Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion is a tough ticket particular occasion that happens after Magic Kingdom closes for the day on choose nights in Fall 2024. This publish covers what’s new and totally different throughout the 2024 MNSSHP, with our evaluation as to the great and dangerous of assorted adjustments, additions and subtractions.
The very first thing it is advisable to know is that not a lot adjustments from 12 months to 12 months. In case you’re planning on attending the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and final did it 5 years in the past, it’s nonetheless going to about 90% the identical. In actual fact, you could not discover any adjustments in anyway, as a bunch of the variations are pretty minor and simple to overlook…otherwise you merely could have forgotten specifics as a result of passage of time.
However, there are “so much” of adjustments for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion–a minimum of, so much relative to regular years when next-to-nothing is totally different. Compounding issues is that a number of of those seemingly insignificant shifts have a huge impact on technique and the way you must strategy the occasion. That’s the place this publish comes into play–so you realize what has modified (since a number of of these items are unadvertised and aren’t even listed on the map or within the app!) and find out how to plan accordingly…
Principally, this publish is for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion veterans who need to prioritize the issues which are totally different for the 2024 occasion. Since you can’t probably meet each single character and see all the leisure at MNSSHP in a single evening, such a prioritizing is paramount. You’re going to should make tough choices, since you merely can’t do all of them.
With that mentioned, in the event you’re a first-timer attending the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, this publish just isn’t your finest or singular useful resource. For all the pieces it is advisable to find out about this occasion–past what’s new–see our Final Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion!
On that be aware, let’s flip to what’s new & modified on the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion…
Extra Villains – From the second the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion begins, you’ll be capable to spot your favourite sinister villains and ghoulish foes all through Magic Kingdom. A lot of them can be found for selfies or fast interactions.
This begins within the Foremost Avenue bypass hall, which as soon as once more serves because the opening act of the occasion–and a method to separate celebration friends getting into the park from these exiting. On the finish of this path, you’ll discover Cruella de Vil.
It is a good addition, however truthfully, we really feel like Walt Disney World oversold the villains presence on the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion. Apart from the following entry, all the different villain meet & greets aren’t new.
Villains Deal with Path – Throughout the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Princess Fairytale Corridor just isn’t a meet & greet location for the princesses, however as a substitute a deal with path. In case you have a look at the MNSSHP map, there’s no distinction between this and the remainder of the trick-or-treating areas.
In reality, it’s an enhanced deal with path that options two villains, Maleficent and the Evil Queen. Every villain is positioned within the queue in entrance of a portrait of their story’s princess, as they mingle with friends and pose for selfies. There are two separate strains right here, so that you’ll need to do that twice in order for you up shut pictures with every of the villains.
This is a superb little shock plussing, particularly later within the night (anytime after the fireworks) when deal with path strains begin getting shorter. There’s no PhotoPass or perhaps a character attendant, however you must have time for selfies and transient interactions. Once more, that is very true later within the evening when the gang is extra sparse–earlier you’ll want to maneuver by means of quicker so that you don’t maintain up the road.
It’s my understanding that it is a check for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, and I actually hope it goes nicely and is expanded upon in 2025. One enormous benefit Oogie Boogie Bash has is its immersive deal with trails with villains that improvise and work together with friends. That is nonetheless not even remotely on par with that, but it surely’s a step in the proper path.
Mickey’s New Costume – Mickey Mouse has an all-new costume this 12 months, that includes a neon spider internet design. Whereas this costume has been redesigned and look fairly good, it follows a well-known method and doesn’t actually reinvent the wheel. Mickey isn’t the one one to obtain a contemporary look–Minnie additionally acquired one.
Frustratingly, it’s nonetheless solely Mickey Mouse assembly in City Sq. Theater. This caught me unexpectedly, as Walt Disney World made a giant deal out of the brand new costumes and featured Mickey & Minnie collectively of their official publicity pictures. Accordingly, I anticipated Mickey and Minnie Mouse to lastly meet collectively once more. They don’t. Mickey greets friends at City Sq. Theater and Minnie continues to seem in Storybook Circus.
Seven Zero Dwarfs – Talking of Storybook Circus, we would as nicely bounce again there as a result of there are a number of adjustments to those character meet & greets. The primary is that, after making their triumphant return final 12 months amidst a lot fanfare, we’re unhappy to report that the Seven Dwarfs shouldn’t have a meet & greet on the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion.
That’s proper, layoffs hit Disney’s dwarf division onerous, lowering the headcount from seven to zero. Because it seems, considerations about automation changing labor are well-founded, as an abundance of Audio Animatronics dwarfs (greater than seven, even) can nonetheless be discovered at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare.
Joking apart, it stays to be seen whether or not the Seven Dwarfs will return for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion–nothing has been introduced somehow. Our hope is that they’re again, as the opposite adjustments again in Storybook Circus don’t justify the lack of the Seven Dwarfs.
And for what it’s value, we’re on the file saying that Walt Disney World ought to substitute the Seven Dwarfs with separate meet & greets. That, cool because it was, having all the dwarves collectively wouldn’t be nearly as good as a half-dozen or so separate meet & greets of their place. The issue is that this isn’t the commerce Disney has made.
Minnie and Mates Meet & Greet – To that time, the opposite meet & greets again in Storybook Circus have additionally been consolidated. In earlier years, you possibly can meet Pumpkin Donald and Princess Daisy Duck, in addition to Witch Minnie Mouse in a single meet & greet–within the interactive queue for Dumbo. Separate from them, Pirate Goofy appeared outdoors Barnstormer in Storybook Circus.
For the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, all of those characters have been consolidated inside Pete’s Foolish Sideshow the place the Seven Dwarfs used to fulfill. The one character receiving a brand new costume is Minnie Mouse, who continues to be a witch however has the brand new neon inexperienced colour scheme. The backdrop is sweet and it’s cool to have one thing contemporary, I suppose, however the tradeoff simply isn’t value it.
In a nutshell, there’s now one meet & greet again right here as a substitute of three, and the character depend has been diminished by 7. That’s a foul change, in my e book. There are fewer meet & greet characters on the 2024 MNSSHP, and that’s unlucky.
Hitchhiking Ghosts Materialize – On a constructive be aware, the Hitchhiking Ghosts now seem as a personality sighting throughout the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion. These grim grinning ghosts may be discovered above the breezeway between Frontierland and Adventureland, adjoining to Nation Bear Musical Jamboree. The Hitchhiking Ghosts alternate with the Cadaver Dans in the course of MNSSHP (7 pm to midnight).
Ezra, Phineas, and Gus are among the many most iconic characters within the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom, so it’s superior to see these spectral spirits on the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion. The character sighting is a number of enjoyable, as they carry out pantomime and work together with friends whereas music performs.
Apparently, I used to be fairly stunned to listen to a sure tune as a part of the Hitchhiking Ghosts’ set that I beforehand thought was outlawed within the frontier and throughout Walt Disney World. I’m not going to say the identify of mentioned tune, because it looks like a reverse-Beetlejuice kinda situation the place saying it will get it eliminated. So my lips are zipped…but when you realize, you realize. Oh, and this wasn’t the one time I heard it throughout the evening–or throughout this week at Walt Disney World. Coincidence, or has Disney backed down on its verboten standing?
All Standby Strains – TRON Lightcycle Run and Tiana’s Bayou Journey are the 2 latest points of interest in Magic Kingdom, and each use digital queues (for now) throughout common operations. Final 12 months, solely TRON Lightcycle Run was open throughout MNSSHP, and it used a digital queue. For 2024, each supply standby strains (solely) throughout Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion.
Not-so-coincidentally, they’re additionally the 2 longest strains all through the celebration, and among the many solely wait occasions which are normally hover above half-hour all through all the occasion. Nevertheless, I’d count on precise wait occasions to be a lot decrease, assuming no breakdowns (large assumption).
I didn’t do both TRON or Tiana’s throughout the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion as a result of I’ve completed each a dozen-plus occasions, and celebration time is restricted, so its distinctive leisure is my emphasis. However, I view this as a constructive change–not each celebration visitor has the identical priorities as me (which is an effective factor!), and if others need to trip TRON Lightcycle Run or Tiana’s Bayou Journey on loop, they need to have that possibility.
New DescenDANCE Occasion – Get able to let unfastened and exhibit your finest villain DescenDANCE Occasion, happening at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. This new rave is impressed by the Disney Authentic Film “Descendants: The Rise of Pink” on Disney+, so belief me after I inform you it is a date you don’t need to be late for.
Truly, don’t belief me. I copied and pasted the above from Disney’s press launch concerning the DescenDANCE Occasion. I did see it myself, however I’ve no clue who any of those persons are or what they’re from. Nicely, I suppose I do know they’re from the Disney Authentic Film “Descendants: The Rise of Pink” on Disney+, however I haven’t the slightest inkling as to what that’s about. Villains, dancing and teenage angst, most likely? Regardless, I’ve no opinion on this.
Extra Merchandise – I’m probably not a merchandise particular person, so I’m not one of the best particular person to report on this (I mainly simply purchase Tervis cups and occasional mugs, save for Figment stuff), however I used to be pleasantly stunned by the variability, high quality, and intelligent designs of the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion merchandise.
Only a couple years in the past, each the Halloween and Christmas events had a restricted variety of very fundamental designs that appeared to purposefully draw back from the identify of the occasion in order that they could possibly be bought throughout common hours, if obligatory. Not the case this 12 months, and I hope MVMCP follows go well with. (We nonetheless want a Tervis from that.)
Bruno Madrigal Meet & Greet – Sure, we’re going to speak about one other verboten subject: Bruno. For the primary time throughout the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, you possibly can meet the clairvoyant character from Encanto alongside Mirabel at their Casita in Fairytale Backyard throughout from Cosmic Ray’s on the fringe of Tomorrow(land).
Oogie Boogie Bash has had Bruno for the previous couple of years, and he’s an incredibly good face character for meet & greets. We’re not the most important followers of Encanto, however actually have loved assembly him on the occasion–he’s a enjoyable character with a sly persona who’s nice for amusing interactions. Having simply met Bruno a number of days earlier than with solely a 5 minute (photograph above), I elected in opposition to becoming a member of the quoted 45+ minute line throughout MNSSHP.
Since Encanto stays widespread and that is actually a new-for-2024 addition to MNSSHP, this can stay one of many highest demand meet & greets with common wait occasions round 60 minutes all through the Occasion Season. On the plus aspect, Bruno and Mirabel is likely one of the meet & greets that begins earlier than Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion formally begins, so you possibly can meet them as early as (roughly) 6 pm. Simply beware that the road will probably be lengthy even then.
Earlier Begin Time for Mickey’s Boo to You Parade – This 12 months, the fan-favorite Boo to You Parade takes place a full hour earlier, at 8:15 pm. That’s when it steps off, that means you would possibly see it at 8:30 pm or later in the event you’re on Foremost Avenue. In keeping with Walt Disney World, that is excellent for these friends attending with little ones who need to benefit from the spooky enjoyable earlier than it’s bedtime. Sometimes, the primary parade is at 9:15 pm and the second parade is at 11:15 pm.
It is a vastly constructive change. Clearly, it’s nice information for households that already wrestle to make it midway by means of the occasion. I’ve seen so many strollers with sleeping children by the primary parade in earlier years. It’s additionally a doubtlessly large win for photographers attending the earliest events–capturing in Frontierland would imply pictures simply after sundown. Even the considered Headless Horseman on Foremost Avenue at nightfall made me salivate (sadly, he didn’t run throughout the first parade after I first attended).
The sooner Boo to You Parade can also be a giant win for park operations. Since 2018-2019, we’ve bemoaned the downright harmful crowds in entrance of Cinderella Fort between the primary Hocus Pocus and fireworks, since there are a number of stage exhibits, Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, and the fireworks all basically introduced again to again.
That’s now not the case for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion. This space continues to be congested between performances–we’re not suggesting in any other case. However spacing them out extra means fewer persons are camped out for the length, which helps mitigate the difficulty in a significant means. Kudos to Disney for lastly doing one thing about this (and killing two birds with one stone within the course of). Higher late than by no means.
Busier Second Parade – For years, one of many “secret hacks” of the occasion was watching the second Mickey’s Boo to You Parade. Endurance paid off, as crowds would usually be half the scale–maybe much less–throughout the later displaying. That hasn’t been practically as pronounced in recent times, a minimum of partially as a result of Disney has proactively shared the “secret” with in-park bulletins encouraging friends to do the later parade for simpler viewing.
With the transfer to the 8:15 pm efficiency of the primary Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, this distinction is gone fully. Regardless that the sooner displaying is less complicated for households with babies, that is greater than offset by it being so early within the occasion and being much less handy for everybody else. Friends are nonetheless making their means by means of meet & greet strains, deal with trails, consuming dinner, and so on–at 8:15 pm, leading to a much less busy first parade and a busier second. In actual fact, I’d go so far as to say that I discovered barely bigger crowds for the 11:15 pm parade.
Don’t count on this to final without end. Walt Disney World followers are creatures of behavior, and it takes a very long time for phrase to get out and conduct to vary. Which means that lots of the friends doing the 11:15 pm parade are nonetheless working beneath the outdated assumption that it’s far much less busy. That’ll change over time. Most likely not earlier than the tip of the 2024 MNSSHP season…however in 2025 or 2026 if these showtimes keep the identical.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever attended the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion? What did you consider the brand new additions and adjustments? Dissatisfied that there wasn’t extra to the villains presence, or the lack of meet & greets? Which character meet & greets are your high priorities? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation of the adjustments? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
