What is Disney After Hours Boo Bash versus Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party of years past? After attending both Boo Bash and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party they are certainly not the same event. Our tested Disney After Hours Boo Bash tips help you understand the difference and make the most of this new Halloween event.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is back! Here’s our complete guide to MNSSHP since Boo Bash is no longer available.
What Is The Main Difference Between Disney After Hours Boo Bash and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party?
Disney After Hours Boo Bash is a new low capacity Magic Kingdom Halloween event for 2021 focused on low crowds and attraction wait times that includes some Halloween theming. Boo Bash lasts three hours on select nights.
Previously, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party also required an extra ticket, but had higher crowds and a greater focus on fun Halloween entertainment. These party nights started earlier and lasted longer than Boo Bash.
What Makes Disney After Hours Boo Bash Special?
Low Wait Times On Popular Attractions
No one likes waiting in lines at Disney World. Disney After Hours Boo Bash has only a small number of guests compared to a normal day.
On our Magic Kingdom Boo Bash night premium attraction wait times for rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were usually less than 20 minutes. Many other attractions had even lower wait times or were often walk-on during Boo Bash.
We never waited more than 20 minutes for any attraction on our Boo Bash night. Low Boo Bash wait times meant riding more attractions than we would at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Disney After Hours Boo Bash Attractions
- Haunted Mansion
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Mad Tea Party
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- “it’s a small world”
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- The Barnstormer
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Country Bear Jamboree
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Astro Orbiter
- PeopleMover
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Halloween Character Cavalcades
There are four Disney After Hours character cavalcades. Each of these cavalcades start near Splash Mountain and then go through to the hub near Cinderella Castle. Mickey’s Happy Halloween Cavalcade then goes around the hub and returns to Frontierland.
The other three cavalcades also start in Frontierland, but go around the hub, continue down Main Street, U.S.A., and then end after looping around the front flagpole area.
Mickey’s Happy Halloween Cavalcade
Daisy and Donald walk ahead, dancing and waving to guests. Mickey and Minnie follow behind in a Halloween decorated gazebo dressed in their Halloween costumes.
Disney Villains Halloween Cavalcade
The Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, and the ever fabulous Cruella DeVil begin the Villain cavalcade dancing and waving. The float has Dr. Facilier, better known as the Shadowman, Jafar, and as a special surprise the Wicked Queen greets guests from the very back.
Jack’s Nightmare Cavalcade
Sally, Jack, and my favorite, Oogie Boogie, creepily wave to guests as they pass by in this Nightmare Before Christmas themed cavalcade.
Maleficent’s Fiery Prowl
Fans of the Festival of Fantasy parade will be excited to see the steampunk Maleficent dragon’s return. Creepy birds and vines flank this impressive dragon float that breathes real fire along the route.
Boo Bash Halloween Magic Shot PhotoPass Experiences
Several Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Magic Shots are part of this year’s Boo Bash. In a surprising move there are also several new Boo Bash Magic Shots, too.
Look for the green camera on the Boo Bash map to find many of the Disney After Hours PhotoPass Magic Shot options.
Keep your eyes open for PhotoPass photographers throughout the park, too, since some of the Magic Shots are not on the map. For example, the Hitchhiking Ghosts photo op was along the wall between Liberty Square and Frontierland on our Boo Bash night but not marked on the map.
Guests Of All Ages Can Dress Up At Boo Bash
Normally only kids 13 years old and younger can wear costumes at Disney World. During Boo Bash older kids and adults join in on the spirited fun by dressing as their favorite characters. Although I am not one to dress up, seeing the creativity of others is one of the best things about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Boo Bash.
Find out Disney World’s specific costume rules here.
Boo Bash Trick or Treating
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party trick or treating is legendary, so it’s no surprise treats are part of Boo Bash. At the start of Boo Bash cast members hand out trick or treat bags to all guests. If you have a food allergy simply ask for a teal allergy friendly treat bag.
Trick or treat stations are marked on the map and easy to find because of the huge light up “treat” beacons. Walk through the line and get treats or special allergy tokens.
Allergy tokens are then exchanged for allergy friendly treats in the LIberty Square Allergy Friendly Center. I love that there is an allergy friendly trick or treat option at Boo Bash, but the options were much more limited than previous Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights.
We also felt like overall we got less candy per station at Boo Bash vs Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Cadaver Dans Performances
Better known as Dapper Dans, these amazing singers transform into costumed ghouls during Boo Bash. Cadaver Dans always put on a great show, and their performances bring a special ambiance to the park during Boo Bash.
Disney After Hours Boo Bash Tips
Use Overlap Time For Shopping and Dining
Disney After Hours Boo Bash guests can enter Magic Kingdom at 7pm on event nights. Daytime visitors are able to stay until Magic Kingdom park closes. This means the time between 7pm and park close is a busy time.
We had a table service meal, but even getting a quick service dinner is a good use of this overlap time. You can also use this more crowded time to shop and save your precious Boo Bash time for rides, special pictures, and cavalcades.
Get Some Boo Bash Magic Shots
There are several fun Halloween PhotoPass options available during Boo Bash. I would recommend picking one or two of these special photo ops to commemorate After Hours, since these are exclusive to the event.
Grab Included Snacks Early During Boo Bash
At the beginning of the event expect long snack cart lines that move relatively quickly. The carts are fully stocked at the start of Boo Bash, but as items run out they don’t seem to be replenished.
If you have your heart set on popcorn, a Mickey Bar, or bottled water don’t wait until the end of the night.
Focus On Rides For The Best Boo Bash Experience
The best part of After Hours Boo Bash is a less crowded park and extremely low attraction wait times. Take advantage of the low wait times and do as many attractions as possible during the event.
Have A Plan For Disney After Hours Boo Bash
The event is only three hours long, and it seems to go much faster than that. Even with a specific plan it was difficult to do everything we wanted to do before Boo Bash ended. If we didn’t have a plan it would have been easy to waste a lot of the event time.
Don’t Wait For Cavalcades
Cavalcades are a fun way to see characters during Disney After Hours, but not a substitute for the normal parades. We made the mistake of waiting to see all of the cavalcades which amounted to 50 minutes of waiting for about 6 minutes of character cavalcades.
Instead I recommend using your Boo Bash time on Halloween Magic Shots or riding attractions. You should still be able to catch some cavalcades during the event.
Don’t Wait Until The Party Ends For Photos and Shopping
Disney After Hours Boo Bash has a hard stop time of 12:00am or 12:30am depending on the night. This means all rides, shops, and PhotoPass lines completely close right at the end of the night.
Get into the last queue no later than one minute before closing, or expect to be turned away.
Comparing Disney After Hours Boo Bash vs Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
After Hours Boo Bash Waits Are Shorter
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party attraction wait times were low during the party, but it wasn’t uncommon to still wait 20 minutes or more for most attractions. At Boo Bash ride wait times were much lower and moved faster than during MNSSHP.
Boo Bash Character Sightings Are Uninspired
One of the best things about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was unique character sightings. We were overall disappointed in the Boo Bash characters.
The interactions were not great and the characters weren’t that interesting overall. Goofy near Pirates of the Caribbean or Chip and Dale near Country Bear Jamboree were cute, recognizable, and tried to interact with guests.
However, not many people would even know Honest John and Gideon from Pinocchio, which was one of the five character spots at Boo Bash. If you see a character as you walk around the designated areas that’s great. I would recommend not going out of your way to see characters during Boo Bash.
Don’t Expect Boo Bash To Be The Same As Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
After years of attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party I expected Boo Bash to be similar. The low ride wait times and Halloween Magic Shots were even better than Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Trick or treating was similar, but less generous on our event night. However, we found ourselves deeply missing Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular and Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks Show.
Disney After Hours Boo Bash Dates And Times For 2021
Disney After Hours Boo Bash takes place after Magic Kingdom closes for the day. Most Boo Bash nights run from 9:00pm until midnight. Select dates in August and September start later at 9:30pm and go until 12:30am. Check below for exact dates and start times.
Guests with Disney After Hours Boo Bash tickets can enter Magic Kingdom as early at 7pm and enjoy everything the park has to offer.
Magic Kingdom Boo Bash runs from 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM on these dates:
- Tuesday, August 10, 2021
- Tuesday, August 17, 2021
- Friday, August 20, 2021
- Tuesday, August 24, 2021
- Friday, August 27, 2021
- Tuesday, August 31, 2021
- Friday, September 3, 2021
- Sunday, September 5, 2021
Boo Bash starts earlier on these dates and runs from 9:00 PM to midnight:
- Tuesday, September 7, 2021
- Friday, September 10, 2021
- Sunday, September 12, 2021
- Tuesday, September 14, 2021
- Friday, September 17, 2021
- Sunday September 19, 2021
- Tuesday, September 21, 2021
- Friday, September 24, 2021
- Tuesday, October 5, 2021
- Friday, October 8, 2021
- Sunday, October, 10, 2021
- Tuesday, October 12, 2021
- Friday, October 15, 2021
- Sunday, October 17, 2021
- Tuesday, October 19, 2021
- Friday, October 22, 2021
- Sunday, October 24, 2021
- Tuesday, October 26, 2021
- Friday, October 29, 2021
- Sunday, October 31, 2021
Will I Need Park Reservations For Magic Kingdom Boo Bash?
Disney After Hours Boo Bash tickets do not need a Disney World theme park reservation or a day ticket to the park. Your Boo Bash ticket is all you need for a spooky night at Magic Kingdom.
How Much Are Disney After Hours Boo Bash Tickets?
Disney After Hours Boo Bash tickets are $129 to $199 per person depending on your event date. Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders can get $10 off select Boo Bash tickets in August and September.
Is Disney After Hours Boo Bash At Magic Kingdom Worth It?
After attending Disney After Hours Boo Bash I think it is worth it for some Disney World visitors. People looking to avoid Magic Kingdom crowds and those willing to pay for extremely short ride wait times should enjoy Boo Bash.
Guests who previously attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will probably leave Boo Bash feeling at least a little disappointed. The low wait times and photo ops are nice, but Boo Bash doesn’t have a strong Halloween vibe like MNSSHP.
Families with small kids will probably want to skip Boo Bash. Its late starting time, high price tag, and lack of special Halloween experiences doesn’t feel worth it if you can’t stay until closing.
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