Boy do they oversell this Halloween party!!!

[RedStars]

I think this will be our last MNSSHP: between the cost (it used to be less than a 1-day ticket), the crowds, and the lines, it's just not worth it anymore.

We go on Oct 21st and it's our ONLY park visit before our cruise: we want to do rides and the shows.

For an event that is billed as "special" and walk-on, I think it's ridiculous that it sounds like I'll only be able to do half what we did 4 years ago (and this time we plan on getting there at 4 unlike previous visits!)

 

[disneydentist]

Personally, WDW should have a HALLOWEEN theme with parades and Fireworks and a few "treat nights" for the kids and stay open like they would in JULY AUG SEPT and not charge an extra dime.

Same goes Christmas time- or to make everyone happy WINTER HOLIDAY TIME!

Not a bad idea given that after a certain date you can see the Christmas parade and shows as part of your regular admission (in exchange for some of the biggest crowds of the year). I wouldn't give out treats. It would likely tend to push crowds to those nights.


Problem is, people keep flocking to the parties as evidenced by these reports and it's incredibly profitable. Let's say 30,000 people average per party (just as a number) at an average of $90 per person. $2.7 million per night! Disney's not about to give that up and, honestly, I wouldn't either if I were in charge.

 

[js]

My family of four went to the Halloween party in 2000 loved it but havent been back and we go to Disney 1-2 times a year. Same for Christmas party. My kids are 24 and 20 and dont see myself going anytime in the near future with how crowds are reported.

I can tell you in 2000 there were zero crowds, walk on rides and we got a free photo, which is the same for the Christmas party we attended.

We were at Disney the beginning of September and it was silly to ha e the park decorated for Halloween, schools where I live were just going back that week.

 

[hereforthechurros]

We forget we are in the minority of WDW visitors. So while many here won't go back to the party b/c it's not what it once was, there a tons of people waiting to throw their money at Disney. I very much doubt they will scale back ticket sales for the x-mas party or any other party. People will pay, so Disney will charge.

In fact some people are dealing with the crowds by booking two or three parties, so truly WDW has no incentive to change anything. Make the days crowded and lines long so you can sell extras like DAH and EMM. Overcrowd the parties and people will just book two. It’s amazing!

 

[DisFam4]

We were there Friday 10/5 as well and agree - it was only moderately crowded from my perspective and we had a great time. I had feared the worst but was pleasantly surprised.

Also attended the Friday party two weeks earlier (9/21) and was not happy with crowds on that night. Our night ended up “just OK” but half way through I posted on the MNSSHP thread that the party had passed the “worth it” scale for me....way more people than most of my prior parties (which admittedly had been mostly Sundays and Tuesdays in early Sept). It was crowded all over the park, TOT lines, ride lines, etc. I was bummed as we’ve been going to MNSSHP since 2014 and it has always been one our favorite events.

Really can’t pin point why this past Friday and two weeks ago was all that different. Both Fridays. Both good weather. I’m guessing the $30 price difference (and no discounts) between those two dates may have had an impact.

Always tough to judge crowd comments on the DIS because we all have different perspectives, but compared to the reports from both the Thursday and Monday parties these past few days (Columbus Day weekend), Friday was surprisingly very manageable, from our perspective. We chatted with several folks around the pool over the weekend who had done the Thursday party - all repeat MNSSHP visitors - who said never again.

I do have to wonder how much the variable pricing plays a role. Thurs was a $89 party, Friday $109, Monday $99 (all pre-tax adult numbers). Friday had no AP or DVC discounts.

We were at that same party on 9/21 and I have to agree about the crowds, very busy. But.... we were able to do everything we wanted with little to no wait (some by planning and some by luck?) I also posted in the MNSSHP thread about my plan, and I believe my quote was "Let me tell you what.... IT WAS CROWDED!" lol. But with a good plan it can be done with less "stress" - we had just about 0 wait for our ToT lines because we went to those later on when no one was there. We also got lucky with SM as it was down for a couple hours and I just happened to check right when it came up, so no wait per say. 7D M&G was 30 mins (would have been 15) at 11pm - etc... We did absolutely enjoy the night even with the crowds, but we were probably in the 10% minority of having a well laid out plan and some luck.

I did finish my report with:
"So while we thoroughly enjoyed the party, unless Disney changes the # of people or the crowding in some way shape or form, this is probably a one and done for us. It really was VERY crowded and unless you had a plan all set before you went, you would not get to do what you hoped to do, imo."

 

[Shanti]

Going in with low expectations is a good thing.

I hear this so often on these boards, it should be the new Disney motto.

 

[twodogs]

We went last night. Went to MVMCP last year, and the DLR Halloween party last year for comparison. I felt it was pretty darn crowded but not unbearable. I had low expectations based on the reports here, and I posted a longer report of our night on the main thread. I checked wait times throughout the night and took screen shots just for fun. I never saw SM below 30 minutes, and often 40-50 minutes. SDMT never got under 35 minutes, and that was only briefly during the first HP show (which we were watching, darn!), mostly it was 45-60 minutes. Actual waits for us on most rides was a little less than posted, but not 1/2 the time or anything like that. Walk-on did not apply to any ride we tried all night. There were rides where the line moved constantly, but you were still in line a minimum of 10 minutes (I think 8 for Dumbo). We left after the second parade, so I don’t know what waits were like during the final 30 minutes of the night, but if you have to wait until the last 30 minutes of an 8 hour event (4pm-MN) to get “walk on” rides, then “walk on rides” is not a feature of the event in my opinion.

I agree strongly that Disney states NO WHERE that this is going to be low crowds, have walk on rides or anything of the sort. But the only way people can get a sense for the event and decide if they want to do it is the description by Disney itself (which seems intentionally vague) and other’s experiences from past years. And people who have gone in the past had felt the crowds were lower and rides were walk-on. So that information is out there, right or wrong. At least in 2018, I think that information is now not applicable. It is not low crowds unless it rains or something else changes the dynamics. It is busy, waits are shorter than a busy day at MK but by no means walk on unless it is maybe the final 30 minutes (and how many rides can you do in the final 30 minutes honestly).

We had a lot of fun, rode many rides (with waits), saw the HP show, second parade and fireworks. Did a several ToT stations, pin traded, ate dinner, had bakery snacks, did almost all of the magic shots. We skipped characters because we did almost all of them at DLR last year. If we had wanted to do all we did and characters, we would not have had time, based on the ride and character lines. If we go again, it will be to DLR not WDW for the Halloween party.

 

[twodogs]

I hear this so often on these boards, it should be the new Disney motto.

The difficult part is, DISNEY is the one setting “high expectations” based on their marketing of the event. So people are set up to be disappointed. They never outright say it is going to be low crowds. But read the marketing material and see what you come away with. I think they are intentionally vague, and this adds to the high expectations.

 

[Shanti]

The difficult part is, DISNEY is the one setting “high expectations” based on their marketing of the event. So people are set up to be disappointed. They never outright say it is going to be low crowds. But read the marketing material and see what you come away with. I think they are intentionally vague, and this adds to the high expectations.

There's no problem with creating high expectations if you're willing to meet them. Disney used to be willing to meet them. Now, not so much. WDW is gradually becoming "The Most Managed Expectations Place on Earth".

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I am worried about the Xmas party

me too. We only have 1 day pre cruise and I was going to do mvmcp for light ride lines. I may need to rethink the plan...

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

There's no problem with creating high expectations if you're willing to meet them. Disney used to be willing to meet them. Now, not so much. WDW is gradually becoming "The Most Managed Expectations Place on Earth".

This. A million times this.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

Do report back and have fun ! Interesting to see how you find it

Still here, waiting on my boys to come off Space Mtn...at 10:35 the posted wait was 50mins!

We got here about 4:10, made it to our Haunted Mansion FP as a downpour hit (that deterred no one)!! Then off to Space Mtn for FP #2. People Mover than Astro Orbiter than Carousel of Progress. Came out just after 6 to a 25 min wait on Buzz.

Hit 3 ToT lines, then TL Speedway (20min). ToT line at Cosmics.

50 min wait on SDMT, then 3 ToT lines, break for a drink. Made our way around the folks waiting on the parade. Rode both BTMRR & Splash with no wait. Then 2 more TOT lines at Splash.

Headed to Caseys, got food and ate it on Crystal Palaces porch and watched the fireworks - they were the highlight of my night.

I was set to leave, but DS flashed those blues at Daddy and here I sit waiting outside of Space Mtn.

Its been a fun night. I would not pay extra to do it again, too crowded for what I had thought a special ticketed event would offer. I am glad we came though! We probably have 15lbs of candy and the foreworks alone were amazing!

 

[wilbret]

I do have to wonder how much the variable pricing plays a role. Thurs was a $89 party, Friday $109, Monday $99 (all pre-tax adult numbers). Friday had no AP or DVC discounts.

Interesting theory. I'll be honest, the night we chose had zero to do with the cost, I didn't even note it. We picked the date that we could do. Probably could have tried for Friday, which is the date we've done, but we had to pick up the wife from the airport late at night.
10/6/15 (Tuesday) Amazing crowds.
10/9/16 (Sunday) Terrific crowds.
10/6/17 (Friday) Great crowds.
10/4/18 (Thursday) Ridiculous crowds.

Maybe the planets aligned for a bad night on 10/4. I'm still taking a break from it in 2019. Maybe. lol. We did the Xmas party before Halloween, but I'd be scared to switch travel dates to make it work. Ever since they killed the Osborne Family Lights at HS, it really turned me off of it a little...

 

[Maleficent Faery]

We attended on Sunday, September 16th and we thought it was not too bad, but this being our first time at the party we had no past experience to compare it to.
We got there at 4 and it was pleasant but it got more crowded as the night went on. The treat lines grew longer as the night wore on and at one point I’d had enough of the roped off areas for treats and the wait but the kids wanted to hit up every line lol.
The crowds lightened up a bit closer to closing. We thought maybe because it was a Sunday and some kids had school on Monday? Our friends who live in FL have a kindergartener who had school the next day so they left a bit early for example.
I suppose it depends on day of week, and getting closer to Halloween will probably get busier.

 

[CJN]

but DS flashed those blues at Daddy and here I sit waiting outside of Space Mtn.

I love this.

 

[yankebabie]

We went on 9/16 and was not bad at all. We only waiting about 20 mins for SDMT! That’s never happened. We actually got to ride it multiple times this trip . None of the other lines were more than 30 minutes

 

[Summer2018]

Here now. 55 mins space mountain. 35 mins for pirates. 40 mins for Big Thunder. 10+ mins for the “treat” stations. Crowds everywhere. Seriously? We may as well have come in July!

It's Columbus Day. I wouldn't expect anything different.

 

[shh]

I agree strongly that Disney states NO WHERE that this is going to be low crowds, have walk on rides or anything of the sort. But the only way people can get a sense for the event and decide if they want to do it is the description by Disney itself (which seems intentionally vague) and other’s experiences from past years.

I believe some people could be remembering the older ad campaigns from the past - like we're talking 10-15 years ago. When the parties first came out, they used to advertise them as an event that was strictly limited in attendance and gave you a more exclusive experience in the park with lower crowds. This was years ago though.

 

[billyjobobb]

A big part of the problem is that so many things that they added for the party are slow or don't move very many people. It can easily take 2 or 3 minutes for a family or large group to clear 7 dwarfs..... they might have a capacity of 60 people an hour on that. Wanna see Jack and Sally? Again, maybe 600 can do it in a night? The parade is a highlight. Can we get 30,000 people lined up along the route?

They need to figure out a way to have 4 or 5 sets of Jack and Sally so that the line can move better. There are plenty of people who would see them if the wait was 20 minutes, but skip a 4 hour line.

HEA probably cost more that Halloween fireworks, the parade can't cost a whole lot more than any other parade and the stage show is nice, but so are all the others.....

 

[only hope]

We talked to a cm about party capacity many years ago. She wouldn’t give a number, but said they limit it the capacity of the hub and main street so everyone can see the fireworks. I don’t know if she’s right, but it seems reasonable for Disney to assume x% of attendees will want to watch the fireworks from the hub/main street and limit tickets to near that amount. Since that conversation, they expanded the hub, stopped advertising it being a limited capacity event, and after that complaints about crowds started coming in.