See how much fun my teen and tween are having? Look at those smiles!
by Soarin’ Diva
I have two sons, one is 15 and the other 12. Celebrating Halloween with teens and tweens can be tricky, they are right there in between youth and grown-up, yet in their minds, they are adults (yeah, right, we REAL adults know better.) For the past two years, we have attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (commonly shortened to MNSSHP) at Walt Disney World.
The MNSSHP is geared toward every age group, so everyone can enjoy it. Though you can go ahead and grab your bracelet (which proves you have paid for your party ticket) at 4pm, the party officially begins at 7pm and ends at midnight. Our teen and tween absolutely LOVE MNSSHP. Although they don’t actually dress up in a costume for the party, many others do. If you have a youngster that wants an awesome costume, you can find some great choices here, at Mom Approved Costumes. They now carry tween sizes as well as children’s sizes. You can see some pretty awesome costumes on everyone from toddlers to grandparents. I knew the dates we were at Walt Disney World this year were reported to be very hot, and full costumes could prove to be very hot, so we opted for matching Mickey Weremouse tee shirts. This way, we still felt like we were in the Halloween spirit, but weren’t nearly as hot as we could have been.
Our guys opted to try and meet some rare characters to start the party off, then do a little trick or treating. What teen and tween doesn’t love trick or treating so they can get that candy? And it’s done with full Disney magic, as they give you LOTS of candy. There are actual trick or treat trails set up all over Magic Kingdom during the party, and if you forgot your bag to collect candy, never fear, they provide you with as many as you need. What’s even better is trick or treating isn’t limited to kids, the adults get to participate too.
The next thing my teen and tween devos love, and I confess, this is my favorite part, is watching the Boo To You Parade. You HAVE to stake out a spot for the parade early, because the good ones are quickly taken. We were running behind on staking our claim this year, so we didn’t make it to the first parade. There’s good news though- there are TWO Boo To You parades every party night. After the first parade, there is an awesome projection show on the castle, followed by a beautiful fireworks show, called Hallowishes. The second parade shows about an hour after Hallowishes. We managed to get a good spot for the second parade, thank goodness. I don’t think my guys would have forgiven us if we missed the parade.
The parade begins with none other than the Headless Horseman. This is not to be missed, as he rides in on his horse. To see it is quite amazing. The parade itself has no equal, Disney outdoes themselves with dancing ghosts, gravediggers and the Hitchhiking Ghosts from Haunted Mansion, as well as many other characters dressed in their Halloween finery. You can see why a teen or tween would love to sit and watch this parade.
The party lasts five hours, and it’s probably the most fun my teen and tween have during the entire week at Walt Disney World Resorts. They get to interact with rarely seen characters, get as much candy as their hearts desire, ride the rides with low wait times since this is a hard ticket event, and watch the Boo To You Parade. I promise you, if you have a tween, a tween or one or two of each, this event is right up their alley. They will absolutely love it!
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