd parade, right where the Liberty Square bridge meets the hub.

The only downside is apparently they sold out of Poison Apple Sundaes several nights before and had not gotten any more in. Good luck to anyone looking to get one.

We bought 3 poison apple steins at Animal Kingdom about 2 weeks ago.

 

[mjmouse77]

I went to last night's party. It was very crowded, no announcements made before 7, and no one checking wristbands, not even to get on rides. The crowds were like when i went in July, i was expecting them to be a little better. We did a lot, but the crowds also influenced what we did and when, what we ate, etc, as we tried to avoid long lines with a toddler. It was very hot, I live in South Florida, and I was sweating the entire night. That's not disneys fault lol but it influenced our night. If i went again, it would be a Christmas party in December when it's a little cooler. The fireworks were amazing, though. I was disappointed with memory maker because it seemed that all the photographers were taking just 2 pictures each. In one, our eyes are both closed. At least if there were a few more to choose from it would be nice. Also got rushed through talking mickey when the group ahead of us had more time. That was awkward. In all it was a good night, just hot and crowded.

 

[shilps]

Question for those if you that have already attended a party. Last year we watched the parade in Frontierland and the kids had a blast interacting with Phineas & Ferb before the parade. The couple of thing I've read about the creepa crew this year mentiond them being out on Main Street. Are they also coming out before the parade starts in Frontierland?

 

[Miumiu4me]

I went to last night's party. It was very crowded, no announcements made before 7, and no one checking wristbands, not even to get on rides. The crowds were like when i went in July, i was expecting them to be a little better. We did a lot, but the crowds also influenced what we did and when, what we ate, etc, as we tried to avoid long lines with a toddler. It was very hot, I live in South Florida, and I was sweating the entire night. That's not disneys fault lol but it influenced our night. If i went again, it would be a Christmas party in December when it's a little cooler. The fireworks were amazing, though. I was disappointed with memory maker because it seemed that all the photographers were taking just 2 pictures each. In one, our eyes are both closed. At least if there were a few more to choose from it would be nice. Also got rushed through talking mickey when the group ahead of us had more time. That was awkward. In all it was a good night, just hot and crowded.

That was our experience as well (we even had a toddler). We got out of Jack and Sally's line cause my 2 year old wasn't dealing with the wait well. I remember going to the party, on a Friday in mid-October 5 years ago...it was sold out, but emptier. I think Disney must have increased the cap.