MNSSHP Disappointment

[rg35]

We did MNSSHP on 8/20. This was our first time doing a party (or any special ticketed event, for that matter).

We didn't go nuts with costumes - got some Incredibles t-shirts for the 5 of us and masks for the kids. There were plenty of like-minded families in the park that night lol

Some thoughts:

1. They sell way too many tickets. I thought these are supposed to be limited attendance, more intimate experiences. The park was pretty packed. This is after I have been reading that Halloween Party tickets haven't been selling well -- I can't imagine how crowded it would have been if tickets were selling well. Waits for everything were long, and the forecastle area was very crowded during the fireworks show.

2. Following #1, the waits for everything were just too long. If you have a five hour party and it takes 30 minutes to meet Jack Sparrow, 30 minutes to meet Aladdin, wait 30 minutes to ride Splash Mountain and a similar amount for Thunder Mountain, you've used roughly 2/5ths of your party time on just four things. Wait times for 7DMT were still about an hour long (we didn't ride during the party).

3. The trick or treat spots all gave out the same exact kinds of M&M/Mars candy selections. No special treats or anything of that nature. This was really disappointing.

Some positive things:
The fireworks show was really cool. The castle projections were really great.
The check-in/wristband process was very smooth.
The live actors in PoTC were very entertaining.

While waiting for the fireworks to start, a guy from California who is a Disneyland regular was saying that he thought the Halloween party was also way too oversold. A woman who was a local to WDW chimed in and said that the Halloween Parties were "great about 5 years ago." This jives with my co-worker who went to a Halloween Party a bunch of years ago and said they were great - she couldn't believe how long we waited for things and that there were no special treats or anything else when I was recapping our trip for her this morning.

Overall, pretty disappointing and not something I think I would do again.

 

[NickC]

We used to do them when they were new. But, slowly, they became more and more crowded. The value has certainly diminished.

 

[cgattis]

Yes, sadly, they have become more crowded every year. Don’t know if Disney actually sells more tix (I.e was it ever actually capped) or if it’s just more popular. But our last one was, well, possibly our last one—regular length lines for rides, tremendous crowds for the parade (another 30-minute plus wait there), and REALLY stingy with the candy. Although honestly, OP, we’ve done parties since 2008 and I don’t remember any special treats ever. But I agree—they’re not nearly the fun or value they used to be for us

 

[DisneyFive]

Bummer that it wasn't what you were hoping for. I get it.

We pretty much only went for the different mood/environment and even moreso for the different parade and fireworks. For us, that alone was worth it. By the time we did our first MNSSHP in 2013 it was our fourth annual trip to WDW and we needed something different for a change. MNSSHP fit that bill perfectly. We've been back for MNSSHP twice since.

We never did any of the character meet and greets and did very limited trick or treating, so those didn't matter much. It's typically busy, but not packed.

As with most stuff it's all about expectations. We were just hoping there was good weather, since the tickets are non-refundable, and something new/different.

Dan

 

[Brett Wyman]

Yes, sadly, they have become more crowded every year. Don’t know if Disney actually sells more tix (I.e was it ever actually capped) or if it’s just more popular. But our last one was, well, possibly our last one—regular length lines for rides, tremendous crowds for the parade (another 30-minute plus wait there), and REALLY stingy with the candy. Although honestly, OP, we’ve done parties since 2008 and I don’t remember any special treats ever. But I agree—they’re not nearly the fun or value they used to be for us

Its definitely "capped" because nights sell out. But at one number Im not sure. Whatever it is it's obviously a high one. We always do the parties on the weekdays to hopefully have smaller crowds.

 

[Day-Day]

We attended one MNSSHP two years ago because it was the only time we would visit Disney World during our stay in Orlando. It worked favorably in our schedule and the price was okay being that we had no other tickets to visit WDW. We enjoyed the visit but saw the limitations mentioned by the OP.

I would not attend a party if I had a multiple day ticket including the annual pass. I'm not interested in meeting characters and would not get the value out of the additional cost. We are scheduled to visit next month and plan to visit the MK during day on party days and park hop late afternoon.

 

[skippytx]

I can definitely understand how you feel, especially with this being your first hard ticket event.

Here's my take on going to a party, mostly for other folks reading this thread

Focus on the special unique things that only happen during the party, not things you can do any other time at the parks. When we went last year we focused on the unique character meets, a couple ride overlays, the parade, hocus pocus show, and fireworks show. We rode some rides too, but that wasn't the primary focus of the event. We had a good time and thought the cost was fair all things considered. For the record I am NOT a fan of the increase in hard ticket events.

For instance, don' waste 30 minutes waiting for Jack Sparrow, you can meet him any time. Do spend time for unique interactions like the my personal favorite Elvis Stitch, The Gravediggers, Jafar, Cruella, Aladdin with Abu, Moana, etc. The magic shots are pretty cool as well. I also don't waste time getting candy. I can go to Costco and get a giant bag of candy for like 20 bucks. If I'm paying hard ticket prices, I'm not worried about free candy. 300+ bucks to get the family in, I'm not worried about candy.

I visit about once a year so I don't feel a huge rush to get in as much as I can during my time there as I know I'll be returning in the near future, so that may have something to do with it as well. If this is a one time thing, I can see wanting to do as much as possible in those 5 hours you get. Try to fit that stuff in between 4pm and 7pm before the party officially starts.

 

[hedg12]

We were there on the 20th also. I was surprised at how crowded it was for the 2nd party of the year, but I still enjoyed it immensely. We didn't wait more than 15 minutes to ride anything, although we didn't ride 7dmt. We're not big on charachters, but the parade and fireworks were fantastic. I did have a tough time getting into the holiday mood in the August heat, though.
I've read somewhere that they cap the Halloween party at 30,000 people and the Christmas party at 20,000, but I don't know if it's true or not. I hope so - looking forward to MVMCP in November!

 

[billyjobobb]

If Disney offered a party with a hard cap at 50% of a regular party night I would gladly pay double.

 

[MomOTwins]

It astonishes me that people are still surprised by this. Virtually every reputable disney blog (plus thousands of people on these boards) have been reporting on the increased attendance cap in the past couple years and how uncrowded parties are a thing of the past. Heck we have a thread on the first page of this board with literally hundreds of posts saying just this. Disney no longer markets the parties as a low crowds event: instead their marketing all focuses on the "festive" holiday offerings.

Just as a guideline to the OP: I would be wary of ANY information you get about Disney World from a colleague or anyone else that is more than a year old. Disney World has new offerings and changes old offerings ALL THE TIME. Now, folks looking for low wait times at Magic Kingdom for an extra fee can purchase EMM or DAH.

I will say, now that Disney World has switched the holiday parties over to higher attendance events, I do think it would be nice if they allowed fastpass reservations during the party.

 

[jackglick]

We have attended several parties over the years. Last year was our last one. Way too crowded and over sold. Couldn't even move around the park. Not enjoyable at all. It's a shame. Used to be one of my favorites.

 

[DisLiss]

We were there on the 20th also. I was surprised at how crowded it was for the 2nd party of the year

I wonder if more people are waiting for the second party to avoid the crush of people who are there for blogging/vlogging/social media reasons to buy new and/or exclusive merchandise on the first party night.

 

[Bjkandma]

We went to MNSSHP two years in a row. This year we opted out, $300 for party tickets, went a long way for souvenirs. We took some of that extra money, made reservations at California Grill and went back for the fireworks. Had a great view of fireworks and no one pushing and shoving. They also have a fourth floor observation deck at Contemporary you can watch from and it's FREE!!!

 

[rg35]

I will say, now that Disney World has switched the holiday parties over to higher attendance events, I do think it would be nice if they allowed fastpass reservations during the party.

This I disagree with. The only bearable part of waiting in line for attractions during the party was that even though waits were longer than expected, at least the lines moved at a constant pace because there wasn't a constant stream of FP riders to allow in.

 

[to be tink]

We went to MNSSHP two years in a row. This year we opted out, $300 for party tickets, went a long way for souvenirs. We took some of that extra money, made reservations at California Grill and went back for the fireworks. Had a great view of fireworks and no one pushing and shoving. They also have a fourth floor observation deck at Contemporary you can watch from and it's FREE!!!

Great idea!!

 

[Marcus A. Jordan]

If Disney offered a party with a hard cap at 50% of a regular party night I would gladly pay double.

Agree 100%!

 

[gharter]

We went 2 years ago and had similar feelings.
Except the line to meet Jack and Sally was 2 hours, not 30 minutes.
Agree that it is over sold. I was not expecting it to be that crowded. And I suspect this year will be even worse since you can get a prty pass and go as many times as you wish.
I thought the parade, stage show and fireworks were worth the price of admission.
Probably won't go for at least a few more years.

 

[buckeyegirl51]

Oh no, I am reading all of these comments and now I am worried. Part of the reason why we booked our trip was to go to the MNSSHP because we've never done it. Fingers crossed that we have a good experience.

 

[missnic]

Yes, sadly, they have become more crowded every year. Don’t know if Disney actually sells more tix (I.e was it ever actually capped) or if it’s just more popular. But our last one was, well, possibly our last one—regular length lines for rides, tremendous crowds for the parade (another 30-minute plus wait there), and REALLY stingy with the candy. Although honestly, OP, we’ve done parties since 2008 and I don’t remember any special treats ever. But I agree—they’re not nearly the fun or value they used to be for us

My thoughts exactly. We've been going for years - it was a must do until last year. Couldn't even move it was so crowded. We just got back yesterday and didn't even give a party a second thought. We watched the fireworks from Ohana instead. Really, the only thing we really missed is the ghosts at HM.

They used to give out 'special' items as you left. One year it was Peeps or something. I do remember that. I think there was something else, too, other than the party only items you can purchase.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Oh no, I am reading all of these comments and now I am worried. Part of the reason why we booked our trip was to go to the MNSSHP because we've never done it. Fingers crossed that we have a good experience.

I have been been going to the MNSSHP party for 6 years now and I can still have a good experience even though the parties are way over sold.

I love the parade, night time fireworks, Halloween decorations and the Castle Show. For me that is where I can get my value out of the ticket. Oh, also the Cadaver Dans. Well worth hanging around for their show and a pic after. A huge highlight for me! Oh and also Renata and Carlota at HM, so much fun.

It is disappointing that they over sell the party, especially as I compare the 1st party I attended compared to last years. While I like the special party overlays, it does make those rides, much more crowded. Before the Space Mountain and Pirates overlay, these two were a walk on during the party.

I do not do the character meet and greets, so those are never an issue for me. I think this year, I will wait to meet the Grave Diggers!

If crowds are not your thing (my DH really does not like crowds), when he goes with me, we pay for the Dessert Party. For us the reserved space is well worth it.

You can still enjoy your self