Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom is more expensive than ever before, with tickets costing up to $199 each and selling out annually. We’re here to help you decide whether Walt Disney World’s fall seasonal event is “worth it” for you–plus commentary on whether MNSSHP offers sufficient value for money to us. (Updated October 2, 2024.)
One of the difficulties in assessing whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party justifies the high price is that there are no easy comparisons. Buying a single-day ticket to Magic Kingdom isn’t an apples to apples equivalent, nor are there any “Enchanting Extra” upcharges (at this time) that are viable alternatives to MNSSHP.
As such, determining whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is worth the money requires a look at alternatives to the hard ticket event, its core components, past precedent, and more. It’s a patchwork approach, but that’s sorta the nature of the beast when it comes to these “is it worth it?” questions and all things Walt Disney World.
In large part, this is because there’s always an inarticulable x-factor when it comes to Disney. An emotional or nostalgic pull that causes many people to overlook objective on-paper comparisons. We justify so much on the basis of perceived advantages or substance. If we’re being honest with ourselves, the reality is that it usually boils down to something far more emotional, nebulous, or intangible.
This is true not just with Walt Disney World diehards. A large swath of the public is willing to pay premium pricing for Disney’s product and that’s because there’s the perception that there’s no “substitute good.” Sure, there are other Halloween events–probably a half-dozen of them just in Central Florida–but none of them have the same fundamental appeal to the target demo as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
(We say this as people who love Halloween Horror Nights, but are cognizant of the fact that we’re outliers. The two events are hardly direct competitors, which is patently obvious to anyone who attends both and simply looks around.)
Subjectively, it’s difficult to argue that a lot of what Disney offers is worth the cost on paper. Whether that be upcharge offerings, rack rates for Deluxe Resorts, or a multitude of other things. Comparable “real world” counterparts almost always offer better value for money. Same goes for past incarnations of Walt Disney World’s own offerings–you pay more and get less in 2024 than you did in 2014.
Objectively, it’s a totally different story. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has sold out completely for both of the last two years, and there’s no sign of demand slowing in 2025 or beyond. In the clearest and most straightforward sense, the market has already spoken and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is worth it.
While fans like us might complain about ever-increasing prices, talk is cheap. We continue to vote with our wallets and reaffirm that not only is MNSSHP still worth it, but that it’s underpriced–as evidenced by the event selling out faster and more frequently than ever before. Walt Disney World has yet to find the ceiling on what guests are willing to pay before balking at MNSSHP. Honestly, we’re kind of scared about what that number might be.
Basically, this preface is our cop out. A roundabout way of saying that everything at Walt Disney World is worth it, and nothing is. Admitting that this is an exercise in futility, as emotion and nostalgia are huge drivers for Walt Disney World and value for those things is very much in the eye of the beholder.
Nevertheless, it’s an exercise we’ll undertake just the same, trying to determine if the ever-increasing ticket prices for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party can be justified in any way.
Prices are probably a good place to start an analysis of worth, so let’s begin there. Tickets for the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party ranged in price from $119 to $199. This is up very slightly over the course of the last couple years.
Even though it hasn’t gone up much in the last few years, these are massive price increases as compared to 2019. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary tickets cost between $79 and $135 back then. That’s an incredible difference. (Given that tickets have sold so well for the past few years, we fear a big increase is coming in 2025.)
On the upside, we’ve observed lower ‘feels like’ crowds at both MNSSHP and MVMCP in the last two years as contrasted with 2019. After a positive response and higher guest satisfaction for the Halloween After Hours event a few years back, we strongly suspect Walt Disney World decreased the capacity cap by around 20% (give or take). That’s not enough to offset the price increase in percentage terms, but it is noteworthy.
In terms of historical pricing, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party didn’t break the $100/night barrier until 2016. We first started attending in 2007, and budgeted ~$50 for both the Halloween and Christmas Party for the first several years we went.
I don’t know how much value there is in comparing prices today to back in the “good ole days” of the Great Recession. The world is a very different place than it was in 2007-2009. While we may prefer pricing from back then, the economy and real wages are unquestionably better. Consequently, demand is a lot higher for MNSSHP than it was then.
Nevertheless, I also don’t think it quite passes the smell test to say “this event that’s substantially the same as it was in 2007, except more crowded and more expensive, is now better than it was then.” Demand can explain Disney’s underlying rationale for price increases, but not answer questions of worth. But perhaps that’s a bit too in the weeds.
What’s probably more useful than longing for the past is dollar-cost comparisons to the present. We can compare MNSSHP ticket prices to the cost of a 1-day ticket to Magic Kingdom. Regular day admission ranges from $134 to $179 during the months of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Not so coincidentally, day ticket prices are actually very similar to MNSSHP ticket prices on a date by date basis for the remaining event nights. Some are about the same; Friday nights in October being $20 more expensive.
If we had to choose between a full day in Magic Kingdom and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this time of year, we’d pick the latter in an instant. It offers lower crowds, better atmosphere, fun entertainment, and is at night during a time of year that’s often hot.
As long as MNSSHP continues to be comparably priced to single-day Magic Kingdom tickets in the fall, you can expect it to continue selling out quickly in 2025 and beyond–barring a recession or other major change. This is because an increasing number of guests are purchasing Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween instead of day tickets.
This is playing out in a ways big and small, from tourists buying shorter duration tickets (3 days instead of 4) to locals skipping out on Annual Passes and getting their “Disney fix” during Party Season. The latter is a huge factor, as Floridians are being priced out of APs or opting to take a year off from them, but still want to do Walt Disney World on occasion. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a way to scratch that itch, so to speak. This is definitely happening, as evidenced by the larger mix-in crowds waiting to enter at 4 pm.
However, we can’t help but think that this is a false choice–or that the dynamic might revert at some point in the not too distant future. That’s because Walt Disney World has offered ticket deals for each of the last two years for both Floridians and the general public, offering multi-day admission ranging in price from $59 per day to $99 per day (the lower end of the spectrum was for Floridians).
It’s fair to say that fans looking for a single-day Disney fix aren’t going to want 2-day to 4-day tickets, but some are. And if it’s a choice between four days for $235 to $396 or Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for $149, I’m choosing the multi-day option, even at the higher price. (With Epic Universe looming, it’s safe to say these ticket deals will return for Fall 2025–perhaps even better than ever!)
Nevertheless, there’s a question of the value proposition of MNSSHP vs. regular 1-day tickets for many guests.
We’ve been urging Walt Disney World vacation planners to do Magic Kingdom on party days, which amounts to as many as 10 hours in the park (plus another 30-60 minutes if you count Early Entry). Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween begins at 7 pm and runs until 12 am, but as noted above, party-goers can actually enter the park beginning at 4 pm, for a grand total of up to 8 hours.
From a qualitative perspective, the argument could be made that those 8 hours during the party are superior to the 10 hours during the day. If that math is tough to square, it means you haven’t visited Florida during the months of August through October. Point being, evening hours are more pleasant than the daytime.
This is actually as good of a point as any to address crowds. Perceptions of crowds varies widely based on places and priorities. Once the entertainment starts, Main Street and the area in front of Cinderella Castle can be congested at times. The front of Magic Kingdom sees a disproportionate amount of crowds, so you might think MNSSHP is very crowded–worse than a normal day–if you hang out around the front of the park waiting for entertainment.
Meanwhile, over in Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Frontierland, there are often wide open walkways during the exact same parties, at the exact same times. While not as short as After Hours events, wait times for most attractions without overlays are under 10 minutes. Guests who use MNSSHP as a way to do rides with minimal waits and steer clear of Main Street might perceive crowds to be around 2/10 or so.
That’s about on par with a normal day in Magic Kingdom during party season with a 6 pm closing. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween is a little less busy if we’re using nothing but the objective measure of wait times. Conversely, the party can worse if we’re using the highly subjective measure of congestion.
Circling back to the topic of ticket cost, much of this is irrelevant to most Walt Disney World vacation planners. The vast majority of attendees aren’t deciding between a 1-day ticket and MNSSHP, they’re deciding between MNSSHP and (potentially) one fewer day on their multi-day tickets.
As such, the incremental cost of adding (or subtracting) a day to multi-day tickets is the key consideration. In this case, that’s an extra ~$10 to ~$30 as compared to $139 to $199. Suddenly it’s a big difference. The qualitative advantage of evening versus daytime in Magic Kingdom melts away.
When assessing value, MNSSHP fans often point to the “free” trick-or-treating. This is misguided. If you spent the entire night doing nothing but trick-or-treating, you’d end up with a candy haul having a fair market value of $8.97 from Walmart or CVS. (Or ~$234 at Walt Disney World gift shop prices.) As someone who enjoys having teeth, I’ll also admit to being biased against consuming copious amounts of sugar. But seriously, the actual value of candy is not a winning “argument” when it comes to the cost of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Given all of that, we’re left with no better options for assessing value than by ascribing value to the core competencies of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, Mickey’s Boo to You Parade, and Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks. These three pieces of entertainment are the cornerstones of the event.
Walt Disney World fans can quibble over whether HalloWishes is better than the current fireworks or if Boo to You is as good as the Christmas parade, each bring something different to the table. They’re all well worth seeing and each offer something impressive.
If we were to pretend the entertainment at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party sold Lightning Lane access, it’s likely that seeing each one of these would cost around $25. Assuming you don’t want to repeat any of them, that’s $75 of entertainment plus a time cost of about 3 hours of the event itself.
Add in another $25 for atmospheric acts and ambiance, and you’re at $100. Then there are character meet & greets, trick-or-treating, attraction overlays, and the time you’re able to access Magic Kingdom. In theory, that gets you to the average ticket price, assuming you value all of those things.
Of course, you can adjust those numbers upwards and downwards based on your party’s priorities and what you value. It’s possible the extra time in Magic Kingdom or doing regular attractions with short lines is worth significantly more to you, but the entertainment is worth significantly less. Maybe the individual components were barely worth it for you 5 years ago and now really aren’t.
Perhaps simply being there among other guests wearing costumes for Halloween while your kids are able to trick-or-treat in a fun and safe setting is priceless. It’s also possible you’re wholly concerned with having the best vacation possible and are willing to spare no expense to achieve that. (In that case, not sure why you even are reading this.) Again, value is in the eye of the beholder.
To that point, I figured it’s worth sharing our perspective as attendees for the last decade-plus. We are total suckers for these parties, and we absolutely love the atmosphere at the events. This is equally true for both MNSSHP and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
From 11 pm until whenever we leave is our favorite time at Magic Kingdom, and the parties are immensely satisfying on a personal level based on that end-of-night atmosphere alone. A lot about the Walt Disney World experience for diehards is revisiting fond memories, and we have a ton of them from late nights at MNSSHP and MVMCP.
The end of the evening during these parties transports me back to 2007-2010, and I’d pay a stupid amount of money just for that feeling. It’s not rational, but it is what it is. (If you’re a casual guest or first-timer, it’s worth understanding that a lot of the Walt Disney World experience boils down to chasing nostalgia for diehards, whether they’re willing to admit it or not.)
With that said, if the question is whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is worth the money to us based on the current event itself, the answer is probably not.
For us, MNSSHP peaked in 2015 or 2016. Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular had debuted, the event was relatively uncrowded, there were more meet & greets, HalloWishes was still around, and ticket prices were significantly lower. There have been changes since then via ride overlays and other changes, but none of that really moves the needle enough for me to offset the higher cost.
Frankly, if I could choose between the MNSSHP of 2016 or 2024 at identical prices, I’d still pick 2016. There have been a lot of little cuts and other ways the quality of the experience has been eroded. During that same timeframe, almost nothing of value has been added to justify the higher prices.
The bottom line is that we splurge on Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party because we want to do it–without regard for its value proposition. It’s one of those things we know isn’t quite what it once was, but since we don’t own a time machine (yet), we continue attending. It’s a really fun experience and still “close enough” on value that we give it a pass (for now).
At this point, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is something we would do every other year if it were just a matter of personal enjoyment. Writing about the event is what tips the scales for us, and makes it easier to justify paying the ever-increasing prices to attend.
Of course, all of this is highly personal. Even though it’s even more expensive than MNSSHP, I cannot imagine missing Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The need to write about it excuse also exists with MVMCP, but we’d absolutely attend annually for personal enjoyment. That comes down to even more nostalgia, preferring Christmas, weather, and the spirit of the season. (Christmas in November is a lot more fun for us than Halloween in August.)
Ultimately, the ambiance, fireworks, plus two showings of both the Boo to You parade and Hocus Pocus show provide sufficient value for us to keep returning, with everything else being icing on the cake. We also get to revisit fond memories and nostalgia for MNSSHP–but more than anything, that should underscore why it’s so difficult to determine whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is worth the money.
There’s also the fact that we ascribed a lot of value to the time after 11 pm, which might be downright laughable to those of you who are parents of small children. We didn’t even scratch the surface there–or of how expensive this can get for larger parties. The point is that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best we can offer is the rambling analysis above, and the hope that it provides sufficient “food for thought” such that you can make a personal determination for your family.
In the end, we always have a good time at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Not as much as we did back in the day (especially with the cost in mind), but still enough fun to continue going year after year. Even as Annual Passholders who have done the event dozens of times, we still look forward to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party–the event is definitely not as “worth it” to us as it used to be, but we keep going. As with other fans, the votes we may with our wallets probably say a lot more than these few thousand words.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World in the last two years? What did you think of the crowds? Think it was worth the high ticket price? Thoughts on the Boo to You Parade, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, fireworks, or any other entertainment? Any other tips, likes or dislikes? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
