A Disney Mom's First Time at MNSSHP

• Unique character costumes/ greetings. Mind you my son is young, so for us Donald Duck dressed as a pumpkin was a HUGE hit. But there are also tons of unique characters poised and ready to strike a pose with you! ( lines are long - be patient )
• All the villains - you get the chance to see so many obscure and rarely sighted villain characters. Many of which available for photos ops and can also be seen during the stage shows and parade!
• Special Snacks - This is something we didn't do much of as I felt so rushed to do and see all the things. But it is a highlight of this ticketed event that I hope to revisit.
• Rides- This may seem like a DUH or rather vague. But I was most excited about having exclusive access to many of the more popular rides. Some of them even featuring special Halloween overlays just for the party! Without rope dropping certain rides, or using Lightening Lane  some of these rides are near impossible to ride. We successfully rode many of them MULTIPLE times. This was by far the biggest perk to this ticketed event. I would do it again for this aspect alone.
• Shows / Parade - Again another element I would rank as a PRIORITY during your visit to this party. The shows that take place in front of the castle multiple times throughout the night were extraordinary. I was blown away with the thematics . My son and I are huge Hocus Pocus fans, so the Sanderson Sisters were a big hit for us. But featuring many of the Disney villains on stage was a huge crowd pleaser. As far as the Boo to You parade, I knew we would love this. My son and I love all things spooky, Disney and Halloween. This parade was all of that and more. I won't spoil it for you, but definitely get a good spot and plan on taking video!

• It was great that there was mood lighting to set the 'spooky' scene - but to be honest my 30 year old eyes could hardly read my map. It was DARK ... I wished we would've packed glow sticks, construction vests or light-up bodysuits.
• I wished there was more characters out and about just interacting / performing. Instead of having to wait in long lines - just viewing would've been fun too!
• The trick or treating, it seemed a bit disorganized. My son enjoyed it ( hello candy ), but I wish it was more laid out and straightforward for us parents.
• I felt rushed to do all the things - there were so many things we wanted to see and do and I felt like we were rushing around. The character lines were long which ate up much of our time. So do your best to prepare expectations.