It may be only the beginning of September, but Halloween has been in full swing at Walt Disney World for weeks already. Magic Kingdom’s annual after-hours Halloween Party started earlier than ever this season, and if there was any fear that guests might not be ready to celebrate the spooky season in the summer, that has been put to rest. Fans waited hours in line for a simple meet and greet.
Disney Blogger Mousesteps posted pictures from one of the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party events at Magic Kingdom this year, which included a Nightmare Before Christmas photo op with Jake Skellington and Sally. She entered the line with no idea exactly how long the wait would be, and found herself in line for more than three hours.
We entered the Jack & Sally line at 4:10 without an estimated wait (the line was moving good at first). Now we are at about 7p and still have a ways to go. pic.twitter.com/ldb2RjFw2rAugust 15, 2023
Waiting in line to get a picture with a favorite character is something that can put you in line for a long time. The most popular characters have the ability to book times through Genie+ just like rides do because the wait can be just as long, but it has to be said that what turned out to be a three-hour and forty-minute wait is extreme for the most popular attractions, never mind photo ops.
The Jack and Sally line is officially 4 hours – we waited 3 hours 40 minutes. #mnsshp #notsoscary pic.twitter.com/UUnC8NNl5ZAugust 16, 2023
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of photos with characters, and the biggest reason for that is I can’t imagine standing in long lines to get them. I went to Sweetheart’s Nite at Disneyland, where photo ops are half the point. However, left without any because there were other activities, like dancing, that I felt were a better use of time than standing in a line to get a picture, especially since time is so limited for after-hours events.
Of course, I’m also on the West Coast, and Jack and Sally are regular visitors to New Orleans Square during the Haunted Mansion Holiday, the period from September to January when the Haunted Mansion gets a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. There simply wouldn’t be a line this long to meet them there. I actually have gotten pictures with them simply because the line isn’t usually that long.
At Magic Kingdom, it’s different, and this photo op is something that is only available during the special event. So if you’re a serious Nightmare fan, then you’re going to get in line to say hi and get a picture. And to be fair, it’s a great picture (though I’ve never loved the Jack Skellington half mask).
Jack and Sally #mnsshp #notsoscary pic.twitter.com/S7AQTVECQgAugust 16, 2023
Hopefully for the people who waited in a four-hour line to get pictures of Jack and Sally, it was worth the added cost of the ticket for the event. Even for those who waited that long they still had a lot of time to enjoy all the other cool stuff that happens during Magic Kingdoms After Hours events that makes them worth the cost.