And the 2023 Gluten Free options for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!
See the 2022 review for Mickey’s Not So Scary Gluten Free here, and the Mickey’s Not So Scary Food Allergy Here.
Every year when the fall rolls in and the leaves change, we get to experience the fun of Halloween.
Just kidding
The leaves don’t really change in the fall, and Disney World starts the Halloween party festivities in August.
BUT we do get to experience Halloween!
Yep, it’s still 100 degree out and we’re sipping on pumpkin flavored coffee and listening to the Sanderson sisters belt out a ghostly tune. It’s all good though- we’ll take what we can get in florida!
So let’s talk about this party for those with allergies or intolerances.
I’ll be honest. The first year with allergies with my son (and myself since I was nursing him) was hella hard. I dreaded the holidays because of the risk of allergens.
That’s the good thing about Disney though- they *kinda* get it. It’s not an allergy free foray- and we are still limited, BUT I know I can go trick-r-treating with my kids, and they can enjoy holiday festivities with safe food. That’s a big win in my book!
If you are taking younger kids to MNSSHP, there are quite a few things you’ll need to know when it comes to the best things to do! Find all the tips for MNSSHP with preschoolers, toddlers and babies here!
This post may contain affiliate links, read my full disclosure here.
What is Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party 🎃
First off- what the hay is Mickey’s Not so scary Halloween Party?
It’s a special hard ticket event (which means you purchase the tickets separately). It is NOT every night of the week- it’s only on select nights and ONLY at Magic kingdom.
There are lots of exclusive things to do here, like meeting rare characters, doing special halloween rides (space mountain, tea cups, pirate of the Caribbean)
Kids and adults can dress up (it has it’s own dress code) and you can hang out in your halloween get up checking out the other people’s outfits, the fun character outfits, and the exclusive nighttime show and fireworks.
It is not ‘scary’. It does have ghouls, and grave diggers and a headless horseman. Some parts are a little too much for my younger kids (we don’t do anything spooky at home- no nightmares thank you!). But you can always check out my story highlights on Instagram to see more
Is MNSSHP worth it when you have food allergies?
Obviously, this is dependent on the person- so I’ll just give you MY opinion as a 100% gluten free household and a family with 10 other allergies.
If you are going JUST FOR SNACKS- then no. You can get these items at the store, or make them yourself.
If you are going for the experience, for the spooky shows and the dance parties and meeting all the fun characters- then YES. It is totally worth it. I’ll link some recommended articles below if you’re planning your trip- right now lets get to the Food allergy friendly goodies!
How does Trick-r-treating work? 🎃🍬
THIS is the BIG question- how does trick r treating work for those that can’t have some (or all) of the traditional find-in-the-store candies?
Here’s what Disney has done.
🍬 For the ‘normal’ people, they get a bag at the entrance of the party (and a started bag of candy) and then they go and wait in line to collect candy by the fistfuls from cast members with gigantic containers of candy.
FOR THOSE WITH ALLERGIES- we get a special teal bag with a cute mickey pumpkin, and we collect teal tokens.
You do go through the lines with the regular people BUT you do not get the candy there. Just the token.
Whenever you’re ready, you go and ‘cash out’ the tokens for safe top 8 free candies from a special allergy kiosk. You only NEED ONE token- they will exchange that token for a bag full of goodies. No need to hit up all the spots to get tokens (unless you are with another guest that doesnt have restrictions and wants to go through the line)
I saw two places to redeem your tokens when I walked around the park during the first party (I’ll be back a few more times so I’ll update if I find another place. )
👻 The first place was at the entrance to the park (or the exit depending on which way you are going!) As you enter the park it is on the right hand side at Mickey’s town Square. Please NOTE this is not open until 7- so if you come in early you will go through the side entrance that all parties go through (an alley to the right) where you can take pictures and get your first allergy bag of the night.
👻 The Second place was by Sleepy Hollow- which is located to the left of the castle.
When you get to the allergy station, You can talk with them about what foods are safe (they have a cheat sheet that covers different candies for different allergens).
There’s enjoy life products, and surf sweets and dum dums.
here’s a list of ingredients
And here’s what I brought home the first night of the Halloween Party.
There’s lots of enjoy life products like chocolates and cookies and the seed and fruit mix, some surf sweet gummies, some gogo squeez pouches, and some sun cups (like reeses peanut butter cups but top 12 free)
They also had some NON FOOD ITEMS- woooooooo!
I’m a huge fan of non food items, especially for those people that are on specific diets, or have allergies that aren’t in the top 8. Here’s what they had available at the party last night.
What We’ve learned after going to three parties for 2019
This year Disney World offered the Party Pass, and I snagged it, so I’ve been able to go back several times, 3 of those times I’ve done the trick r treating.
The first night was the only night where they ran out of treats- since then, they’ve done a good job of staying stocked up on goodies. We went by the one in Town Square at almost Midnight and they were still stocked full. That really makes me happy since I know some people were disappointed when safe options were gone.
Another things that we learned is that you don’t need tokens, or multiple tokens to get treats.
Twice now I’ve walked up without a bag or tokens, explained my allergies and received a bag. I DO make sure that when I go back later in the night that I have a bag and a token. I’ve only ever given one token for one bag. I don’t have multiple tokens.
If you go through the regular lines for treats- I recommend doing this after 9. The lines are very thin by then and you can ask for specific treats. For instance, my gluten and shellfish free husband loves skittles, so I grab him some of those when I see a shorter treat line. They also have GOGO squeeze ONLY lines. There’s one by the carousel of progress in Tomorrowland (on the right side of the park by buzz lightyear and space mountain) We bring the kids through that line because we can all get something safe and say trick r treat to the cast members.
Lastly, vigilance is still required. Even with a bright teal bags and loudly saying allergies, cast members AND strangers have offered my kids candy.
I wish I could say that Disney was a totally safe place (and it’s far safer than anything I could have imagined for my kids) but unless my kids wear a gigantic sign that says allergies, I’m just going to have to remain vigilant and speak up for them. Disney is our safe allergy place- just don’t get too comfortable. Even well meaning people can cause harm when it comes to allergies.
Party Exclusive Treats at MNSSHP that are Gluten Free 👻
Last year in 2018, they had some items that were ‘naturally’ gluten free (still a risk of CC for most of them).
There are three items- but let me say that it was confusing the first party for the guests, and the cross contamination risk is high as they are in shared spaces and premade (not made by a designated chef and not made in a back area)
Party Exclusive- Sleepy Hollow Cheesecake – found at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square
This was a hard one to get- spoke to two different managers- they were very confused. BUT i did get it (in shared space like all the others!) and I honestly didn’t like it. It wasn’t the creamy cheesecake I was expecting. Instead it had some crunchy pieces inside and the outer layer and a very different taste to it.
Party Exclusive- Worms and Dirt- Peco Bills in Frontierland
This was a pudding based treat. It was very cute- the most cute in my opinion! The little pieces on the top gave it a nice texture.
Party Exclusive- Sally’s Cake Pop- at Popcorn Carts by the castle
These were yummy according to my husband. He said they tasted like Angel Food Cake. I went to two different carts and they had NO allergen menu or ingredient list. I spoke with a lead who was very dismissive and said that the ingredients were listed on the flyer.
Do they have safe options and snacks throughout the park?
Yes and No.
During the Halloween Party they do close some of the quick serve options and restaurants, but they also keep some of my favorites open. I recommend grabbing a bite to eat before 6 at the parks or eating before you get there.
You can grab some of the above items if you are comfortable with CC, or go to one of the restaurants to speak with a manager about foods you can eat for your allergies.
You’ll also find the “snacks with characters” prepackaged snacks throughout the shops and at the confectionary.
Tips for eating Gluten Free at Disney World
Eating with allergies at Disney World is my JAM!
Kinda because I have to (my entire family has allergies) but also because we are Orlando natives and we know that Disney World is one of the safest places for us to eat!
Between my family and I we avoid about 10 allergens (Soy, Gluten/Wheat, Shellfish, Dairy, Egg, Tropical Fruits/Latex and some others!)
This site has an entire section dedicated to gluten free and allergy eating- which you can find here.
I also recommend checking Disney Food Blog (as she chats about allergy options in her regular posts) and the Fairytale Foodie (totally gluten free!).
What about the Dessert Parties?
Dessert Parties are hard ticket events where you pay separately to have a prime seat to watch the nighttime shows and you get options for desserts.
Some dessert parties are better than others- AND the one at the Halloween Party is a special dessert party that you can’t normally access (unless you buy the ticket for the halloween party and the dessert party )
This is a GREAT question that unfortunately I don’t have the answer to- it’s likely that it would be similar to the regular dessert parties where you get fruit, enjoy life products and erin mckennas products.
Conclusion
So basically, not only is the halloween party fun for celebrating the season, but you can also find something to eat.
If you don’t want to pay for an extra ticket but still want to meet characters in spooky attire, check out Minnie’s Halloween Dine
Like always, you can bring in your own snacks or food items so you can mix and match what you eat at the parks with what you bring in with yo.
Other Gluten Free articles you need to read
Allergy Friendly Fall Treats at Disney World
Gluten Free Reviews for Disney World
Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly at Crystal Palace
More MNSSHP articles for planning your vacation
Mickeys Halloween Party Tips and Tricks
The best days to go to MNSSHP according to this crowd calendar
All the yummy NON food allergy finds at MNSSHP with Pictures