Choosing between Not So Scary Halloween party or Very Merry Christmas? And why?

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I am thinking of booking a trip for a party, but haven't been to either the Halloween or Christmas party. Which one do you prefer, would recommend over the other and why? 2 children would be attending also. Also is October much more so pool weather than November or are they similar? We want to be able to go in the pool or feel warm enough to want to use the pool.

 

[scrappinginontario]

It really depends on your family preferences I feel. Our family prefers the Christmas activities over Halloween so for us it would be Christmas but just as many and possibly more will choose Halloween.

We’ve done both and Christmas will always win out for our family.

Another thing that would lean towards Christmas is weather. The Halloween parties are during Florida’s rainy/hurricane season so more parties are negatively affected by weather. The one time we did a Halloween party we spent the first 2 hours of thd party stuck in our hotel room due to torrential rains and lightning.

Guests dress up for both parties. Costumes for Halloween and family Christmas pjs for Christmas.

Bottom line is you can’t go wrong with either party!!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

It really depends on your family preferences I feel. Our family prefers the Christmas activities over Halloween so for us it would be Christmas but just as many and possibly more will choose Halloween.

We’ve done both and Christmas will always win out for our family.

Another thing that would lean towards Christmas is weather. The Halloween parties are during Florida’s rainy/hurricane season so more parties are negatively affected by weather. The one time we did a Halloween party we spent the first 2 hours of thd party stuck in our hotel room due to torrential rains and lightning.

Guests dress up for both parties. Costumes for Halloween and family Christmas pjs for Christmas.

Bottom line is you can’t go wrong with either party!!

Thank you. What does the Christmas party entail? And is it still pool weather in Nov?

 

[CynBeth]

We visit every few years around holiday time and sometimes the weather has been in the 70’s or 80’s but other times a little cooler. We really enjoy MVMCP so would say go Thanksgiving or later so you can see the storytellers at Epcot and Candlelight Processional and the deluxe resorts decorated. And the trees at DS.

 

[slo]

We’ve been to both and we all enjoy MNSSHP more than MVMCP (we enjoyed the Christmas party, just not as much),

I have some of the best pictures of my girls dressed up in their costumes for the Halloween party, and we love the Halloween/Autumn decorations a lot. The party is fun with trick or treating and seeing some characters in costumes. Let‘s not forget about the parade - love the parade!

If The Osborne Spectacle of Lights was still at HS and Cinderella’s castle still had the icicle looking lights at night, then I may say going at Christmas is better. I know the thread is about the parties, but when you go to WDW you have to think about the entire trip experience.

Another thing in regards to the pool - in October we’ve had super hot and also see your breath cold at night. Just be prepared that swimming could be a maybe.

In the end, you can’t go wrong with either.
Happy Planning

 

[Lesverts]

I dislike Halloween, love Christmas. My favourite party is Halloween. Though without Hallowishes I am not so sure it will be after this year.

 

[buzzrelly]

I love them both but if I were forced to choose, I'd pick the Christmas Party. Christmas is my favorite holiday anyway and I love seeing all the decorations not only in the MK but all the other parks and resorts too, whereas if you go for Halloween, there are fall decorations in other places but not as many.

The Hollywood Studios Christmas decorations are amazing and hit me in my little, growing up in the 70's, heart. Then you get the Festival of the Holidays at EPCOT and the super cute AK decorations. Christmas is just the whole package there if you're going to make a whole trip out of it.

And the piece de resistance is the Once Upon A Christmas parade during MVMCP. Nothing tops this for me, although the Boo To You parade during MNSSHP is a close second.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We do both every year. They're both good. Trick or Treating in the parks is fun and the kids might like dressing up. You get to see the villains etc. during the Halloween Party. The Christmas Party is equally great. They now do a treat stroll where there are a bunch of station across the park where you line up (short fast lines) to get different kinds of free treats. We do the Christmas Party in December and yes it's usually cool then. Last year, for example, it was around low 50s at night and 60s in the day. So some in our family swam on one day when the Florida sun made it feel warmer. It's hard to predict weather in winter generally, but even harder now(!) I think the kids would enjoy both, so go with whichever holiday the family overall enjoys more. I'm more of a Christmas person, so I prefer that one if I had to pick between the two. But I do enjoy the Halloween Party as well

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thank you. What does the Christmas party entail? And is it still pool weather in Nov?

What each party includes is a long list. Please read the posts on page one of these threads for that information:

Official 2023 MNSSHP

Official 2023 MVMCP

As for swimming, we’re Canadians who enjoy swimming so when it’s 70° or higher you will find us in the pool at some point during our trip.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you. What does the Christmas party entail? And is it still pool weather in Nov?

Weather is a total crapshoot in Nov. My mid-Nov trips over the last 5 or so years have had days hot as heck in shorts and tanks & days freezing bundled with hand warmers and scarves.

Problem is the Halloween parties are also subject to weather and more prone to storms causing parade/firework cancellations.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Late October is still hot in Florida; therefore, it's pool weather.

I love both parties. Both parades are top-notch, with very catchy songs. I've never done this, but sometimes the Halloween party is on Nov 1, and Christmas Party is on Nov 8, so you maybe to fit both parties into one vacation. Comparing the amenities of the parties, the character greets, fireworks, and parades are a wash, but I like the complementary cookies of the Christmas party over the Halloween Candy. I also prefer the Christmas castle stage show over the Halloween one.

Outside of Disney, Christmas is my favorite season, as I love the classic Christmas music, movies, and decorations. That said, if I had to choose between Halloween and Christmas parties, I would select Halloween because, as an adult, there are very few things to enjoy about Halloween outside of Disney. Outside of Disney, I only like the fall decorations of the Halloween season, but I am not into the horror or ghoulish side of Halloween. The extent of horror things I like are Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, or an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The Halloween Party hits a home run with the "Not-So-Scary" theming. It's the highlight of the Fall season. Dressing up in costumes as an adult and interacting with the characters is fun.

 

[Ronaldo17]

We would go for mid to late October for the pool weather and the MNSSHP.

 

[lilmc]

It’s like asking me to pick a favorite child……

 

[Marthasor]

I've been to both multiple times and I prefer MNSSHP. I think the parade is better and the snacks are better (the cookies and cocoa at MVMCP are not good, IMHO). Also, there isn't a lot of Halloween stuff to do, otherwise, in WDW in general. I actually find the Christmas offerings that come free with your park ticket better at EP than MVMCP. I am also happy just doing holiday resort tours during Christmas time. There is so much "Christmas" at WDW in general during the holidays that I don't feel the need to buy a MVMCP ticket anymore.

 

[DWillowBay]

We've been blessed to do both parties, several times. We tend to alternate our fall trips between Halloween party time and Christmas party time each year. That being said....I have to say that the Christmas Party, for me, wins by a smidge. I find the Halloween Party fun and the stage show with the Sanderson Sisters is terrific and the Cadaver Dans are a fam fav. However, I think that the Christmas party is a bit calmer and pretty. Again, JMHO. You'll have a great time with either one, so there's no bad decision regarding them. Have fun!

 

[1GoldenSun]

I love the MNSSHP so much and I am not willing to pay for both in one year, so I've never done MVMCP. This year I got reservations for the Jollywood party at HS though so I am making a change. Like a previous poster said, there's already so much wonderful stuff going on at Disney at Christmas, I haven't until now seen the need to do the party as well, but HS is my favorite park for Christmas so I couldn't pass this on trying this new party.

 

[TCRAIG]

MNSSHP is what I would choose 100%…it’s the only real Halloween themed event…while at Christmas time - there’s lots of other ‘Christmassy’ things to do other than MVMCP…

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I dislike Halloween, love Christmas. My favourite party is Halloween. Though without Hallowishes I am not so sure it will be after this year.

Did they get rid of Hallowishes? Was that fireworks?

 

[Kitty & Covs Covs]

We loved MNSSHP last year so much we are going again this year. We're also trying out MVMCP for the first time this year, but I am guessing that those posters who say there is enough Christmas everywhere else you don't really need to pay for the party will probably be right for us. I'm really excited about the DS trees and the GF gingerbread house!

Our hard decision was MVMCP over Jollywood Nights (doing three parties and two in one trip was just too much) and decided to let Jollywood Nights have its inaugural year, hear about it from you all/the YouTubers, and decide again next year. Hope that's the right call!

 

[Minnie1222]

Our kids like the Halloween party while we prefer the Christmas one, although lately they're too cool to hang out with parents so they don't come anymore ☹. This year we're going to try Jollywood with or without children.