Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party!

I feel like I did tons of research on this party in order to get as much out of it as I could but WoW! I couldn't get in as much as I wanted to, so be prepared. If you can, you might want to hit it a couple of times. 

My personal mission was character hunting. The more rare, the better. That's just me and what I like to do when I'm in Disney. You might have other plans for the party, but personally I'm paying $60 for the unique experience of getting to meet characters. You can ride the rides anytime and buying candy from the store might be cheaper. Just my opinion. Although, I do think stopping at a candy station or two is fun- The one by Splash mountain has 3-4 stops in one!

Things from my experience:

They really do let you into the park before 7. I wanted to make it into the park for 4PM, but unfortunately I didn't wake up from the night before's excitement until 1PM and I was moving slowly. I made it there by 5PM and headed straight to It's a Small World to take pictures (I am making my cube at work into the ride). I should've ridden it again, but I wanted to get in line for the dwarfs.

People really do line up for the dwarfs early. Everywhere I read said people start lining up by 5:45ish. They were right. There was about 10 people in front of me. Waiting was a long time, but we had benches. I made friends with the people in front and behind me who were all runners so it was fun comparing notes on the ToT10miler the night before. If I could've done it over again, I might've waited until 6:15ish, but once they came out, it felt totally worth it. What a great moment!  

Never take the poncho out of your bag while visiting Florida. That's when there will be a sporadic shower and annoy the piss out of you for it. Luckily, there was an awesome guy (Shout out to Tim!) behind me in line for the Pooh characters (not a fan but who could pass up Eeyore as a clown?!) who offered me a poncho. I quickly decided he was going to be my friend since we were both on the same mission. 

 Dole Whip is a must, especially when it's a bazillion degrees. If you're special (like me) ask for a bigger cup to put it in. It started melting within seconds and I was screwed.

 Lotso isn't in the hub, he's actually in front of Crystal Palace. 

Don't continue to take your camera in the rain/ sweaty half marathons. It will die at the most opportune moments, i.e. right before you're supposed to meet Maleficent. I can't really complain that much, this trusty camera has lasted 5 years (at least 12 half marathons and goodness only knows how many rain storms), but it's still a sad moment. RIP lil purple kodak. You were really good.

 The Villains show meet and greets are a certified shitshow. Just because you do your research and know where the villain you want to meet will come down, doesn't mean 500 other people didn't do the same thing. From what I've read, you have time to meet up to 2 after 1 show, but after the mass mob to meet Maleficient, I said screw it and went to meet friends for the parade (which was also another annoyance, there were tons of people waiting for the parade there that had no idea what was going on and were just in the way).

 Watching Hallowishes from the train station was really fun but get there early to get a chair. I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I should be. No worries, Illuminations. You're still the front runner for the only "firework" show I think worth watching.

If it rains there will be no headless horseman and no Creeper Crew dance party to entertain you. Boo.

I highly suggested attending a party if you're in town for the season. It's totally worth it.

What's a character you were stoked to get to meet?