Last month Hurricane Irma came through Tampa like she was clearly running things. Our power was knocked out for two days, which also meant no running water.
After two days of experiencing keeping kids busy in a hot house, with no power or water, my husband and I needed a magical getaway just as much as our children.
We were invited to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. and I made sure I took full advantage of Disney’s magical experience.
3 Ways to Fully Enjoy Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
1. Get there early.
The party officially starts at 7 p.m., but you can enter as early as 4 p.m. When you get there early, you can still use your Fast Passes, get more candy, ride your favorite rides before they close — and beat the crowd. We were able to just casually stroll around Disney because we came earlier. We were able to see our favorite characters without a long wait or feeling rushed.
2. Bring your own candy bag.
When you enter the party you’re given a wristband and ushered to a certain side of the park. They immediately hand you a bag to collect candy, but you should bring your own. We had so much candy that we each had to get more bags. Mars is the candy sponsor — and they do not skimp on their portions.
They have 13 candy stations across the entire park. When you see these tall-lighted balloons that means it’s a candy station. You can go get candy from the stations multiple times.
3. Wear a fun (but comfortable) costume!
It’s the one event at Disney where you can dress up, so you should take full advantage. Honestly, we didn’t dress up because we didn’t know we could, but we enjoyed people watching.
Whatever you decide to come as, make sure you can walk around comfortably and have fun. I saw a woman with her daughter and they both had on heels — and were hunched over at the end of the night, because those shoes were torture on their feet.
This article appears in Oct 19-26, 2017.