Hi Shane, it's great to welcome you to planDisney as you prepare for your visit next week!
As it so happens, we just spent a day that coincided with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and had a very easygoing morning with low wait times that continued until about 4:00 P.M. when party guests began to make their way into
Magic Kingdom Park. Since we weren't sticking around for the evening, I figured this would be a good opportunity to test this out, speak with the Cast Members and closely observe the way that they handled this at 6:00 P.M. as Park Hours for day guests ended:
- Though we were still able to book dining reservations for 6:00 P.M. and later on the My Disney Experience app, Cast Members began promptly checking for party wristbands for anyone seeking to enter after that point. (I observed as several guests were in fact turned away and directed to exit Magic Kingdom Park if they did not have valid admission for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.) However, guests who had already been seated even shortly prior to this were permitted to remain for the rest of their meal; the Cast Members let me know that they would then be on hand to guide diners to the park exit once they were finished. As policies are subject to change without prior notice and may be at the discretion of the Cast Members and their management at each dining location, it's a good idea to swing by earlier in the day to ask them directly and see whether you can dine earlier - just to avoid experiencing disappointment at 6:00 P.M. with any strict policy enforcement.
- I also noted how firm the Cast Members were in preventing guests from trying to linger in Magic Kingdom Park without being a party guest, and there were certainly groups of families trying their best to continue shopping or purchasing food well beyond the closing time for day guests with frequent wristband checks at several locations.
That said, I definitely hope that you'll be able to benefit from a lot of the rides and attractions that we got to experience with some of the lowest standby waits I've experienced all year, which could be largely due to folks and families without the
Park Hopper Option avoiding Magic Kingdom Park during the day in lieu of another theme park with longer hours. Be sure to check out the
Disney Eats Foodie Guide to the Halloween snacks and sips that you may be able to enjoy - though there are a lot of party-exclusive items, we also got to take advantage of several available during the day!
Here's hoping you'll be able to enjoy feasting during this frightful time of year!
Prince