Happy Halloween from Walt Disney World!

– weather is usually very nice this time of year
– fewer crowds since kids are in school
– beautiful fall decorations
– villains aplenty
– Trick-or-Treat
– perfect time for an adult to be a kid!

Dressed and ready for Halloween

The hardest picture to get ever!

Many people dress up in costumes, some more elaborate than others. But, you don’t have to worry if you choose not to wear one. One year I took my niece and nephew and we all had appointments for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. This year my sister and I (on a girls-only weekend) just wore our Minnie ears. Another enjoyable event is eating dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern on the night of the party.  Everyone including the characters & servers are dressed up.  If you don’t plan on eating dinner there are plenty of other choices of specially themed Halloween treats throughout the whole park.  

The parade is a must do.  The park has two parades one before and one after the fireworks.  I would recommend skipping the first one.  During this time you can get your trick-or-treating done plus, get on all your favorite rides without significant wait times.  Most of the people head out after the fireworks so, to avoid the crowds I would stay in the back of the park.  One of the neatest places to watch the fireworks is a very surprising spot my sister and I found recently.  If you are on the path between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, you will experience an incredible array of fireworks exploding all around you.  It is an unbelievable sight!  Make sure to get a spot early for the second parade.  If the weather is good, you might catch a glimpse of the headless horseman riding past you.

The parade or Halloween Cavalcades (as it is called now) has all the characters from my favorite rides: Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.  The gravediggers are exceptionable with the shovels and the sparks on the pavement.  The ghosts dancing are beautiful.  Then all the villains show up to party.  I was standing next to a lady that was messing with her camera, and the evil queen came right up to her and stared at her.  She was completely startled when she looked up.  Of course, all of us around her were laughing so hard.  Don’t get caught not paying attention to these guys!  You never know what they might do.

Treat Locations throughout the Park

My haul!

My sister and I had a blast getting our candy bags filled up.  She filled up two bags (one for each of her kids).  We went from one treat station to another all around the park.  Even with all the fun we had, Mother Nature had other plans and opened up the floodgates.  It rained so hard and fast that Disney’s drainage system was a little slow in getting rid of the water. My sister and I were running through Fantasyland to get to shelter, and we both ended up stomping in puddles that were over our ankles.  We had our ponchos on but, having squishy sneakers did not feel good.  Surprisingly it was a funny way to end the evening.  We were laughing all the way out of the park to the monorail.  

My advice is always to be prepared for the unexpected when visiting Walt Disney World and when it happens to try to remember why you are there in the first place – To Have Fun!