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 put up covers what’s new and completely different throughout the 2024 MNSSHP, with our evaluation as to the nice and dangerous of varied adjustments, additions and subtractions.
The very first thing you have to know is that not a lot adjustments from 12 months to 12 months. If you happen to’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. Actually, chances are you’ll 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.
Nonetheless, there are “loads” of adjustments for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion–no less than, loads relative to regular years when next-to-nothing is completely different. Compounding issues is that a number of of those seemingly insignificant shifts have a huge impact on technique and the way it’s best to method the occasion. That’s the place this put up comes into play–so you understand 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 the right way to plan accordingly…
Mainly, this put up is for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion veterans who wish to prioritize the issues which are completely different for the 2024 occasion. Since you can’t probably meet each single character and see the entire leisure at MNSSHP in a single evening, this kind of prioritizing is paramount. You’re going to need to make troublesome selections, since you merely can’t do all of them.
With that stated, if you happen to’re a first-timer attending the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, this put up will not be your finest or singular useful resource. For every thing you have 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 observe, 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. Lots of them can be found for selfies or fast interactions.
This begins within the Fundamental Avenue bypass hall, which as soon as once more serves because the opening act of the occasion–and a method to separate social gathering company coming 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. Except the following entry, the entire different villain meet & greets aren’t new.
Villains Deal with Path – Through the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Princess Fairytale Corridor will not be a meet & greet location for the princesses, however as an alternative a deal with path. If you happen to have a look at the MNSSHP map, there’s no distinction between this and the remainder of the trick-or-treating places.
Genuinely, 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 company and pose for selfies. There are two separate strains right here, so that you’ll wish to do that twice if you need up shut images 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 it’s best to have time for selfies and temporary interactions. Once more, that is very true later within the evening when the gang is extra sparse–earlier you’ll want to maneuver via sooner 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 effectively and is expanded upon in 2025. One large benefit Oogie Boogie Bash has is its immersive deal with trails with villains that improvise and work together with company. That is nonetheless not even remotely on par with that, however it’s a step in the fitting course.
Mickey’s New Costume – Mickey Mouse has an all-new costume this 12 months, that includes a neon spider net design. Whereas this costume has been redesigned and look fairly good, it follows a well-recognized components and doesn’t actually reinvent the wheel. Mickey isn’t the one one to obtain a recent look–Minnie additionally acquired one.
Frustratingly, it’s nonetheless solely Mickey Mouse assembly in City Sq. Theater. This caught me without warning, as Walt Disney World made an enormous deal out of the brand new costumes and featured Mickey & Minnie collectively of their official publicity images. Accordingly, I anticipated Mickey and Minnie Mouse to lastly meet collectively once more. They don’t. Mickey greets company at City Sq. Theater and Minnie continues to look in Storybook Circus.
Seven Zero Dwarfs – Talking of Storybook Circus, we’d as effectively bounce again there as a result of there are lots 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 would not have a meet & greet on the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion.
That’s proper, layoffs hit Disney’s dwarf division arduous, 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 Practice.
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 come what may. 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 price, we’re on the document saying that Walt Disney World ought to substitute the Seven Dwarfs with separate meet & greets. That, cool because it was, having the entire dwarves collectively wouldn’t be pretty much 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 Buddies Meet & Greet – To that time, the opposite meet & greets again in Storybook Circus have additionally been consolidated. In earlier years, you 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 exterior 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 good and it’s cool to have one thing recent, I assume, however the tradeoff simply isn’t price it.
In a nutshell, there’s now one meet & greet again right here as an alternative of three, and the character depend has been decreased by 7. That’s a nasty change, in my guide. There are fewer meet & greet characters on the 2024 MNSSHP, and that’s unlucky.
Hitchhiking Ghosts Materialize – On a optimistic observe, 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 at some stage in 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 lots of enjoyable, as they carry out pantomime and work together with company whereas music performs.
Curiously, I used to be fairly shocked to listen to a sure music 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 title of stated music, because it looks as if a reverse-Beetlejuice kinda state of affairs the place saying it will get it eliminated. So my lips are zipped…but when you understand, you understand. 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 Traces – TRON Lightcycle Run and Tiana’s Bayou Journey are the 2 latest sights 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 provide standby strains (solely) throughout Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion.
Not-so-coincidentally, they’re additionally the 2 longest strains all through the social gathering, and among the many solely wait occasions which are normally hover above half-hour all through your entire occasion. Nevertheless, I’d anticipate 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 accomplished each a dozen-plus occasions, and social gathering time is proscribed, so its distinctive leisure is my emphasis. Nonetheless, I view this as a optimistic change–not each social gathering visitor has the identical priorities as me (which is an efficient factor!), and if others wish to experience TRON Lightcycle Run or Tiana’s Bayou Journey on loop, they need to have that choice.
New DescenDANCE Occasion – Get able to let free and exhibit your finest villain DescenDANCE Occasion, going down at Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland. This new rave is impressed by the Disney Unique Film “Descendants: The Rise of Crimson” on Disney+, so belief me once I let you know it is a date you don’t wish to be late for.
Truly, don’t belief me. I copied and pasted the above from Disney’s press launch in regards to the DescenDANCE Occasion. I did see it myself, however I’ve no clue who any of those individuals are or what they’re from. Nicely, I assume I do know they’re from the Disney Unique Film “Descendants: The Rise of Crimson” 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 individual, so I’m not the very best individual to report on this (I principally simply purchase Tervis cups and low mugs, save for Figment stuff), however I used to be pleasantly shocked 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 shrink back from the title of the occasion so that they may very well be offered throughout common hours, if needed. Not the case this 12 months, and I hope MVMCP follows swimsuit. (We nonetheless want a Tervis from that.)
Bruno Madrigal Meet & Greet – Sure, we’re going to speak about one other verboten matter: 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 few 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 character who’s nice for amusing interactions. Having simply met Bruno a couple of days earlier than with solely a 5 minute (photograph above), I elected towards becoming a member of the quoted 45+ minute line throughout MNSSHP.
Since Encanto stays fashionable and that is really a new-for-2024 addition to MNSSHP, this may 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 shall 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, which means you may see it at 8:30 pm or later if you happen to’re on Fundamental Avenue. In line with Walt Disney World, that is good for these company attending with little ones who wish to benefit from the spooky enjoyable earlier than it’s bedtime. Usually, the primary parade is at 9:15 pm and the second parade is at 11:15 pm.
It is a vastly optimistic change. Clearly, it’s nice information for households that already battle to make it midway via 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 images simply after sundown. Even the considered Headless Horseman on Fundamental Avenue at nightfall made me salivate (sadly, he didn’t run throughout the first parade once I first attended).
The sooner Boo to You Parade can also be an enormous win for park operations. Since 2018-2019, we’ve bemoaned the downright harmful crowds in entrance of Cinderella Citadel 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 individuals are camped out for the period, 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. Persistence paid off, as crowds would sometimes be half the scale–maybe much less–throughout the later displaying. That hasn’t been almost as pronounced lately, no less than partially as a result of Disney has proactively shared the “secret” with in-park bulletins encouraging company 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. Despite the fact that the sooner displaying is less complicated for households with young children, 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 via meet & greet strains, deal with trails, consuming dinner, and so forth–at 8:15 pm, leading to a much less busy first parade and a busier second. Actually, I’d go so far as to say that I discovered barely bigger crowds for the 11:15 pm parade.
Don’t anticipate 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 habits to alter. Which means that lots of the company doing the 11:15 pm parade are nonetheless working below the outdated assumption that it’s far much less busy. That’ll change over time. In all probability not earlier than the top 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? Disillusioned that there wasn’t extra to the villains presence, or the lack of meet & greets? Which character meet & greets are your prime priorities? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation of the adjustments? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!