New MK Paid Disney After Hours Event Announced

[Livvie]

A lot of people seem to think that the rationale for this is very low crowds with the rides being walk on. I think some people may be very disappointed when that doesn't turn out to be the case. The DVC parties, if any indication, were not like that, with a fair amount of crowds and 7DMT being 45 minutes. Not as crowded as the height of the day, but not dead either.

The rides won't be walk on, especially since there will only be 4 of them open. Four rides can't absorb thousands and thousands of people without there being long lines.

ETA Yes, I see the supposed list of attractions open that was posted before this post.

 

[Livvie]

Most posters here don't trust Disney anymore and are willing to anticipate the worst possible outcome.

But we won't know until the parties actually start.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

 

[WEDWDW]

Has anyone seen the definitive answer as to whether "non after hours" Guests will be allowed to stay in MK and shop and eat during the 3 hours.

I'm leaning toward they aren't going to try to clear the Park just for a 3 hour "ride period" with no specual fireworks or Parades.

If they don't clear the Park the After Hours Guests will not have an "empty" Park to walk around in and those of us who always stay in a Disney Resort will get to "experience" what non-EMH eligible Guest have experienced all these years!lol

 

[Mikie]

I can see people considering this over a single day ticket. But when the latest price increases were announced and single day tickets were tiered, I was told on many threads that nobody buys single day tickets.

I saw that rebuttal a lot too, and it makes sense to me (my WDW vacations are highly influenced by the pricing structure where multi-day tix get my daily rate down to $45ish). I can't relate to folks who actually buy those one day tickets, but I figure SOMEONE must buy them or else why spend any time re-pricing and tiering them? Now, perhaps it could be part of a larger psych effort precisely to get people to compare hard tickets like this to a one-day (which "no one" is even buying) and conclude it's "not that much more" . . . Plus low crowds!. . . Plus snacks!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Has anyone seen the definitive answer as to whether "non after hours" Guests will be allowed to stay in MK and shop and eat during the 3 hours.

I'm leaning toward they aren't going to try to clear the Park just for a 3 hour "ride period" with no specual fireworks or Parades.

If they don't clear the Park the After Hours Guests will not have an "empty" Park to walk around in and those of us who always stay in a Disney Resort will get to "experience" what non-EMH eligible Guest have experienced all these years!lol

A phone cm told a caller that day guests just won't be able to ride but will be able to stay.

Who knows if that's actually true.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

It's not true that NOBODY buys single day tickets, but they were purchased by less than 15% of WDW guests (that's still a big number of people). Their marketing of multi-day tickets is quite successful.

And judging from here, unless Disney releases the actual capacity of the late night event, there will still be those who don't believe it will be limited enough to enjoy it.

The list given to travel agents shows 27 attractions so I'm not sure where 4 attractions will be open came from.

 

[tlmadden73]

For informational purposes...this is what is being distributed to travel agents this morning. Answers the questions about which rides will be opened. Still no mention of any rare characters. The phrasing on capacity is still vague but slightly more illuminating (maybe?)...

Attractions – Astro Orbiter, Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Ranger Spin, Country Bear Jamboree, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, Mad Tea Party, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Prince Charming Regal Carousel, PFTH - Select Princesses, PFTH – Frozen, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Stitch’s Great Escape, Swiss Family Treehouse, Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Town Square Mickey, Journey of the Little Mermaid & Enchanted Tiki Room

# of Tickets - Capacity to this event is VERY limited (considerably less than our traditional hard ticket events. Guests will experience minimal to no wait times to the 27 identified attractions! Guests will receive credentials.

With that many attractions open . .(I mean that seems like almost ALL of them .. what's missing? Laugh Floor? People Mover? Enchanted Tales? Country Bear? Hall of Presidents? I assume the train, steamboat and Tom Sawyers Island won't be going either.) .. that seems VERY appealing ... 3 hours and no wait times? You'd be able to hit ALL those probably multiple times ... and at NIGHT (thus a different ambiance).

.For a kids free trip (or a trip where the grandparents can watch the kids while the parents go have fun) I would seriously consider this (but would do it on a "off" day so I am not buying tickets to theme parks TWICE for the same day.)

 

[norestneeded]

Has anyone seen the definitive answer as to whether "non after hours" Guests will be allowed to stay in MK and shop and eat during the 3 hours.

This was also included in the information to travel agents this morning...

"Guests will not have “exclusive” access to the party for approximately the first hour of the event due to park-clear method."

ETA - I imagine it will work like MNSSHP & MVMCP, where anyone without a credential will be denied entry to attractions and shops and herded toward the front of the park.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

So, they are anticipating that it will take about an hour for non-party guests to be cleared (during which it appears only party guests will have access to attractions)

 

[WEDWDW]

A phone cm told a caller that day guests just won't be able to ride but will be able to stay.

Who knows if that's actually true.

That's what makes sense to me.

It would probably take about an hour to completely clear the Park leaving only 2 hours of a "sanitized" MK.

I don't see them thinking it would be worth it especially sicne there will be no parade or fireworks.

So,there may be a "very limited" number of tickets available,but those Guests probably aren't going to enjoy the small lines in an "empty" MK.

EDIT-JUST SAW THE ABOVE POST!
SURPRISING TO ME THEY ARE GOING TO CLEAR

 

[Poppybeach]

There is always be plenty of people who will jump at this offer and feel that they got what they paid for. That is their prerogative to do so. It's their money. It's my prerogative not to buy into this. One big thing for me is it is giving me a bad taste in my mouth for Disney these days. Every week it is something. Some scheme which cheapens the brand in my opinion. To each their own but I am already decided that our trip in November is our last trip for quite sometime......if not ever.

 

[Tink575]

They'll have to clear all the guests who hop on a standby line a few minutes before official park closing to day guests. In effect it is now $149 for two hours.

 

[WEDWDW]

There is always be plenty of people who will jump at this offer and feel that they got what they paid for. That is their prerogative to do so. It's their money. It's my prerogative not to buy into this. One big thing for me is it is giving me a bad taste in my mouth for Disney these days. Every week it is something. Some scheme which cheapens the brand in my opinion. To each their own but I am already decided that our trip in November is our last trip for quite sometime......if not ever.

I don't think anyone cares what Disney comes up or what they charge for anything UNLESS it eventually leads to shortened Park Hours and the elimination of EMH.

Time will tell but that seems to be where we're headed.

 

[Mikie]

With that many attractions open . .(I mean that seems like almost ALL of them .. what's missing? Laugh Floor? People Mover? Enchanted Tales? Country Bear? Hall of Presidents? I assume the train, steamboat and Tom Sawyers Island won't be going either.) .. that seems VERY appealing ... 3 hours and no wait times? You'd be able to hit ALL those probably multiple times ... and at NIGHT (thus a different ambiance).

.For a kids free trip (or a trip where the grandparents can watch the kids while the parents go have fun) I would seriously consider this (but would do it on a "off" day so I am not buying tickets to theme parks TWICE for the same day.)

Agree it is most attractions, but no "people eaters" like shows or parades. Lots of kiddie rides at MK, which I believe will be less of a draw for the crowd able to stay up late enough for this event. And there are many rides that are indoor anyway, so no new ambiance at night, thus increasing the demand for Big Thunder, 7dwarfs because they're popular plus outside at night.

I just really think the success will be heavily dependent on how limited Disney makes it. Early reports will be a clue, but I think it will take a while to be realistic, because I don't know how well known this will be at first (therefore not achieving max sales).

 

[goodeats]

Most people on the DIS (either Disney "super fans" with APs or planning Disney exclusive trips) are not the market for this event. They are marketing to the people who are travelling to Orlando for a convention or planning to see Harry Potter and the beach, and maybe want to hit up MK too. I can't imagine many people with 7 day park hoppers willing to pay $150 pp for this. Maybe if there were beer/wine kiosks with free flowing booze and it was limited to 10K or less it would be appealing, but it's not like I've never been on BTMR a million times before.

 

[mouselike-harrier]

At these prices, $150 for 3 hours and the increase for regular tickets, so much for Walt's vision that WDW is a place that families can play together....

 

[Pemeberly]

That's a decent amount of attractions.

I'm kind of wondering if this year - or at the very least, the first few events - are going to skew the numbers. It seems like a lot of people want to wait and see what the reviews are like first. That could mean that the first few events will be even lower attendance with smaller wait times... but after all the reviews come in and people see the "value," ticket capacity could increase. It'll be interesting to see.

 

[Mikie]

Most people on the DIS (either Disney "super fans" with APs or planning Disney exclusive trips) are not the market for this event. They are marketing to the people who are travelling to Orlando for a convention or planning to see Harry Potter and the beach, and maybe want to hit up MK too. I can't imagine many people with 7 day park hoppers willing to pay $150 pp for this. Maybe if there were beer/wine kiosks with free flowing booze and it was limited to 10K or less it would be appealing, but it's not like I've never been on BTMR a million times before.

I could see conventioneers being an audience for this - company paid for airfare, hotel and food. This is only $150 total for them to go out after their day conference, shorter lines, longer hours still left of park time. Also someone planning a Central Fla trip who just wants a day at WDW. Rather than being the thing that pushes many TO Universal, perhaps it could be a way to capture some travelers FROM universal.

 

[lugnut33]

With that many attractions open . .(I mean that seems like almost ALL of them .. what's missing? Laugh Floor? People Mover? Enchanted Tales? Country Bear? Hall of Presidents? I assume the train, steamboat and Tom Sawyers Island won't be going either.) .. that seems VERY appealing ... 3 hours and no wait times? You'd be able to hit ALL those probably multiple times ... and at NIGHT (thus a different ambiance).

.For a kids free trip (or a trip where the grandparents can watch the kids while the parents go have fun) I would seriously consider this (but would do it on a "off" day so I am not buying tickets to theme parks TWICE for the same day.)

I bet I can ride all of those throughout the day.

 

[Mikie]

That's a decent amount of attractions.

I'm kind of wondering if this year - or at the very least, the first few events - are going to skew the numbers. It seems like a lot of people want to wait and see what the reviews are like first. That could mean that the first few events will be even lower attendance with smaller wait times... but after all the reviews come in and people see the "value," ticket capacity could increase. It'll be interesting to see.

Exactly what I was thinking.
I could easily picture great early reviews due to this not yet being well known --> great reviews of low crowds --> increased tickets sold til it's no longer the same experience. And this could happen pretty darn quick, so I'd think only very recent reviews will be relevant to a potential buyer.