Jaunted

Special lighting, loads of pumpkins, and the entire cast of Disney characters help guests get into a not overly scary mood. Even Mickey and Minnie usually dress up as something to celebrate the season. Make sure you don’t miss the Boo-to-You Halloween Parade if you want to see all the other characters in their costumes too. The ghosts from the Haunted Mansion are also on the loose during the parade, but they won’t get too close, since this is Disney after all.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Scare Tactics:
You need to remember that this is a not-so-scary Halloween party, so extreme thrills are nowhere to be found. However, there’s still plenty of fun stuff to do. Make sure you grab a good spot near the castle to take in the sights of Happy HalloWishes. It’s a special fireworks presentation that takes place each night of the party. The grand finale features fireworks 360 degrees around the central hub of the Magic Kingdom, and it includes music from all the spooky parts of your favorite Disney movies.

The Halloween parade takes place twice per evening and we recommend waiting for the later one to let the crowds thin out a bit. Just ensure that you are sitting on the curb a little early because you’ll want to see the Headless Horseman ride through the streets to start things off. Grab a spot along Main Street USA so you can see the ghoul and his horse coming in the distance.

Where:
The party is at the Magic Kingdom just outside of Orlando. There will be signs starting in Georgia—you can’t miss it!

2009 Dates:
The party has already started and it will run through November 1. Unfortunately October 31 has sold out and sometimes the weekend days start to sell out as well. If you want to go on a specific day make sure to get your tickets a little early.

There’s a party tonight if you’re interested, and you can share some candy corns with Mickey and friends on October 15, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, and 29 as well. The parties run from 7pm until 12am. Make sure you eat a lot of sugar to keep you going into the night.

Cost:
Your normal pass for the day isn’t going to get you into the party. It’s a special ticket and it costs about $55 in advance after tax. If you want a ticket on the day of the party the cost creeps just north of $60. You don’t need a regular ticket to the Magic Kingdom as well, so it's one way to get into the park for a little cheaper than the traditional one-day pass.

Event Hotel Options:
Hotels are everywhere so there are plenty of options and plenty of price points. Obviously places like the Grand Floridian are a great choice, but they might break the bank. We’ve stayed at the Port Orleans Resort and enjoyed it. It’s got some good Disney theming and is a more reasonably priced option. If you want to escape the Disney universe to sleep, try to grab a hotel in Lake Buena Vista. Most will be close to the main gates.

5 Skull Scare Factor:
(Not too scary, but still fun.)

Related Stories:
· Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party [Official Site]
· Universal's Halloween Horror Nights [Jaunted]

[Photos: Disney and Rusty Boxcars]