Why you should visit Magic Kingdom on Party Days

Should you visit the Magic Kingdom when it closes early for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? Follow our day at Magic Kingdom to help you decide.

Early Entry

Halloween is well underway at Walt Disney World with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. On party dates, the Magic Kingdom closes for all-day guests at 6:00 pm. Those guests with tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party can enter the Magic Kingdom at 4:00 pm.

This has led many guests to avoid Magic Kingdom on party days. One benefit of visiting Magic Kingdom on party dates is that the park opens early to guests. On non-party dates, the Magic Kingdom opens at 9:00 am for all guests and 8:30 am for guests at Disney Resorts.

On Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party dates, all guests can enter the park at 8:00 am and Disney Resorts can enjoy early entry at 7:30 am. We are hoping that guests can enjoy this early entry for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates starting in November.

This may sound a bit early to start your day, but follow along as we had the best day ever at the Magic Kingdom.

Rope Drop

My daughter and I (Donna) visited Magic Kingdom on Tuesday, September 20th. We stayed at the beautiful Bay Lake Tower which offered a quick stroll to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom at 6:40 am. Along with all other guests, we were ushered over to the left-hand park entrance.

At around 7:00 am, incoming guests were allowed to enter the right-hand entrance. With this valuable piece of information, I would have arrived a few moments later to be at the same place in line. A few extra minutes of sleep is always welcome at Disney.

At around 7:00 am, incoming guests were allowed to enter the right-hand entrance. With this valuable piece of information, I would have arrived a few moments later to be at the same place in line. A few extra minutes of sleep is always welcome at Disney.

At 7:11 am, guests were allowed to scan into the park, and by 7:13 am we were strolling down Main Street, USA. We headed straight to Fantasyland and waited near the Cheshire Cafe. Our first ride for the day was, you guessed it, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.

We were in line for 7 Dwarfs Mine Train at 7:27 am. By 7:37 am, we had completed our first ride of the day. This is one of our favorite attractions that often has a high wait time. We were off to a great start.

Amazing Wait Times

This trip was just me and my daughter. I had told her that she could plan out the entire day after rope drop. When we first exited 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, she immediately wanted to go to Space Mountain.

On the My Disney Experience app, the wait time for Space Mountain was 20 minutes. I was fairly confident that this wait time would decrease once the initial rush of rope drop guests had enjoyed the attraction. We headed to Peter Pan’s Flight which had a 5-minute wait time.

Peter Pan’s Flight was a walk-on, and in no time we were “Off to Neverland.” Once we enjoyed this attraction, Space Mountain was a 5-minute wait. After enjoying all three of the above attractions it was 8:10 am. Now the park was open to all guests for the day which meant that both Frontierland and Adventureland were now open. (these are not included in early park entry).

We journeyed into Adventureland and enjoyed a 10-minute wait time for Jungle Cruise. The next stop was Pirates of the Caribbean which was a walk-on. We then went to Frontierland. Unfortunately, Splash Mountain had not yet opened for the day. Our next ride was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which again had a 5-minute wait time.

This is my daughter’s favorite coaster at Walt Disney World, and with the short wait time, we jumped in line to enjoy this attraction again.

When we exited Big Thunder for the second time, we were delighted to see that Splash Mountain was open. We quickly jumped in line and waited 10 minutes. By 9:30 am we had already completed 8 attractions in just two hours.

Our Longest Line

Our next stop was to pick up our breakfast mobile order at Sleepy Hollow. All around the park, there were seemingly no wait times, but we found all the people at Sleepy Hollow.

I was thankful that we had used the mobile order feature, but we still waited around 5 minutes for our food. It was so worth it though.

More Great Attractions

My daughter was in charge of our day, and she wanted to head back to Space Mountain. We enjoyed a quick 10-minute wait for this attraction. While in Tomorrowland, our next stop was the TTC Peoplemover. This attraction was less than a 5-minute wait.

After this, we traveled to Fantasyland and enjoyed Dumbo, Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid, and it’s a small world.

My daughter then wanted to join Captain Jack’s Pirate Crew. We enjoyed the fun, interactive A Pirates Adventure game over in Adventureland. She was able to complete all four missions and receive her GRAND PRIZE of a card signed by Captain Jack Sparrow. Read more about this fun experience HERE.

Best Day Ever

At this point, it was 12:00 pm. We enjoyed lunch at Columbia Harbor House. As we left we enjoyed the true beauty of the Magic Kingdom without the huge crowds of people. We enjoyed Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire stage show and shopped a little on Main Street, USA.

We did not purchase Disney Genie+ or an Individual Lightning Lane. We enjoyed the low wait times and made so many great memories.

This was simply the best morning. We did not purchase Disney Genie+ or an Individual Lightning Lane. We enjoyed the low wait times and made so many great memories. My daughter wanted to take a break and enjoy the Bay Lake Tower pool for the afternoon. Typically I (Donna) don’t leave the parks during the middle of the day, but this was her special day to spend it how she would like.

In just about 5 hours, we were able to enjoy a stage show, complete all of the Pirates Adventure Game, enjoy two quick service meals, and ride 13 attractions. This was truly an amazing day to enjoy the Magic Kingdom with low crowds we were able to soak up all of the magic.

In just about 5 hours, we were able to enjoy a stage show, complete all of the Pirates Adventure Game, enjoy two quick service meals, and ride 13 attractions.

Will you be visiting Walt Disney World while Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties are taking place? Were you planning to avoid Magic Kingdom on these party days? Do you think you will visit Magic Kingdom on these party days now? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook Page.