MNSSHP vs. MVMCP

The holidays at Walt Disney World® are my absolute favorite.

We may not get fall or winter here in Florida, but Disney lets us pretend that we do.

Every September through November, Disney hosts ‘Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and every November through December they host ‘Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.’ Both are separate ticketed events that go from 7PM-12AM on select nights at the Magic Kingdom.

Since these events require a separate ticket, sometimes it’s hard to find the time (and money) to do both. That leaves us with one question: if you must choose one, which party do you attend?

                                         

My personal choice is MNSSHP, even though the holiday season, particularly Christmas, is my favorite. Here’s why:

1. Everything you see at MVMCP, you can see when the parties are officially over. Yes, you head right. ALL. OF. IT. The parade (Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade) replaces Festival of Fantasy until the beginning of January and the castle lighting show is performed every night along with Holiday Wishes. The only things you really miss out on are the complimentary hot cocoa and cookies they give out during the party. So if you plan to be in Disney anywhere from December 19 to January 1-2, you don’t need to attend MVMCP unless you really want the free treats.
2. You can dress up AND trick-or-treat during MNSSHP! That’s right: kids AND adults can dress up as their favorite Disney characters (or anything, of course) and get as much candy as they want throughout the night. Nothing beats free candy. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
3. Mickey and the gang are dressed in the CUTEST Halloween costumes, as well as some other characters that you can meet throughout the night. It’s pretty much the best thing ever and you NEED to see it in person.
4. HalloWishes. The SOUNDTRACK for this fireworks display, more specifically, is probably my favorite soundtrack aside from Festival of Fantasy. It’s creepy. It’s suspenseful. It goes perfectly with the fireworks. Everything about it has me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. (But don’t get me wrong, Holiday Wishes is a sight to see, too.)              
5. The decorations. Oh, the decorations. Christmas is my favorite holiday but the way the Magic Kingdom looks during the fall months is simply breathtaking. I think what makes it especially nice is that the Magic Kingdom is the only park decorated during this time.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. However, in my opinion, you get more bang for your buck with MNSSHP. But if you can manage to do both this year, you’re the real MVP.

Tickets are still available for MNSSHP through November 1, with Halloween already sold out. And tickets are available for MVMCP which starts November 8. You can find more information here.

Will you be attending one of the parties this year? Which holiday is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

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Happy Halloween in September!

It’s really no secret that I love Walt Disney World. However, one of the things I love most about Disney is how different it is during every season.

Last year, I went to The Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Christmas is my favorite holiday and the kingdom looks breathtaking adorned in Christmas decorations. Plus, who doesn’t love free hot cocoa and cookies?!

This year, I promised myself I would make it Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Not only did the idea of trick or treating in the kingdom and getting to dress up sound appealing, but my sister was born on Halloween, and I really wanted to take her so she could experience it with me.

Unfortunately, the hard ticket event sold out for Halloween, her actual birthday, so I was forced to decide on another time I could take my sister.

And then, something completely unexpected and magical happened.

The Disney Parks Blog hosted a raffle on the blog site last Tuesday. The prize package? Tickets for you and a guest to MNSSHP and the Villains’ Sinister Soiree, a separate event where you have dessert and interact with various characters inside of Cinderella Castle.

My friend and I both entered the raffle on a whim while sitting in class, not expecting to win.

Except we both won.

Fun fact: I NEVER WIN ANYTHING.

Needless to say, I was beyond excited. Not only was I able to take my sister to the event, but we were going to go INSIDE Cinderella Castle! It honestly felt like a dream come true.

When we, my sister, my friend, her guest and I, arrived at the park on Sunday, we went to a table outside of the park to pick up our credentials (CUE EXCITED SCREAMS) and tickets. We then went to a separate area to get our invitations and credentials for the Villains’ Sinister Soiree.

The minute we stepped into the park, I had to fight back tears. I was in my happy place and I was about to have a magical VIP experience.

If you have never been to MNSSHP, put it on your Disney Bucket List. You get to dress up (I dressed up as Buzz Lightyear), you get to trick or treat around the park, the park is beautifully decorated for fall, and the wait times for your favorite attractions and meet and greets? SO. SHORT. I walked right onto Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin, waited 10 minutes to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and barely waited to meet Elsa and Anna (YES, no 2 hour wait time!), Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel and Gaston.

Along with getting to attend the Villains’ Sinister Soiree in the castle, you also get VIP viewing for the ‘Boo to You’ Parade, the Halloween themed parade, and HalloWishes, a jaw-dropping fireworks spectacular set to Disney Villain music.

Honestly, HalloWishes may be my favorite fireworks display at Walt Disney World. It’s THAT good.

The Villains’ Sinister Soiree event was such a treat! My first experience dining inside the castle was truly spectacular. We had the most delicious desserts and drinks, mixed and mingled with some Disney Villains (including Lady Tremaine, Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, Dr. Facilier, Drizella and Anastasia), and went home with some wonderful souvenirs, including a Maleficent dragon cup, autograph card signed by several villains, several Disney Parks Blog posters and a Park Starz Vinylmation.

Can I also just say that New Fantasyland is beautiful to look at from inside the castle?! So majestic. So regal.

In addition to all of that, a few more exciting things happened that I’m really happy to share!

First off, my friends, sister and I are featured in the beginning sequence of the video recap from the night on the Disney Parks Blog! We were sitting in the VIP area waiting for the parade and a very nice man named Drew (I wish I knew his last name!) came over and asked if we there for the blog meetup. When we said yes, he asked if we wanted to be in a video for the blog. Of course we agreed, and our smiling faces are the first faces you see when you watch the video 🙂

Immediately after that, the Social Media Manager, Jennifer Fickley-Baker, and Merchandise Communications Manager, Steven Miller, came over and introduced themselves to us. Jennifer recognized me from my twitter account, @_brainy_beauty, and we talked briefly and even took a picture together! If you follow my twitter, you already know that my dream is to work in the social media/communications department for Disney, so meeting the social media manager was a big deal for me. A clip of us talking even made it into the video recap!

FINALLY, the last super exciting thing that happened–my sister and I were interviewed for the video recap! We were interviewed by Drew after the event and asked about our evening. We gushed about the fireworks, our first time being in the castle, and how much we loved being part of this special event.

All in all, it was a truly perfect evening, and there’s nothing like being one of the last people to leave the park!(Closing down parks is one of my things.)

I’d like to thank the Disney Parks Blog again for putting on such a fun event and giving us the opportunity of a lifetime! Go check out their article on the event and the video recap here. See if you can spot us 😉

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party runs on select evenings through Oct. 31, which is already sold out. If you want to take part in this special event, get your tickets now! It really is one of the most fun times I’ve had at Disney and I highly recommend checking it out!

Now, enjoy some photos from our ‘Not So Scary’ evening ❤