Before we get into our trip, hit play on one of our favorite sounds of Halloween at Disney — Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade! 🎃👻
Turn up the volume, get into the spooky spirit, and then keep reading about our very first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
It is officially spooky season!
Walt Disney World is decorated for Halloween, the pumpkins are lining Main Street, U.S.A., and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has officially begun for the 2026 season.
Seeing all of the Halloween decorations coming back immediately makes me think about our very first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in October 2023.
That trip included a lot of firsts for us: our first stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, our first Halloween party, a few rides that I was somehow convinced to get on, and some memories that we still laugh about today.
Our First Stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge
This was our first time staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, which had been on our list of resorts we wanted to experience for quite a while.
We booked a king room with a Savanna View, and because of our room requests, we ended up staying in Jambo House.
Walking into Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time is an experience all by itself. We were excited not only to start another Disney trip but also to have some time to actually explore the resort.
Since our first day was simply our check-in day, we didn’t have any park plans. Once we got settled into the room, we headed out to explore and eventually found ourselves sitting by the pool watching the sunset.
Of course, we needed a celebratory drink to officially start the trip.
Our bartender that evening, Martin, was absolutely delightful. We told him the kinds of drinks we normally liked, and he suggested making Steven a Mudslide.
And that was the trip when we discovered Mudslides.
Sometimes the smallest things from a vacation end up becoming memories you talk about for years afterward.
Starting Hollywood Studios With a Bang… Literally
Our first park day was Hollywood Studios.
Steven had been wanting me to ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith for quite a while.
There was just one problem: I do not do well with rides that go upside down.
Over the years, I have gotten much better with motion sickness and fast launches, but the beginning of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is still a lot for me. I finally agreed to ride it under one condition:
We had to ride it first thing in the morning.
Before breakfast.
Before I had enough time to think about what I was agreeing to.
So that is exactly what we did.
And after getting off the ride, I told Steven that would probably be the only time I would ever ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster…
Willingly.
Naturally, I bought myself a Disney pin afterward to celebrate surviving it.
Apparently feeling very brave after that experience, I looked at Steven and said, “Let’s do Tower next.”
Tower of Terror has somehow become one of my favorite rides at Hollywood Studios. Steven, however, still isn’t a fan of all the repeated dropping and shooting back up.
It is funny how our ride preferences have almost completely switched over the years.
Off to Toy Story Land
After spending some time around Hollywood Boulevard, we headed toward Toy Story Land.
Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog Dash are two rides we always enjoy, but this trip also included our first visit to Roundup Rodeo BBQ.
The Disney Imagineers did such an amazing job designing the restaurant. It really feels like you have stepped into Andy’s backyard.
One of my favorite details was when everyone suddenly had to freeze because…
Andy was coming!
Just like the toys do in the movie, everyone stopped what they were doing.
It was one of those little Disney touches that makes the experience so much fun.
Harriet Takes Control of the Millennium Falcon
After lunch, we made our way over to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run are two attractions we always enjoy.
But this particular trip marked another first.
I was a pilot on Smugglers Run.
To everyone who happened to be riding with us that day…
I am so sorry.
I managed to slam the Millennium Falcon into pretty much everything possible.
The steering felt completely opposite of what my brain thought it should be, and there was absolutely no graceful learning curve.
Thankfully, Steven found the whole thing hilarious.
I am still not sure the rest of our crew did.
“Mount Everest”
We also spent time at Animal Kingdom during the trip.
Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey are still two of our favorite attractions there.
And then there was Expedition Everest.
Or, as we tend to call it…Mount Everest.
This trip was the first—and so far the only—time we have ever ridden it.
Steven convinced me to go on the ride by promising me soft-serve ice cream afterward.
I honestly don’t remember much of Expedition Everest because once the train started going backward, my eyes were closed.
Steven laughed his way through the ride.
I spent my time thinking about the ice cream waiting for me when we got off.
And yes, I absolutely collected on that promise.
EPCOT and Guardians
Of course, we also spent some time at EPCOT.
One ride I somehow handle surprisingly well is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
It is still funny to me that I can handle that backward launch with my eyes open, but put me on Expedition Everest going backward and apparently my only solution is to close my eyes and hope for the best.
Disney ride logic makes absolutely no sense sometimes.
But as much fun as all of the parks were, they weren’t the main reason for this particular trip.
We had come to Disney for Halloween.
Our First Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
For Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, I dressed up as Cinderella and Steven dressed as my Prince Charming.
Well…Prince Charming in comfortable clothing.
Because we love a theme, but we also know that walking around Magic Kingdom for hours requires comfortable shoes and clothes.
Walking into Magic Kingdom during the Halloween party felt completely different from a regular park night. Between the decorations, music, costumes, Halloween lighting, and special entertainment, the entire park had a completely different energy.
Naturally, we attempted to go trick-or-treating.
I say attempted because some of the lines to get candy were longer than the wait times for actual rides.
At some point, you have to decide how badly you really want that handful of candy.
We decided there were other things we would rather spend our party time doing.
Winnie the Pooh as a Bumblebee
One of the fun parts of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is seeing characters dressed in special Halloween costumes.
There were several character meet-and-greet locations throughout the park, but many of the lines were extremely long.
We walked past the Winnie the Pooh and Friends meet-and-greet and decided to admire them from afar instead.
Winnie the Pooh was dressed like a little bumblebee.
Absolutely adorable.
Sometimes you don’t necessarily need the photo or the autograph to enjoy those little moments. Seeing the characters dressed up as we walked through the park was part of the fun.
The Halloween Entertainment
We made sure to experience the Halloween entertainment that night, including the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks, and Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade.
The parade was the thing I was most excited to see.
Because of that, I had already been scouting out where I wanted us to stand.
We ended up finding a great spot near the walkway coming from Liberty Square toward the front of Cinderella Castle, right around where the parade turns to continue through Magic Kingdom.
It ended up being a fantastic location.
And my favorite part of the entire parade? The grave diggers.
Watching them march through and create sparks with their shovels was exactly what I had been waiting to see.
That moment alone made me happy that I had been so determined to find a good parade spot.
One More Disney Morning
After watching the fireworks, we decided to leave Magic Kingdom.
As much as we would have loved to stay until the very end of the party, we had an early dining reservation the next morning at Chef Mickey’s.
And Chef Mickey’s is still one of my favorite character dining locations.
I love having the characters come directly to your table because you get those little one-on-one interactions that sometimes end up being the best memories.
And Steven’s interaction with Donald Duck that morning is still one of our favorites.
Donald was gesturing that he was the number one duck.
Steven, not realizing exactly what Donald was trying to say, told him that he wasn’t even in his top five.
Donald did not appreciate that.
Donald immediately got sassy with Steven and let him know that Steven wasn’t even in his top ten.
We were cracking up.
Later, a Cast Member told us that the characters sometimes really enjoy interactions like that because they aren’t the typical responses they hear from guests all day.
Even now, we still talk about Steven getting into an argument with Donald Duck at Chef Mickey’s.
One Final Lesson From the Trip
We learned one more very important thing that morning.
A large character breakfast followed by a six-hour drive home is…
Not our best idea.
Chef Mickey’s was delicious.
The six-hour car ride afterward?
A little less enjoyable.
Sometimes Disney trips teach you lessons you don’t realize you needed to learn.
Harriet’s Diabetes Travel Notes
Halloween parties at Disney can be a little different from a normal park day when you are managing Type 1 diabetes.
The party goes late into the evening, you’re doing a lot of walking, meal times can be different than usual, and there is obviously plenty of candy around.
Here are a few things I keep in mind:
🎃 Bring your normal low blood sugar treatments. Even though candy is everywhere during the Halloween party, I still carry the low treatments that I know work reliably for me.
🎃 Keep an eye on your CGM trends. Spending long days walking around Walt Disney World can definitely affect blood sugar. Since Orlando can still be very hot in October, I also stop about every hour or so to manually check my blood sugar with a glucose meter. I like to make sure my sensor is still reading accurately, especially after being out in the heat and walking around the parks for hours.
🎃 Don’t forget your backup supplies. My diabetes supplies stay with me throughout the park rather than back at the resort.
🎃 Think about your costume and diabetes devices. Make sure you can easily reach your insulin pump, CGM, and low treatments without having to completely take apart your costume.
🎃 Stay hydrated. Florida may be decorated for fall, but the temperatures don’t always get the memo. I pack my Owala water bottle with me on every Disney trip, and there are plenty of places throughout Walt Disney World to refill it. Many quick-service restaurants will also provide complimentary cups of water, which makes it much easier to stay hydrated throughout a long park day.
🎃 You don’t have to do everything. Character lines, trick-or-treat trails, rides, shows, fireworks, and parades can quickly fill an entire evening. Decide what matters most to you before the party so you don’t spend the night feeling rushed.
Would We Do Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Again?
Absolutely.
Our first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party gave us some of our favorite Disney memories—from Cinderella and Prince Charming walking around Magic Kingdom to finally seeing the Boo-to-You Parade in person.
And now that Walt Disney World has officially started celebrating Halloween again, I can’t help but think back to that October 2023 trip.
The pumpkins are back.
The villains are out.
The Headless Horseman is riding again.
And spooky season has officially arrived at Walt Disney World.
Happy Halloween season! 🎃👻🏰