Can You Have a Spooky Day at Magic Kingdom Without Going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary?
With Halloween season in full swing at Magic Kingdom, we planned a spooky morning in the park with our two young kids, currently ages 5 and 3. We purchased Lightning Lane Multi Pass to fit in a few rides while also checking out the Halloween decorations, treats and merchandise around the park. We wanted to see just how much Halloween fun you can find at Magic Kingdom without going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. In this post, we’ll share a timeline of our morning, our Halloween finds, and what the crowds looked like on a Saturday morning at Magic Kingdom.
Our Morning Timeline
A quick note about our arrival: We chose preferred parking for this visit so we could walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) instead of taking the parking lot tram. After a short walk from our car, it took us about 10 minutes to get through security before making our way to the monorail. We also didn’t include every restroom or stroller break in our timeline, so there are a few small gaps between some of the times below.
10:04 AM: Joined the monorail line
10:26 AM: Got off the monorail at the Magic Kingdom entrance
10:30 AM: Made it onto Main Street, U.S.A.
10:38 AM: Joined the Haunted Mansion line
10:48 AM: Boarded Haunted Mansion
10:55 AM: Finished Haunted Mansion
11:06 AM: Joined the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel line
11:10 AM: Boarded Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
11:12 AM: Finished Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
11:22 AM: Entered Mickey’s PhilharMagic
11:25 AM: Mickey’s PhilharMagic began
11:37 AM: Mickey’s PhilharMagic ended
11:56 AM: Arrived at Pirates of the Caribbean
12:05 PM: Boarded Pirates of the Caribbean
12:11 PM: Finished Pirates of the Caribbean
12:15 PM: Sat down for lunch in the additional seating area at Pecos Bill
12:50 PM: Finished lunch
1:09 PM: Joined the Buzz Lightyear line
1:28 PM: Boarded Buzz Lightyear, which was experiencing delays
1:50 PM: Got off Buzz Lightyear after the ride broke down while we were on it
2:00 PM: Started shopping at the Emporium and Confectionery on Main Street
2:20 PM: Caught the end of the parade coming down Main Street
2:40 PM: Boarded the ferry back to the TTC
2:46 PM: Ferry departs
2:56 PM: Arrived back at the TTC
Getting Into Magic Kingdom
Getting to the entrance of Magic Kingdom is a little different from the other Walt Disney World parks. Since our family typically drives, our Magic Kingdom mornings start at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). From there, we’ll head through security and board either the monorail or ferry before arriving at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.
If it’s your first visit, you may not realize there are a few extra steps between parking your car and actually entering Magic Kingdom. I recommend giving yourself some additional time at the start of your morning, especially if you have a Lightning Lane or a reservation you’re trying to make it to.
One thing our family often does to make the process a little easier with two young kids is pay for preferred parking. Standard parking is included with our Annual Passes, so we just pay the difference. Preferred parking puts us close enough to the front of the TTC that we can walk instead of taking the parking lot tram.
A Cast Member once told us during a tram ride that the Magic Kingdom parking lot is the fourth largest parking lot in the world, which gives you an idea of just how big it is! The tram saves you from making that long walk, but strollers need to be folded before you board. Between getting the kids out, folding the stroller, and keeping track of everything we have stored underneath it, we’ve found that walking from preferred parking is much easier for our family.
Once we reach the TTC, we go through security. This typically only takes a few minutes, although it can take longer depending on the crowds. From there, it’s time to choose between the monorail and ferry.
We usually pick the monorail. It tends to be the faster option, it’s air conditioned, and there are some great views along the way. My kids love riding it, so for them it feels like the first attraction of the day before we’ve even made it into Magic Kingdom.
The ferry is another option and makes for a nice ride across the water, especially if you happen to arrive when one is already loading. We skipped it on the way in this time, but took the ferry back to the TTC at the end of our morning.
On this particular Saturday, getting into Magic Kingdom took us a little longer than usual. The security line moved a little slower, and once we reached the monorail, we waited about 15 minutes before boarding. We’re usually able to catch one much faster than that, so this definitely wasn’t our quickest start to a Magic Kingdom morning.
Once you arrive at Magic Kingdom, there’s just one final step. Head to one of the touchpoints, tap your MagicBand+, ticket card, or phone, and you’re in! From there, we headed onto Main Street and officially started our spooky morning.
How We Used Lightning Lane Multi Pass
If we have a Disney park visit coming up, I’ll usually see what Lightning Lanes are available for that day. Magic Kingdom tends to be busier on the weekends, and my kids struggle with waits longer than about 15 or 20 minutes, so we decided Lightning Lane Multi Pass would be helpful for this visit. Since we were only planning to stay for a few hours, our goal was to spend less time waiting in standby lines and more time enjoying our spooky morning at Magic Kingdom.
Here are the attractions we were able to fit into our morning:
Haunted Mansion
What better way to start a spooky morning at Magic Kingdom than by riding the Haunted Mansion! It’s a slow-moving, dark ride where you’ll encounter all kinds of spooky ghosts and the mansion they currently call home. There are some neat effects, catchy music, and even hitchhiking ghosts that try to follow you home.
We were worried the first time we brought our kids on Haunted Mansion that they might find it too scary. Even though it’s dark and features plenty of ghosts, skeletons, and spooky decorations, it’s not done in an overly scary way. My 5-year-old and 3-year-old have been on the ride a few times now and really enjoy it.
Did you know that when Haunted Mansion is essentially a walk-on, you may see a 13-minute posted wait instead of the typical 5 minutes? It’s a little added spooky fun! That’s exactly what we found when we arrived during this visit. We had a Lightning Lane anyway, so we were able to get right on. By the time we finished the ride, though, the posted wait had already jumped to more than 25 minutes, so the standby line can build up fast.
There are some interactive elements to keep kids entertained in the standby queue, but a longer wait can still be tough with little ones. There’s also a preshow before the ride, inside the “stretching room,” that can be a little scary for young kids. Everyone stands together in one room while the narrator points out there are no windows or doors, at one point the lights briefly go out, and an effect makes it look like the room is stretching. My kids are okay with this part, so we stay for the preshow.
If you think your little one might not enjoy the stretching room, talk to a Cast Member before entering. They can typically help you skip the preshow and continue on to the loading area for the ride.
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
After Haunted Mansion, we made our way into Fantasyland since the entrance is right nearby. One of our kids’ favorite things to do in this part of Magic Kingdom is ride Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, so we knew we had to fit it into our morning.
The carousel doesn’t offer a Lightning Lane, but wait times are typically less than 10 minutes during most of our visits. This time, the posted wait was 5 minutes, and that’s about how long we waited.
There are different-sized horses for the kids to choose from, and the ride itself lasts about 2 minutes. Between the typically short waits, relaxing ride, and how much our kids enjoy it, I’m glad we were able to add this one to our day.
There are a few stroller parking areas around this part of Fantasyland, but we like the one centrally located behind the carousel. From there, we can visit a few nearby attractions without having to move the stroller each time. Since we were already parked in the area, we decided to try Mickey’s PhilharMagic next.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Mickey’s PhilharMagic is an animated 3D show where you follow Donald Duck as he tries to retrieve Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat. His journey takes him through scenes from several classic Disney animated films like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Aladdin. There are songs, characters, and some very cool effects that bring the whole show to life, all playing out on a massive screen that wraps around part of the theater for a really immersive experience.
You can get a Lightning Lane for this show, but you likely won’t need one. The theater holds quite a few people at once, and the standby wait typically isn’t very long. During this visit, we walked right into the theater and only had to wait a few minutes for the next show to start. I’d save your Lightning Lane for another attraction with a longer standby wait.
I remember seeing this show when I was younger, and during this visit my husband and I brought our own kids to see it for the first time. They loved it! You do need to wear 3D glasses to see the show properly, so that’s something to keep in mind if you have a little one who doesn’t like keeping glasses on.
My 5-year-old had no problem sitting through the approximately 12 minute show, and it kept him entertained the entire time. My 3-year-old had a little more trouble with the glasses, partially because they were too big and partially because he just didn’t want to wear them at first. Once the show started and he realized he couldn’t really see what was happening without them, though, he kept them on. Occasionally, he would lift them up during the 3D effects because he was trying to figure out how they worked, but overall, he did pretty well.
This is a great way to take a break from the heat, see some classic Disney characters, and listen to plenty of familiar Disney songs. My toddler can sometimes have a hard time sitting through a show this long, but Mickey’s PhilharMagic kept his attention and he ended up really enjoying it. We would definitely see this show with both kids again.
Pirates of the Caribbean
After finishing Mickey’s PhilharMagic, we made our way over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our second Lightning Lane attraction of the day. The posted wait was 20 minutes, but with our Lightning Lane, it took us less than 10 minutes from the time we joined the queue until we were getting on our boat.
Pirates of the Caribbean was another fun way to add a little spooky theming to our morning. Between the dark ride, skeletons, pirate ships, and plenty of pirate decor, there’s a lot for the kids to look at along the way. There are a few potentially spooky moments, including a small drop in the dark, but both my 5-year-old and 3-year-old enjoy the ride and we’re always happy to fit it into our Magic Kingdom day.
If you’re wondering how your little one might handle this ride, I have a separate Pirates of the Caribbean post where I go into more detail about the potentially scary parts.
Even though the standby wait was only 20 minutes, I was still happy we had a Lightning Lane to get us through a little faster. We finished the ride shortly after 12:00 PM, which worked out perfectly because everyone was ready for lunch!
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Our final Lightning Lane attraction for the day was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Although this one didn’t necessarily fit our spooky theme, it was going to be our first time riding since it reopened with updated blasters and visuals, so we definitely wanted to check it out!
Buzz Lightyear is an interactive game where you use handheld blasters to shoot targets in an effort to defeat Emperor Zurg. A small screen keeps track of your points, and there’s a joystick in the middle of the ride vehicle that lets you spin around completely so you can aim for targets in all directions. There are bright neon colors, fun sounds, aliens, and plenty to look at along the way.
The posted standby wait was 45 minutes, so we were glad to have a Lightning Lane for this one. We could tell right away, though, that this was going to be a different Lightning Lane experience because even that line was pretty long. Ultimately, we waited about 20 minutes before getting on the ride, which was rough for our toddler at that point in the day. Part of the queue is outside but covered from the sun, while the rest is indoors. We didn’t find any interactive elements inside, so we resorted to looking for different colors on the walls and making up little games to pass the time.
Then our already long Buzz Lightyear experience got even longer. We made it about three-quarters of the way through the ride before it broke down, leaving us sitting in one spot for another 10-15 minutes while they tried to get everything moving again. For part of the delay, our blasters still worked, so we could continue playing. Eventually those were turned off too, but we could still spin our car around.
Toddlers can absolutely ride and have fun even if they aren’t quite ready to play the actual game. My 3-year-old loved looking around and spinning our car, but he wasn’t interested in using his blaster and had a hard time pushing the button. My 5-year-old played along but still had some trouble aiming at the targets. He didn’t seem to mind and had fun playing.
Surprisingly, my toddler handled the extra time really well. Between looking around and spinning the car, we kept him entertained until the ride started moving again. It certainly wasn’t the quick Lightning Lane experience we were expecting, but both kids still had fun and we got our first look at the updated ride.
Where We Stopped for Lunch
For this visit, we decided to bring our own lunch from home and find somewhere in the park to eat. Typically, we’ll find ourselves eating at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. It’s a quick-service restaurant with a large indoor seating area, as well as tables outside. However, during peak lunch time, it can get very busy and finding a table inside isn’t always easy.
Since we had planned our Lightning Lanes around Adventureland for this visit, we decided to try the additional seating area inside Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe instead. The main restaurant was very crowded and actually felt pretty warm inside. The additional seating area, however, was nice and cool with plenty of empty tables.
We were able to bring our stroller in and park it right next to our table, which made lunch with the kids a little easier. We found a table in the corner, and there were even outlets along the wall if you need to charge any devices while you eat. Overall, it ended up being a really nice break from the heat before we continued our day.
We’ve eaten at Pecos Bill before as well and have enjoyed the food, so ordering lunch there is another option if you don’t want to bring your own. If you do plan on packing a meal, just be mindful of Disney’s policies and check the Walt Disney World website for the most up-to-date information about what can and cannot be brought into the park.
Halloween Treats, Merchandise & Decorations
As our time in the park was coming to a close, we headed back toward Main Street to see what other Halloween fun we could find. We spent some time looking through the Emporium gift shop and stopped at the Confectionery to check out the Halloween treats available during the day.
Main Street has some really fun Halloween touches. There are light-up Mickey pumpkin wreaths on the light poles lining the street, festive bunting, pumpkin scarecrows, and decorative pumpkins around some of the shops. There are also some great spots to stop for a Halloween photo, including the giant Mickey pumpkin and a few Halloween-themed backgrounds we found around the park.
The Emporium did not disappoint when it came to Halloween merchandise. Although there are some Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party items that are exclusive to the party, we still found a big selection available during the day. There were Halloween clothes, home decor, accessories, and plenty of other fun things to look at.
Our final stop was the Main Street Confectionery, where you can find candy, treats, frozen drinks, specialty popcorn, and more. We saw a number of Halloween-themed treats available during the day, so there were still plenty of options even without going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary. I recommend checking the My Disney Experience app during your visit since you can look through the different restaurant locations and see what Halloween treats are being offered.
Overall Thoughts
Spooky season at Magic Kingdom is one of our family’s favorite times to visit the park. We’ve been to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party a few times, and you can read more about our most recent experience here.
Overall, I was pretty happy with how much Halloween fun we found during a regular morning at Magic Kingdom. Between the decorations around Main Street, all the merchandise in the Emporium, and the different treats available around the park, there was actually quite a bit to see and do without going to the party.
I was also glad we decided to get Lightning Lane Multi Pass for this visit. We knew we were only going to be in the park for a few hours, and with two young kids, shorter waits usually make our mornings a lot easier. We were able to ride a few of our favorites, including Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, which fit right in with the spooky theme we were going for.
There are definitely some things from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary that you won’t be able to experience during the day, like trick-or-treating, unique character meet-and-greets, and some of the rides that get a Halloween overlay. But if the party isn’t in your budget or just doesn’t fit into your schedule, I think you can still have a really fun Halloween day at Magic Kingdom. Once the park is decorated for Halloween, the stores are filled with Halloween merchandise, and the seasonal treats start popping up, there’s still plenty of spooky fun to find during a regular park visit.