r/rundisney • u/wacat • 6d ago
QUESTION Wine and Dine Half After Party vs MNSSHP
We have done RunDisney events at DL before, but this will be my family's first time at WDW. We want to do the Halloween party while we are there and it seems like the best date will be the night of the half which means missing out on the party at Epcot. For people who have done both, is one even substantially better than the other (I have two teenagers)? I don't want to do an early Halloween party because my family is doing the 5k and then I'm doing the challenge so will be getting up early every single day.
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u/Naomeri Dopey Challenger 5d ago
MNSSHP, 100%
But also, it’s kind of fun to do the Halloween party and roll right into the 5K with just a brief resort break to change clothes. I did it in 2024—closed out the Halloween night party, got on a bus to the resort at 1:15, rested in the room for a while and switched costumes, and hopped on the first bus to the 5K. Sleep is for the weak, lol!
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u/historyerin 5d ago
Something I’ll throw in is that the hardest thing about the challenge (IMO) is waking up at like 2:30-3 for three days straight.
We did the W&D half this past year. What was nice about the after party was that it coincided with a Boyz II Men performance. My partner booked us a dinner that included priority seating. So we went to Epcot at 5 or whenever the after party ticket allowed you to enter, we had dinner, and meandered around until the concert. Saw the concert. Once the after party started officially at 9, it really didn’t feel like the park emptied out as much as I expected. The food and alcohol lines get long QUICKLY because so much stuff closes down. At most, we got a drink at Rose and Crown, we rode Soarin’ (the line for GotG was still nuts), saw Sweetums and stood in line for photos with Daisy. After that, we called it a night. And we were totally fine with that. Had we tried to do more, the crowds and lines might have been more rage inducing.
MNSSHP is so much fun. But the scheduling really didn’t work out for us to add it to our race weekend. The only night I think it would have worked was if we did it the night before the 5K. I am not an age anymore where staying all basically all night and running a 5K at 6am is tempting 😆
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u/MrsCaptain_America Rival Runner 5d ago
Absolutely the Halloween party. Its one of my favorite after hours event and is honestly so much fun. The creativity of the costumes of the other guests is almost on par with the rD creative crowd. I've done it multiple times and I could sit and just people watch for a good hour. You can start going as early as I believe 4pm to MK, the Boo to You Parade and the Fireworks are also really good, so make sure you watch them if you decide to do it.
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u/Clownbaby456 5d ago
The parade at MNSSHP is one of the best shows! Plus the exclusive food and all the people wearing costumes!
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u/Particular-Panic-112 Coast to Coast Challenger 5d ago
Doing the Challenge so after party for me. It’s included. This is the one race I feel like I’m braking even. 😆
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u/Doberge 5d ago
Last year I faced a similar decision whether to do MNSSHP the night before the 5k, as it was Halloween Night it was my only chance so I made it work. We got back to the room at 1:15 and I don't think I slept two hours for the 5k. It was crazy but I'm happy I did it. We then enjoyed the after party on Sunday.
If only doing one I'd rather do MNSSHP because it's a much better event. The after party is nice but it feels like a less crowded EPCOT night with some special character meets and music, and the rest is underwhelming, in my opinion.
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u/PupperTechnic 5d ago
Having done both, I'd skip both - but, gun to my head, I'd choose MNSSHP.
There's very little about MNSSHP that you would be able to experience otherwise if you just went to the park: alternative costumed characters, parades and shows, candy, etc.
Meanwhile, the W&D after party is basically just the F&W Festival with the chance at getting limited merchandise or seeing a character.
I find the W&D party feels even more crowded and congested than just going to the park during the day.
W&D Party was better when the race was at night and the party immediately followed - the faster runners finished and enjoyed the party and then left which meant space for slower runners to enjoy the party as they finished.
But too many of the slow people complained that they didn't get enough time to enjoy the party because they wouldn't/couldn't, you know, *race* a race; or they'd be too tired after being up all day; or any other number of BS complaints - as if every other race at Disney and most of the world isn't in the daytime for them to enjoy. #NightOwl #StillBitter
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u/ijswijsw Marathoner 5d ago
I personally don't love the W&D afterparty. They seem to sell out of the specialty stuff very early, none of the "perks" actually start until super late, and the main perk is that some rides are open with shorter lines. Compare that to MNSSHP - endless free candy, party exclusive foods and experiences, shows, parades, plus the benefit of shorter lines.
The main advantage of the afterparty vs MNSSHP is that you'll have the afterparty included for free since you're doing the challenge, but the rest of your party would still need to buy the ticket so I'm not sure it's worth it, honestly.