I should preface that I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to special events at the Disney Parks. My focus tends to be in the sector of criticizing art, and my perspective on special events lean more towards that of the common guest. I’m rarely on property, so any twist on the norm will undoubtedly pique my interest.
You can imagine my surprise then when Disney announced an early start to their Halloween festivities this year, beginning on August 16th. Celebrating Halloween before October is seen as inappropriate by the rest of the world, but some (like myself) find a certain joy in the macabre styling of All Hallow’s Eve year-round. The dimming of the lights and spookiness throughout the air is enough to send shivers down my spine throughout the endless hours of the night.
Seeing as this is the first day of the event, a simple list of my favorite and least favorite aspects of the experience should give a general idea of what Disney has in store for guests. What worked? What didn’t? Should you attend this event, or is it better left dead? Let’s find out.
The Good
One of the most unique aspects of this year’s event was the decision to overlay classic attractions with “Halloween Twist” decorations and additions. The best of these offerings was Deep Space Mountain, which places guests on the classic attraction with pitch-black surroundings and a sinister soundtrack. Nothing has changed physically, but the mental comfortability of sequential and familiar knowledge is unavailable on this perilous journey. You’re suddenly alone in the dark, not sure of what’s around the next bend. I must admit, it isn’t as different as anticipated, but I was delighted nonetheless. A classic attraction managed to surprise me, and isn’t that what we want in a retheme?
During the event, I managed to get on Deep Space Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean, and Haunted Mansion, as well as Carousel of Progress and TTA before the event began. Though the festivities commence at 7, guests are allowed to enter the park at 4 and do as they please. I was hesitant to enter the park this early, but it soon became clear that the extra time allotted was a necessity for anyone looking to experience the Magic Kingdom aside from the parade, fireworks, and other events exclusive to the party.
I had the opportunity to try the Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Dessert Party, which granted me access to the Tomorrowland Terrace for snacks and fireworks viewing on the Plaza Gardens greens of the hub. The Terrace offered many of the desserts found throughout the park including the Jack and Sally Push Pops, Constance’s for Better or for Worse Wedding Cake, and the Headless Horseman Cheesecake. Aside from event-specific food, Dark Chocolate Strawberries, a cupcake with Black icing to turn your lips black, and some gummi-worm dirt were on the menu. The party food was okay, but the real winner here was the Crostini and Spinach Dip. Maybe I’m overreacting, but this was certainly my favorite part of the night. The creamy Spinach Dip and crunchy Crostini were an absolutely delightful pairing on such a ghoulish night. The fantastic food and perfect fireworks viewing were among some of tonight’s best experiences.
In addition to the party food, I did try the Frozen Apple Cider at the Golden Oak Outpost. Ryan O’Reilly has always (and correctly) preached the gospel of the Boysen Apple Freeze at Disneyland, but I might have found a new winner for the “Best Frozen Apple Drink in a Theme Park” award. The Frozen Apple Cider ditches the fruitiness of the BAF and Lefou’s Brew for a plain apple freeze with nutmeg dust. Simplicity is key, and the Freeze is a wonderfully refreshing drink perfect for an Autumn evening.
I feel obligated to mention that someone in my party did complete the Hitchhiking Ghosts souvenir set, even though they didn’t follow me home. For those curious, here they are all together. Gus plays Grim Grinning Ghosts when his button is pressed, whereas the others are dormant figures. Neat stuff all around.
Despite the massive crowds at the hub, I found myself distracted by the Hocus Pocus Villian Spectacular numerous times. It certainly felt like something my high school drama club would’ve performed to rave reviews, and the audience here looked enthralled in the dazzling spectacle of Disney villains singing show tunes. I know absolutely nothing about the source material, but the stage show was hardly offensive.
Against all odds, I ended up really enjoying tonight’s Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular. I’m not sure if it was my Nightmare Before Christmas bias or my interest in puppeteering, but everything on display clicked perfectly. Narrated by Jack Skellington (delightfully portrayed through puppetry), we follow Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald on a brief but eventful tour through a haunted house. Led by Jack’s dog Zero, the gang explores what seems to be a psychedelic dream of colors and whimsy, culminating in a confrontation with a few popular Disney Villians. The pacing around the end gets extremely messy, especially when Villains are quickly shoehorned into the plot, but kids are certain to be entertained by the wacky antics of their favorite characters. The display could best be summed up as a “Saturday morning cartoon turned fireworks spectacular.” Simple story, fit the theme, and relatively eventful throughout.
The Bad
I mentioned previously that the event retools classic attractions to fit the event’s Halloween-theme. Where it works for Deep Space Mountain and is harmlessly integrated into the Mad Tea Party and the queue of Haunted Mansion, the attempt to bring live actors to the Pirates of the Carribean was a laughable mistake at best. I’m not sure how this idea relates to Halloween besides the popularity of Pirate costumes, but it certainly didn’t translate well to the theme park medium.
Just like the Haunted Mansion, Disney placed live actors in the queue to interact with guests as they wait to board. I ran into two pirates, both behind bars, asking if I wanted to “search for treasure” or “give them treasure” and so on. This was harmless, and honestly a fun twist on the expected nature of the ride. Each of the actors had an immense personality, and I was extremely impressed with their performances. It wasn’t until I finally boarded that I realized the difficulty of integrating live performances into an attraction not built for uncontrolled speech. The first actor seen during the Barbossa scene asks guests below the fortress to invite her on this swashbuckling cruise, which is a funny concept if you neglect the fact that the attraction runs on its own timer. Every line of dialogue is perfectly timed as to not coincide with another, and introducing an actor to the mix only serves to disrupt the order. The actor continued to talk over Barbossa throughout the scene, with guests only hearing a garbled mess of two characters speaking.
The other area with live actors was far less distracting, but still inconsistent with the attraction’s theme. Two actors bantered off one another about guests below during the scene where Jack pops his head out of a barrel. Keep in mind the attraction is now balancing the original story, the Jack story, and now a humorous subplot throughout the five-minute duration. The banter was mildly comical but felt more like a college improv class than any Pirates moment should.
There certainly was a good idea here, but Pirates of the Carribean isn’t the place to test such a hypothesis. The ride has so much going on that adding anything not tied to the strict timer undermines the entire experience. If I had to say I disliked anything during this whole event, it would have to be this.
Aside from that, the Boo to You! parade is about as underwhelming as I remember. The Headless Horseman is certainly a sight to see, but the rest is rather bland. For reasons we’ll get to in a second, the parade was an unpleasant experience.
The Ugly
The crowds. Oh boy, the crowds. I know this event is popular, but I had assumed that planning Halloween this early in the year would allow for a dead period before things got hectic.
I was dead wrong.
https://twitter.com/openthedorman/status/1162608839277129728
The crowds tonight were downright terrible, and crowd control by Disney was laughably bad. Their hands were tied in this situation, as they likely oversold tickets, but there were numerous points where guests flooded walkways and had been given little to no direction by the cast.
https://twitter.com/openthedorman/status/1162608917421182982
Lines for merch and food sprawled deep into the core walkways that funneled guests from the hub to each “land.” Numerous issues of crowd control and improper placement of lines in crucial areas absolutely ruined my experience during some parts of the day. This wasn’t a persistent problem, but when it did occur, it was seriously difficult to deal with.
https://twitter.com/openthedorman/status/1162608996425064454
https://twitter.com/openthedorman/status/1162608996425064454
The Verdict
Between the food, fireworks, ambiance, and theme, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my time at Mickey’s Not So Scary. Never did I think I’d enjoy a crowded event at the Magic Kingdom, the park I often criticize for being a cesspool of crowds and endless lines. A seemingly limitless list of experiences available here more than justify coming to WDW just for MNSSHP.
In fact, I’d recommend this event to anyone visiting between now and October 31st. Families with younger children should plan a day at the Magic Kingdom as well to ensure they have a chance to ride every one of their kid’s favorites, as the event doesn’t allow for much park time. If you’re willing to spend less time on rides and more time appreciating intricate decorations and a fantastic fireworks show, the MNSSHP has a lot to offer. It might not be a must-do, but guests who have already experienced the Magic Kingdom an “impressive” number of times would find a refreshing uniqueness to the Not So Scary Event in the ways it changes the dynamics of a familiar park.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I think that’s worth the minor inconvenience of overcrowding.
Ryan Dorman is a Columnist and the Content Director for the Boardwalk Times. He can be found on Twitter at @OpentheDorman, and as a host of the Boardwalk Talk podcast on iTunes.
