Welcome to another chapter of magical mayhem!
This trip wasn’t supposed to be a Halloween trip. We didn’t set out with pumpkins and pirates on the brain (Well... maybe pirates LOL). But in true Disney fashion... magic found us! ✨
We're Disney Vacation Club members, which means we can easily book a stay before and after any cruise we take. It just makes the whole experience smoother. No rushing from airport to port or trying to time a flight with boarding windows. Instead, we get to ease into cruise mode, enjoy a little extra Disney magic on land, and (let’s be honest) squeeze in more snacks and Skyliner rides. Win-win.
For this trip, we had a pre-cruise night booked at the Grand Floridian using our DVC points. Just a quiet, relaxing evening at one of the most gorgeous resorts on property.
And then Disney said: "Surprise!"
They announced that our sailing would be a Halloween on the High Seas cruise - something we’ve always wanted to experience but never had the timing work out. That alone was exciting enough.
But THEN they announced that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party would be happening the night before our cruise. Not only that, but:
- Guests who already booked a stay on property would get early access to party tickets
- And this year, DVC members also got a $10 discount per ticket!
It was like the stars (and skeletons) aligned.
So now, for the first time ever, we’re about to do the ultimate Disney Halloween double feature: one spooky night at Magic Kingdom, followed by a full week of haunted fun at sea.
So what’s the plan?
We’ve never done MNSSHP before - not once. This is totally new territory for us. But here’s the loose game plan we’ve sketched out:
✔️ Characters we’re dying to meet or see:
✔️ Must-do entertainment:
- Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltactular
- Boo-to-You Parade
- Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet
✔️ Top treat targets:
We have no idea if all of these are going to be available, but here are some treats we've read about from previous years that we definitely want to try:
- Mickey-shaped Cheesecake: Pumpkin cheesecake with graham cracker crust and white chocolate whipped ganache
- Sweet-and-Spicy Beignets: Berry and cayenne-dusted beignets with chicory coffee-chocolate sauce
- Chocolate-Caramel Tart: Chocolate tart shell filled with chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and caramel cream topped with TWIX Cookie Bar Pieces and a chocolate piece
- Cinnamon-Apple Sundae and Graveyard Milk Shake: Chocolate milkshake with a dipped graveyard jelly doughnut, white chocolate tombstone, gummy candy, and further decked out with a Haunted Mansion straw
There's so many treats, though... We're going to get in trouble no matter what. Head over to Disney Food Blog where I found all these treats.
✔️ Costumes:
Okay.. we haven’t quite nailed this one down yet. We're thinking Josh being Zed from Zombies (getting to have green hair is driving this one lol), and Krystal has no decisions made quite yet. We’re open to suggestions. Any iconic Disney duo or spooky-fun pairings you think we should attempt? Bonus points if they’re comfy and can survive Florida humidity. Send us a message on Instagram 🤗
“Park First, Cruise After” setup
It’s our first time doing a Halloween-themed cruise, and doing the party the night before feels like the perfect way to set the tone. Most folks say if you’re doing a Land + Sea trip, you should hit the parks first so the cruise can be your chance to relax - and we fully support that logic.
Is MNSSHP a relaxing event? Not really. Our feet will probably hate us. But running around to meet rare characters, watching the spooky fireworks, and grabbing candy by the pound sounds like the best kind of chaos before we board the ship the next morning.
Final thoughts before we go...
We’ll report back after the trip with all the details on how it went - but for now, we’re soaking in the hype and prepping for the most haunted vacation we’ve ever taken.
Got any last-minute party tips? Must-do treats? Costume ideas? Drop ‘em in the comments or hit us up on Instagram @funfam.adventures. And stay tuned for the next post in this series - we’re talking Concierge secrets, cabana wins, and a whole lot of Mickey Bar-fueled joy.
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