Mickey's Not So Scary 2016 - The Disney Exchange Episode 91

The Disney Exchange is Lisa, Dave and me, Nick.

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Barbie and Nick

It's hard to write in these rattlesnake trousers. Just sayin.'

We recorded this show very early. And you can tell.

If you have not been over to our Facebook page, you should check it out! Dave has really started to contribute. Maybe he lost a bet?

Anyway, there are a lot of great photos over there, so please join our community.

Believe it or not, this is NOT another transportation episode.

Beauty and the Beast was released 25 years ago this year! November 22nd to be exact.

Speaking of community, do you have a listener number yet? We will be doing a giveaway on Episode 100, and literally the ONLY thing you need to do to be entered is to have a listener number.
Just request one one Facebook or Twitter!

This week we discuss Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, sharing 2016 pricing, planning and touring strategies, and our own experiences.

 Lisa and her husband Raymond

Me, Barbie, and our friends Tom and Pam

There are costume rules and they can be found here : https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/#/drawer=drawerDressedOccasion

 Hallowishes

Boo to You Parade

We also discuss party exclusive merchandise and a special Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card.

Photos: Dave

The Wheel of Distiny : Do you purchase travel insurance? This was suggested by listener David T.

If you have a show suggestion or Wheel of Distiny topic, please let us know on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange, Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange  or email us at: info@thedisneyexchange  

Thanks for listening to The Disney Exchange Podcast!

The Disney Exchange Podcast, Episode 39 ; Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

By Nick


039 The Disney Exchange-Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. 

My wife Barbie and me, 2008

The Disney Exchange is David Hodges, Lisa Green, and me, Nicholas Maglio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week we recorded on a new platform for the first time, appearing live on Blab a new Twitter App!

There are several times that one of us references what the other is doing, because for the first time we are actually seeing each other as we record! We are also able to see people comment as we record!

 If you would like to watch Lisa, Dave and me doing the show, please check it out: http://www.thedisneyexchange.com/blab39

We start off with a brief discussion of the upcoming show The Muppets, premiering on ABC Tuesday September 22nd at 8PM EST.
Some of us are not happy with the direction the show will apparently be taking the Muppets in, and in particular Kermit's new girlfriend, Denise.

 We finally get into a discussion of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which starts September 15th and takes place several evenings through November 1st.

With our friends Pam and Tom in 2011

We talk costumes, which I recommend for kids and adults alike.

 2012

The Party is VERY popular, and if you want to go, you should absolutely buy tickets in advance!

We discuss other strategies for touring the party, such as times to arrive, and the best time to see the Boo To You Parade which is run twice an evening. I watch it both times.

Please note, I promised to post photos from Lisa in the show notes. Lisa was tied up with something else just slightly more important, namely her daughters wedding, so I didn't bug her for them, but here is one of the inflatable Stitch over Tomorrowland from 2006.

I tell why I believe Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is better than Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

Finally we discuss what to do on Party evenings if you are NOT attending and the impacts of crowds on other parks.

The Wheel of Distiny topic : Who is the Avenger character you'd most like to have dinner with and why?

Thank you for listening to and maybe even watching The Disney Exchange Podcast.


Please check us out on social media for updates on when we will be recording the show on Blab:

Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange

Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange

Or email us at: info@thedisneyexchange  

Throwback Thursday: Walt Disney World-September/October 2008 - Part 2

By Nick

Part 1 can be found here.

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

After a, surprisingly, good nights sleep, I woke up at 5:30AM.
We checked out of Pop about 6:30, and were at the Boardwalk Resort by 7.
I asked for a room on the 5th floor, facing the green. The CM at the desk said there would be nothing facing the green available on 5, in fact the only thing available would be 2nd floor. I said we were really hoping for a higher floor. She started clicking away, and after maybe 2 minutes said there was something close to what I'd requested. So, I said that would be fine.
Off we went for coffee and a danish at the Belle Vue Lounge.

We took a walk around the Boardwalk, and by then it was almost 8:15, so we walked over to Disney's Hollywood Studios.



We were one of the 1st people in line, and immediately after rope drop, we, along with everyone else, headed for Toy Story Midway Mania.
After riding, Barbie got in a conversation about pin trading with a nice couple from the Netherlands,
while I waited in line for FastPasses to TSM. I waited longer for FPs than I did to get on initially.
Barbie made some great pin trades, we walked over to TOT and rode twice. Nobody was there.



We walked through some shops till it was time for our FPs at TSM, and rode again. It was 11:15, and the wait was already 70 minutes.
After the ride, we walked over to Mama Melrose, where we had ADRs for Noon. While waiting for the restaurant to open, I found a couple of hidden Mickey's, and wound up starting a hunt with some other nice folks. We found 1 more in the lobby, and was told there were more, but, it was time to eat!



After lunch, I called to check if our room was available. It wasn't so we walked back to the Boarwalk, and grabbed our swimsuits out of luggage, and took a swim.
I love the Kieister Coaster. We stayed at the pool for 2 hours, till 4, and called and got our room. It's a good thing I love the pool, because our room was dead center overlooking it. Room 5060 is indeed very near where I had requested, it's across the hall from the room I'd hope to get!



By now it was 4:30, and we had tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
I wasn't sure about the weather, but it turned out to be a lovely evening. I was Fred Flinstone, Barbie was a hippie.








When we arrived I called our friend Pam, and told her we were there. A little latter we met Pam and her husband Tom at The Haunted Mansion.
We had a blast trick or treating, getting pictures with characters, and riding rides.



There is a story behind why Barbie and Tom are looking off to the side, and that can be found here.

At about 8:45, right after the 1st parade, we staked out a spot on a bench facing the castle, next to the Partners statue and watched the 9:30 fireworks from there.



Great show. Then we got some more candy, rode Pirates, and went over to Frontierland and got a perfect spot for the 10:30 parade. Afterwards we rode Big Thunder, and walked around the rest of the park, getting candy. By that time it was 11:30, my feet were on fire. We headed out. Pam and Tom drove us back to the Boardwalk.

I showered and don't even remember getting into bed.

Part 3 next Thursday!

Distracted at Disney : Story Behind the Photo

Barbie, Nick, Queen of Hearts, Tom and Pam

By: Barbie

This is a photo from our first Halloween together with Pam and Tom. Nick met Pam through the DVC News Forum and we arranged to meet at the Haunted Mansion and together we would enjoy Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party! 

So anyway, the story behind this hilarious photo!

There were many character meet and greets right around the trick or-treat-trail by Tomorrowland. The four of us were all gathered around the "Queen" ready for our photograph, when off to the right, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were just getting toppled over like a bunch of unstable dominoes by an overly enthusiastic and robust park visitor!

As you can see, Nick and Pam are posing practically perfectly, while Tom and I are way too involved by the hubabaloo! None of our other photos came out either! But the memories will last forever!

Dapper Cadaver Dans

Guest Writer Wednesday

Dapper Cadaver Dans
By: Gaylin
Have you ever gone to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? I have and I love it. The costumes, the dance parties, trick or treating, pretty much everything about it makes me happy. And don't get me started on the parade, Boo To You! My favorite parade ever.

One bit of entertainment that I haven't heard mentioned is the Cadaver Dans. The lovely barbershop quartet that you see on Main Street during the day, the Dapper Dans, morph into the Cadaver Dans for the party. An entirely different selection of songs, some 'graveyard' humour with a lot of bad puns thrown in. I admit, the last party I went to, they were the highlight. I laughed so hard at their bad jokes that they kept saying they were going to hire me to come to everyone of their shows.

And of course, their outfits are quite a bit different then their regular apparel!

They wanted me to get a good photo with them but the first attempt really didn't work as expected!

This next shot is a great one of me and my cadaver friends! If you go to the party, they do their show in Frontierland and it is actually piped in the speaker system in the shops of the area so they are easy to hear and once they get going, they are hard to walk away from.

Why You Should Dress Up For Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Because it's fun!
The end.

Okay, maybe I should write a more in depth article.

Well, for starters, show of hands, who here likes candy?

At Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, adults get to Trick or Treat, and not get the odd looks you'd doubtless get if you tried to do so in your neighborhood.
Upon entering the party, you'll be given a treat bag, and throughout the park, you'll find candy stations.

Now, you COULD go and Trick or Treat without dressing up, but where is the fun in that?

Our first year attending, the party, 2006, we did not dress up. This is me with a lovely coven of witches:

The next 3 parties we went to, we did get dressed up.

2008: As you can see, I'm Fred Flintstone. Why isn't my wife dressed as Wilma? She had found the jumpsuit at a yard sale, and decided she just HAD to be a Hippie!

Luckily, I found another Fred and Wilma, Pebbles and BamBam too!

In 2011, we went with friends, and several of us were themed to Little Red Riding Hood:

In 2012, my wife an I were Pirates.

So there you go, dressing up for MNSSHP is fun, and do you need a better reason than that?

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

The Best Reasons to Go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is being held on select evenings September 10 thru November 1st this year at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

We usually go every other year, and it's worth a return visit for various reasons.

Trick or Treating!

 In my neighborhood, at Halloween each year, parents walk their young children up and down the streets, and hang back on the sidewalk while their children come to the door.
Here, you get to join the fun!
Upon entering the party, you'll be given a treat bag, and throughout the park, you'll find Trick or Treat Stations.

Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade!
This parade features some of your favorite Disney characters and terrific themed floats, and can only be seen at the MNSSHP.

It is my absolute favorite parade in all the World.
My wife is not a big parade fan, yet she loves this one. In fact, we attend both the early and late parades.

Many people prefer to see it on Main Street, with the Cinderella's Castle as a backdrop, but Frontierland and Liberty Square are great alternatives, and tend to be much less crowded.
And the song will stay with you for weeks, or even months.
It's more catchy than "It's a Small World"!

Happy HalloWishes!
This fireworks show is like Wishes on steroids. It is easily our favorite fireworks display, and is only shown during MNSSHP.

For this, I confess, I really do prefer to deal with the crowds and watch it from Main Street. I've watched it from different lands, and it isn't the same, especially because there are many effects that utilize the Castle.

Character Dance Parties

I confess, I've never participated in one of these, but they look adorable, offering children and adults the opportunity to dance with characters!

Exclusive Merchandise
Every year I go in saying I'm not going to buy one more t-shirt, and they get me every time with their fun and imaginative designs!

Items exclusive to the party can be found in many of the shops throughout the park.

Exclusive/Special Disney Characters
I love character photos, and this is the place to find many that are extremely rare, such as Tarzan and Jane, Prince Philip (with Aurora the Sleeping Beauty), and Snow White and ALL SEVEN Dwarfs! You'll also see many of the characters you normally encounter dressed in Halloween costumes, which you will not find anywhere else outside of the MNSSHP.

Characters appear throughout the evening. Please consult your party map for locations.

The lines for some of these meet and greets can be extremely long, especially for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, so please plan accordingly.

A couple personal notes on eating and time management:

There is a lot to see and do, so I like to have a plan of attack. Know going in what is most important and not to miss.

The party can be very crowded, depending if it is a weekend, and the crowds grow regardless of the day the closer it gets to Halloween.

There are a lot of restaurants that are not open during party hours. I suggest eating before hand, and then snacking through the evening. You'll get plenty of candy to do just that!

Have fun!

Portions of this article originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Group Costume Ideas, continued...

 

One hundred and one Dalmations, do-it-yourself fun for the family and great for the extra hot weather that you can run into during the Halloween parties sometimes!

  

Pirates, always a fun and easy way to dress a group up! It's a popular option.

 

Alright, Captain Kirk was walking by himself, all his crew members were either aboard the  Enterprise or possibly shopping for souvenirs. But what a great idea for trekkie fans! Our group split up, most of us were pirates, the rest, well check them out yourself!

k

Halloween is Coming, Are You Ready?

Halloween is coming! The Parks are decorated and Disney's visitors are already celebrating and going to parties and parades. Will you be dressing up this year? Are you the type that dresses up for the holiday or are you too demure? What's more fun than getting together with all your friends and figuring out what the group can dress up together as?! Do you have any great dress up ideas for a group of friends?

Halloween at the Disney Parks

Holidays are a special experience at the Disney Parks. I'm specifically talking about Halloween for this post. Disney really knows how to put on a party, and if you get a chance to go to "Mickey's Not So Very Scary Halloween Party," I highly recommend it! The Magic Kingdom is cleared out at 7:00pm for official party-goers only. The Park stays open until midnight and there are two showings of the "Boo to You Parade," which I think is the best parade Disney has to offer. The music is catchy and fun, the characters are dressed up and you get to see many of the ghosts, villains and other assorted creatures that aren't allowed in any other parade!

Now the park has been decorated for the season with all of the Halloween trappings, pumpkins, scarecrows and the like. There is no end to holiday decorations and revelry. It's the guests and their costumes that make the party such a treat to attend. Many of them put a lot of time and effort into their looks. I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of the Halloween parties and I had a blast planning and dressing up for the events.


The first Halloween Party I went to I was caught unaware, and unprepared. But when I was told I was going to another "Mickey's Not So Very Scary Halloween Party" I went as a hippy, while my husband went as Fred Flintstone. I should have planned that one better and dressed up as Wilma, but I really wanted to show off the overalls I found at a thrift-store. How often do you get to wear something like those out and about? Many of the party-goers ribbed me about that!

"Where's Wilma?" they kept calling to my Fred. Well, my Fred found a Wilma! Can you believe that; and she looked awesome with her Fred, Pebbles and BamBam in tow.

This is your chance to be a kid again, and did I mention the candy stations placed around the park where everyone goes trick or treating? Ah yes, this could certainly make a Disney Lover out of even the staunchest protester.

Here is our group. We definitely planned things better this year! The Big Bad Wolf, Red Riding Hood, Grandma, and the Huntsman, Shrek, Puss and Boots and our Belle.