MNSSHP- worth it?

Yes, yes, yes & oh..yes.

Here are my thoughts. It is worth it. MNSSHP is a hard ticket event so only 10,000 tickets or some low number like that are sold. This means low ride waits. When we went we walked on Splash Mountain..finished the ride and the attendant said we could go again..so we did..and then we went again..and again..and again..until we were soaked. This happened on a LOT of rides.You'll get more done in MK in one night that you could during an entire day.
Boo to You (parade) and Hallowishes (fireworks) are (in my opinion and many others) the BEST parade and fireworks that Disney offers.
The extras also make it worth it. Like trick or treating. You can dress your girls up and they'll be given bags (and you will too!) to collect candy all throughout the park. By the time Dave & I left MK our bags were filled with candy that we munched on for days. There are dance parties with the characters..which is an opportunity you don't get during regular hours. There is special photo ops with characters.
The entire vibe of the evening is just SO worth it and I think you'll be hard pressed to find someone that says "yeah..just skip it"..
My suggestion would be to take the day of the party easy. Let your kids sleep in and just hang out at the pool or in Downtown Disney. Then take a nap..make an early ADR in Magic Kingdom and party until they pass out. Then take it easy the next morning as well. Your kids will LOVE it and so will you!

While I would normally agree 100% with Bella (I love MHSSHP and go every time I'm in Disney World at that time of year), I'm not sure if it makes sense in your case.

One thing "they" always say about WDW is that if your kids are on a schedule, try to stick to it when you're in the World. They're already dealing with a LOT of new stimuli, and adding a night where they have to stay up until midnight with candy and characters and rides and parades and... might just set off a tantrum or two. I've seen so many kids completely lose it in the parks because they're exhausted, but just want to keep going and seeing and doing...so they fall apart. Poor babies.

Since it's your girls' first trip and the money would be a stretch this time around, maybe it makes more sense to let them stick to their regular schedule and not put the family under stress to "have a good time at all costs" at MNSSHP? Just thinking out loud.

Hi Mindy,
I agree with Bali. I do think that with their age and normal schedule the MNSSHP may be a bit much for you them this trip. And, to answer your one question, the ticket for the party is only good for one night. I do have to agree with Bella though too. I loved it!!! We did it last fall and will probably do it again in Sept when we go. It is a tough call to make. I am sure however that your girls are going to have a great time either way.

It's hard for me to discourage anyone from MNSSHP because it's awesome but I'd probably skip it in your case. Kids that age like the pool at the resort about as much as the parks and that's a much more flexible form of entertainment. If they get fussy at the pool you can just go back to the room for a nap, if they get fussy at MNSSHP you either have to abandon the party (so your $ was partially wasted) or tough it out with tired kids.

I share Bella's enthusiasm, but I'd save it for another trip when the kids have done Disney a little bit more and are looking for something more to be a special treat. That being said it can be amazing if you pick the right night and the crowds are really low. We always blow the budget on Disney trips, so I've never really thought about whether it was worth the money or not.

(Lol..I should add that I have never actually BEEN to Disney World with a young child..so I probably am not the best person to give advice.. )

So I retract my statement..get a babysitter and YOU go to MNSSHP.

I think the key is to make sure they don't have any bad experiences the first time. Take it easy and they'll want to go back when they're older and can enjoy more of the stuff there.

I think everyone read the title and came here to say "Yes, Yes, 100 times Yes!" It's an amazing party and totally worth it in the general case. But in your case I think I'm with the consensus that you might as well wait. It would probably turn into "Mindy's Not So Super Halloween Party" once the kids got grumpy, which would almost assuredly happen.

I agree with the above positions. For many, this is a hands-down favorite event, but you know your kiddos better than anyone. If you think they can handle one late night without too many blow-ups then go for it, it's an awesome experience. Keep in mind though that the party doesn't even start until 7pm, so if you're sure your girls will be running out of steam by 8pm I don't think you'd be able to get the most out of it. Also consider how 'into it' do you want to be? In my opinion, the Halloween party is best in costume. I'm sure it's all kinds of fun even if you're not, but for my wife and I it was wonderful to just lose ourselves in the 'Halloween-ness' (and it made for some amazing, and unique, photo ops).

I agree with bella -- get a babysitter!

Not a bad idea; Grandma won't hold it against you Kiddos would be sleeping anyway so wouldn't know the difference. On top of that, you could bribe them with your candy hoard the next day.

Excellent idea! This is really a possibility, Mindy. (Well, I'm not sure about the bribing -- that depends on how much grandma likes candy -- but the babysitter thing is possible!)

LOL, the bribery was for the kiddos in the event they figured out they missed something.

Ah! It all makes sense now!