Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Too Crowded?
Last year, most Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights sold out. We had a chance to visit Magic Kingdom during a few October event evenings. In this post, we’ll recap our most recent experiences with crowds at Walt Disney World’s hard ticket MNSSHP event and try to address whether it’s still worth attending this year.
You might recall that at the beginning of September, we shared “A Delightfully Dead Duo of Halloween Parties” rejoicing at the low crowds. These two Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights reminded us of the “good ole days of these events years ago” and we cautioned you against expecting the same, as these low crowds were likely due to Hurricane Dorian, the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, etc.
We’ve attended several partial Halloween Parties since then, most recently a sold out night in early October. We’ve had hit or miss experiences with crowds on those evenings. Some mid-September parties were fine, others were terrible. Now that October has arrived, crowds at Walt Disney World have spiked and several more upcoming Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party dates have sold out. If you have yet to purchase MNSSHP tickets this year and are on the fence, the question of whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is too crowded is worth answering…
In this post, we’ll address whether Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is too crowded, and also, what that even means. The second half is important, as ‘high crowds’ at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party mean different things to different people. This depends upon their past experiences, priorities, and even where in Magic Kingdom they spend most of their time.
If a family of first-timers to Walt Disney World attends an October Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party after visiting Magic Kingdom on a Saturday, and spends most of their party time in the back of the park doing attractions, their perception of the event will probably be positive. They’ll likely praise the short waits and wide open walkways.
Contrast that with a group who has attended several past Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties, but hasn’t been for the last two years. They are focused almost exclusively on the unique Halloween entertainment, and want to see it in the ‘best’ locations on Main Street. They also want photos with some characters–not all of them, but about as many as they managed to meet last time.
I cannot imagine this second group having many good things to say about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year. They are likely to encounter significantly more people waiting for the entertainment–and camping out earlier for it. Congestion on Main Street and around the Hub will be much worse than what they experienced three or more years ago. They’ll be lucky to meet more than a handful of characters thanks to lines that are rarely below 30 minutes.
One problem, and reason why different guests can have dramatically different feedback from the exact same event, is that too many Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party guests are congregating in a few limited areas of the park. Main Street can feel like it’s an 11/10 in terms of crowds.
Between the fireworks and second parade, the Hub can feel downright unsafely congested as people are attempting to leave and arrive simultaneously. I cannot imagine trying to navigate a stroller through this area–I’d truly be worried about my kids. (It’s unfathomable to me that this has been a known problem for the last two years, and Disney still has inadequate crowd control in this area.)
Meanwhile, over in New Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Frontierland, there are often wide open walkways at the exact same times, and wait times for most attractions of 5-10 minutes. Guests who use the party as a way to do rides with minimal waits are still likely to be satisfied with the event. Wait times have bumped up a tad, but they’re still minimal.
Guests who attend MNSSHP to see the parade, fireworks, stage show, and character meet & greets are likely to have a very different perception. All of these things have incredibly high “crowd density” throughout the evening. You’ll have to commit more time to each of these things, and are still likely to have a worse experience than in previous years due to increased crowds, and the unfortunate byproducts of that (more shoulder kids and people holding their phones high in the area to capture footage).
One thing I’ve seen Walt Disney World visitors blaming is the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Pass, which is essentially an annual pass for the event. I can assure you that this is not even remotely the case. On a nightly basis, the number of guests using the Party Pass can be measured in the hundreds–or even dozens–not in the thousands.
I’m not sure why there’s a perception that there are tens of thousands of Party Passholders, but that’s simply not true. It’s basically a handful of Halloween diehards and small army (we prefer “brigade”) of bloggers. For the vast majority of guests and even the social media crowd, MNSSHP is a once-annual event, at most. This doesn’t have a passionate and dedicated fanbase like Halloween Horror Nights.
The real issues are a combination of demand and, more problematically, Walt Disney World increasing the attendance cap for both the Halloween and Christmas parties. Demand seems pretty straightforward, but it’s actually a bit more nuanced than it appears at first blush–we’ll circle back to that.
As for the attendance cap, it has been increased upped over the course of the last few years. In and of itself, this isn’t a terrible thing. Magic Kingdom has had surplus capacity during the Halloween and Christmas parties for years, evidenced by the near walk-on status of most attractions and dearth of crowds in some areas of the park.
However, it’s a problem because guests don’t naturally distribute themselves to the uncrowded areas. Instead, people continue to disproportionately flock to areas of the park that are already congested. This might sound like illogical behavior, but it’s not.
As prices also increase, more people want to make sure they get commensurate value for money, which means seeing the entertainment for which they’re paying a premium. Fewer people approach Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party without strategy or even leave early. Everyone wants the most possible bang for their buck.
This isn’t the first time we’ve brought up this issue of disproportionate crowding. Previously, we’ve noted that the goal of the attraction overlays during these hard ticket seasonal parties is to help redistribute crowds, drawing people deeper into Magic Kingdom and spreading guests through the park. In so doing, that should ease theoretically ease some congestion.
Emphasis on theoretically. We have noticed longer waits for the rides with overlays and crowds spread out a bit better this year at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. However, that could just as easily be explained away by guests being frustrated by the chaos on Main Street and at meet & greets, and thus “settling” for those alternatives.
Those ride overlays would be effective at redistributing crowds if they were actually any good. The new Monster World Treat Trail is the best of the bunch, and even it is just okay. All of the other overlays are unambitious and not worth anyone’s limited time during the party.
Now let’s turn to demand. First, consumer confidence remains high yada yada yada more guests are willing to splurge on upcharge offerings like this. We don’t want to yada yada over the best explanation, but we’ve discussed Walt Disney World and the economy so many times that we’re becoming a broken record.
Another problem is that more people are discovering the “greatness” of the Halloween and Christmas parties thanks to social media. This isn’t to say these events were “undiscovered” or hidden gems before; both have been pretty well known for decades. It is to say past coverage of the parties has been handled with more nuance and depth, with guests making more calculated decisions about whether the events are right for them.
Instagram and other short-form social media don’t really allow for that. Photos presented without commentary showing Boo to You or Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular can go a long way in selling Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I know that if I had never been, all I’d need to see is a photo of the Haunted Mansion unit of Boo to You to convince me to buy a ticket.
Along these lines, there’s a lot of longer-form coverage generated exclusively via free media events, which often bear little resemblance to the actual guest experience. If your only MNSSHP is a low-crowds night in August and you have reserved viewing for both the parade and fireworks, plus your own private meet & greets and free refreshments, of course you’ll love it.
How much do you think that type of VIP evening resembles that of a normal paying guest attending in October? These glowing reviews help sell a ton tickets to regular tourists, who are then surprised that their experience is radically different from what they read or saw online.
Thus far, we’ve identified a lot of the causes and symptoms of the crowding problem at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but haven’t addressed whether it’s too crowded or still worth the money. In large part, that’s because these are tough questions, the answers to which are personal and will vary depending upon your priorities.
This year, we’ve dropped in numerous times thanks to the Party Pass. (The more we go, the less we’re effectively paying per visit; we’re incentivized to attend more, not less.) Even before the Party Pass, we’ve gone every year for the last decade-plus. Some years, we’ve bought tickets for multiple dates. To some degree, we justify this (mostly to ourselves) as being “for the sake of research.”
We flat-out love both the Halloween and Christmas Parties. The “Should You Attend” section of our Guide to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party covers this in detail, but MNSSHP is still worth it to us.
With that said, it’s a much closer call than it used to be, and we also don’t have the same sense of urgency as a first-timer would have to do everything. Even with the higher crowds and prices, we’re still sufficiently satisfied with the event because all we care about is the parade, fireworks, stage show, and doing a couple meet & greets.
Judging by reader comments this year, others vehemently disagree. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell where frustration ends from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party being significantly more crowded despite costing more, and where “it’s too crowded and we won’t go again because of that” begins.
Some people plainly say as much, so it’s clear that line has been crossed for many Walt Disney World guests. Without question, we’ve received far more negative feedback about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in the last two years than ever before.
Ultimately, the crowds are an issue and one that will only going to get worse as Halloween approaches. (If past precedent is any indication, crowds will be a problem throughout most Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates, as well.) Whether the “too crowded” line has been crossed for you, personally, depends largely upon your priorities and where you’ll spend your time in Magic Kingdom during the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
The situation on Main Street is bad, and Walt Disney World definitely needs to more proactively address this. The ride overlays are fun, but they are not achieving the intended goal of effectively redistributing crowds throughout Magic Kingdom. Really, the only solutions are capping the attendance at a significantly lower number, or adding something compelling deeper in the park.
Otherwise, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is going to go from “tougher to recommend” to “not recommended.” That’d be really unfortunate, as it’s an event with great entertainment that used to be an unquestionably fun time and something we recommended without equivocation to all Walt Disney World guests.
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Your Thoughts
Have you attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in the last two years? If so, what was your experience with crowds? How did you feel they compared to 3 or more years ago? Will you attend MNSSHP again despite the crowds? Would you recommend it to others? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We were just there Tues Oct 8- 4 adults 4 kids ages 4 &7. We went 3 years ago and loved it. Very different experience this time, we don’t need to go again. We admittedly arrived too late. It poured for a couple minutes, but at least we were protected. The mass of people made it hard to get anywhere and stay together. We got a decent spot for the parade in
Frontierland but didn’t get to see the Villains show or the fireworks- it was too crowded to move quickly and we didn’t want to spend the whole night saving seats. We got plenty of candy but we left the majority of it at the hotel when we left anyway. 1 kid with a peanut allergy got a teal allergy-friendly trick or treat bag and they gave her a token at the treat stations 🙁 We rode a couple rides, the wait wasn’t too terrible. We missed all the characters and felt like they were harder to find (or not easy to see amongst the hoards and not as many mainstream kid characters. The parade was quite a bit shorter than it was 3 years ago and also had less characters in it. The bus ride back to Animal Kingdom lodge was packed like sardines in a can. 1 adult offered her seat to us, but not a single other able-bodied adult offered a seat to any other kids I saw who were literally sleeping on the floor of the bus or falling asleep while standing up.
Its funny you mention the media presentation not meeting up with the experience offered to the general public. We attended the early morning paid event for Toy Story Land in May after seeing covereage everywhere of super low crowds and a less intense way of experiencing a land that was still in opening crowd phase. It was a nightmare and we waited longer for the rides than we had the previous evening in the last hour of operation. this was the wait to get in to the land:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxBDM_ggPV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
As for MNSSHP, we are not going this year and won’t be back for a while. Its got to be too much, and whilst we would always book 2 parties to get everything ticked off our list, last time 2 parties were not enough. I never thought I would say it, but after our last trip we are done for a while, and that after spending about a month at WDW each year for the last 10 years. However, we have just got back from Halloweentime at Disneyland which was a delight… we’ll be concentrating on DL, DLP and TDL for the next few years, and missing Animal Kingdom dearly. Its just got too much.
We were also at the 10/8 party. We are repeat party attendies. With our last party in 2016. We were shocked at the difference in our experience. Our night started by trying to redeem our pre-purchased party tickets in the park as we came in a few hours before the party. The cast member told us the only place to redeem them to get our bracelets was at the front of the park (which we knew wasn’t correct from previous parties, but went with it). Cast members sent us one by one to 6 different locations only to be dismissed at each one before we were finally se t to the right location and getting our bracelets. Went to Space Mountain, waited in line 40 minutes before ride broke down and queue emptied. Cast members emptying queue sent us to cast mamber stationed at Fastpass entrance to get Fastpass for ride downtime since we were about to ride. That cast member told us this information was wrong and nothing could be done since it was a party. Peoplemover also down. We ride 1 ride and did 1 trick or treat trail before my disabled son started getting knocked around and almost tipped over in the ECV he has to use. It was crowded to unsafe levels. The most crowded day in Disney we have ever experienced. We immediately sought sanctuary in the also overcrowded handicap viewing area until we could safely leave. This was our worst Disney experience ever and sadly the last day of our vacation. What should have been a fun, family night ended up being a scary, unsafe night that ended is disappointment and disenchantment. I have emailed Guest services days ago and so far have heard nothing. We will NOT be going to another party again unless drastic changes are made.
I went October 7. Space Mountain was closed down for three hours. No attraction was less than a 30 minute wait. It WAS too crowded and the amount of strollers was ridiculous. Who is the experience for? The sleeping kids or their parents? It’s not something I would ever do again or even something I can say I’m glad I did. And the price for 5 hours? The people who should be annoyed are the ones who paid for a day at the park and had to leave by 6.
Correction: October 8
If you have issue with strollers then perhaps a “family” destination like disney is not for you…
You can enter at 4:00 for parties. Doing that is the only thing that makes sense to me with the price of the tickets.
I feel bad for all of those people that are experiencing these holiday parties for the first time in their current state. I participated in the College Program in the fall of 2004. My parents visited that October and we attended a MNSSHP. My mother commented that the crowd levels were so low (even in October) that it reminded her of when she and my father had visited MK in the early days of WDW in 1976!
We attended MNSSHP again in October of 2006, this time with my niece and my cousin who were both 5 years old at the time. The experience was very similar to the one that we had 2 years earlier and at no point did we feel like either of the small children that were in our party were in danger because of the crowds. I can’t imagine it even being possible to enjoy the party if you were worried about the safety of your children.
I know this isn’t breaking news, but the crowds at WDW in general have gotten to be too much in the last 5 years or so. My wife and I visited the last week of October/first week of November of 2012 and crowds were not bad. We were even able to attend MNSSHP the night before Halloween and enjoy ourselves. We visited again, just 2 years later, in November of 2014 (the week of Veterans Day) and the crowds were noticeably larger. Neither of us had ever visited Universal before so we decided to spend a day there and it was a breath of fresh air compared to WDW, even in the Harry Potter areas.
Thankfully, it is still possible to have an enjoyable Disney Parks experience. My wife and I visited Disneyland for the first time on October 16th of last year when were visiting my brother who lives in California. It was a school day with a Halloween Party taking place that night and the crowd level was very low that day. It was so nice to walk around the park being able to look around and stop and look at things without having to worry about bumping into someone or being in someone’s way. We were also able to do all of the attractions that we wanted to AND have a nice, long, relaxing lunch at Blue Bayou and never felt rushed at any point. I know it’s a fantasy, but I wish that every visitor could experience the parks this way. I feel like this was the original intent when they first opened.
I went for the first time last year (Actually one year to date of writing). I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hadn’t been to Disney in 10 years so I wasn’t sure what to expect but knew that it gets crowded and I would have to wait for things. I did pay for the a dessert party which came with priority seating for the parade and fireworks. Other than that I decided which were my priorities to see or do and then everything else I did was a bonus. Worked well for me. I had a good time. I went to MNSSHP two nights the first with the dessert party and the 2nd without so I was able to spread out my plans. Really enjoyed the parade and my night was made when the Mad Hatter decided to pop out of the parade and give me a hug.
We went in August the first night available. It was so crowded to that we will not ever do it again. This was the third time in the past five years and it was as bad as if we were there at Christmas.
Went in October, worst disney experience ever. It was so crowded we couldn’t move. Space Mountain was down 3 hours. Paid a lot of money to be miserably hot and so crowded, couldn’t see the shows and parades because of all the people and attraction lines were an hour plus. Never again
I’m with you.
Went on September 10th. The crowd didn’t seem bad as we did rides, but when we went to watch the castle light/fireworks, I could hardly move and really couldn’t see Jack. It is frustrating anymore during fireworks because us short people are always blocked by some 6 foot dad with a 4-year-old on his shoulders! We had a great visit but the cost is frustrating when you don’t see any of the special greets or parade. We did get tons of candy:)
“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”
My family and I attended the MNSSHP on October 1st for the first time. Based on this experience I wouldn’t buy tickets for this event again. The amount of people in the park made it difficult to move anywhere and the candy lines in some spots were a 20+ minute wait! The crowds were far greater than a regular park day during the summer and about 3x the amount of people as there was earlier in the day. We didn’t even get to meet any characters. The parade was the highlight and the only part of the night that wasn’t completely frustrating. I hope Disney significantly lowers their ticket numbers next year. With events starting in August I just don’t see the need for such high numbers on any night.
We went on September 17 and we were so disappointed. It was so crowded and frustrating! We left right after the fireworks with no candy or anything. The kids didn’t even want to trick or treat because it was so crowded that we couldn’t even enjoy it. I wouldn’t waste the money to do the extra parties again which is disappointing because we love all things Disney!
We’ve attended MNSSHP for the past 3 years in a row on Halloween night and have enjoyed ourselves each time. This year we decided to attend early on Tuesday, October 1st, to beat crowds. Huge mistake.
The park felt more crowded than it usually is on Halloween night! We arrived by 4p and were able to ride Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain thanks to fast pass reservations booked a month in advance (via our Gold annual passes).
Once the party started at 7p we were able to take a photo with Pooh and friends, a photo with the Mad Hatter, ride Pooh, ride Peter Pan and watch the Not so scary spectacular, Hocus Pocus and 2nd parade. In previous years we had been able to accomplish all of this plus 4-5 additional rides and take our time walking around Magic Kingdom. This night everything felt rushed and like we were making a mad dash to get anywhere. It felt like Saturday evening on a holiday weekend. We were shocked.
I was so disappointed as Halloween is my favorite holiday and MNSSHP has become tradition for us. We also commented while waiting for the parade that Disney definitely upped the cap on attendance. It’s quite obvious, even compared to previous years of attending sold out nights.
As much as I love Boo to you parade and the entertainment, I just don’t see us returning next year unless it’s in August or early September (and forced to deal with the blistering heat).
Hopefully Disney will listen to feedback and utilize better crowd control on Main Street hub in the future. This is the first time in my 20+ years of visiting Magic Kingdom that it seemed unorganized and out of control.
This was the night we were there and I agree to all you said! We have been in years past and we were very disappointed in our experience this year. I emailed guest services letting them know my thoughts.
We attended a Mickey’s not so Scary Halloween Party in October of 2016. My family of 7 included my Dad, who was in his 70s, my husband, myself, and our 4 kids ranging from 1.5 to 10. We all hd an amazing time! we enjoyed wait times of under 30 minutes for everything except Seven Dwarves Mine and Peter Pan. We took tons of special photos, met tons of characters, and enjoyed special Halloween treats.
We attended on Tuesday, October 8 with the same group plus my sister, so a party of 8. Our experience was awful. Tuesday was predicted to be a lower crowd according to many blogs, it was not. The party was sold out and the crowds were miserable. I disagree with you saying that other parade areas have lower crowds. We watched from Frontierland. I have never in my life seen so many people in one place at one time. We did attend the 9:15 parade which is always busier, but it was ridiculous. We were unable to get any photos taken using Photo Pass and honestly only saw one available at The Haunted Mansion. Three years ago the photographers were everywhere especially in Fantasyland. We only met with the Seven Dwarves because the lines were so long for all of the characters.
On a positive note, the new Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular was amazing. We all loved the throwback songs, the changing appearance of the castle, and the well-planned fireworks. The Laugh Floor was so hilarious, but the never ending line of people only wanting candy was distracting. The Tea Party was really fun also. The Haunted Mansion was extra spooky and always fun, but we were unable to ride Pirates as the wait was too long. ALL of the cast members seemed overwhelmed and everything lacked that extra Disney Magic. it was magical in it’s own way, but unfortunately it left a bad taste in my family’s mouths. I love Disney and was raised in a Disney loving family from Disneyland when my Dad was stationed in San Diego to Disney World when he retired in Tennessee. I unfortunately saw stressed out Cast Members, over-crowding, and a lack of Magic during our entire trip from October 5 – October 12. I feel like Disney is turning too business like and worried about making money more than making experiences. Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful time and made so many memories with my family, we met some great Cast Members and fellow travelers, but saw too many stressed Cast members! The joy of Disney seemed lost on our trip. And that me sad to say negative things about a place so beloved to my family.
I agree with all of your statements re stressed cast members and crowds for the 10/08/19 party. And in our opinion- the lack of treat locations is creating LONG lines at the ones that do exist. I realize most people don’t go for the trick or treat but my kids love collecting as much as possible then donating it to our local nursing home and their school. It’s a bug hame to them. But with fewer locations, 1 or 2 pieces of candy per person, after waiting 15 minutes in a line… you have to wonder is it worth the game anymore? And we also noticed that many cast members are MUCH less polite than in the past… feels a lot more like an Universal Don’t Care hand me your money and get out attitude. We are AP holders of many years and this fall- we are NOT feeling the love…
We attended one of the early MNSSHP evenings in August, I think it was the second of the season. It was our first time attending the event . I agree , crowds were much higher than I anticipated. We waited longer than we have ever waited for any ride ( including Flight of Passage!) or character that evening to meet Moana. I know she’s not usually there at MK but goodness! Also, we attempted several times to meet the special characters at Mad Tea Party and struck out on all attempts , they would close the line for a break or the characters had to be elsewhere in the park so each time -no luck! So Moana was the only out of the ordinary character we were able to meet. We were disappointed by the special Halloween effects on Pirates of the Caribbean too-I guess I expected more for Halloween theme effects.
Something else I wondered about -people coming in getting the special bracelet , couldn’t this have been shipped ahead of time for those that purchased prior to event , it really slowed up entry and bottlenecked entry! I also noticed those in the park at close and is it on an honor system that that actually leave ? I noticed people without the MNSSHP bands still roaming the park after the party began -just curious how they actually control that and if people kinda hang around and still get to experience some of the party perks without actually paying the high ticket price for the party .
All that said it was fully worth it just to see the spectacular castle light show ! That was amazing -but the crowd control or lack of was terrible
We had a different problem. It rained and the second parade was delayed. So delayed it didn’t end until 12:15. We missed the last few things we wanted to do, got separated and the congestion on Main St. was unreal. The parade was so late we actually left where we were waiting, met Stitch (30 minutes) came back and caught the parade (we really didn’t want to, at this point we were trying to get one last dessert and leave before the masses).
The rest of the night was fine, we’ve been using the same strategy for years, but yeah when there are 30,000 people and they are ALL on main st it’s a problem. Also, I was sad to see only Jack & Sally and the 7 Dwarfs had queues early. We had nothing to do from 4-6 because we couldn’t queue up for any characters we actually wanted to meet until 7. Due to line length I feel we bought less snacks than last year. It just wasn’t worth it. We bought 2 desserts. I don’t know if we’ll go back.
It was also the same cost as the last Christmas party of the season last year. That’s too much, at least until they let you digitally queue to meet the characters.
I will say that we loved the set up for photos in liberty square we got the whole set of HM photos without a line. That was handled really well.
What do you mean queue to meet characters ? Fast pass ?
No like in Galaxy’s Edge when you get your boarding time to enter the land. Clearly they can let you wait in a digital line. They already use it. I don’t see why they couldn’t just tell you when it was your boarding groups time to meet Jack & Sally.
a character meet return time option for parties would be fantastic! i know some offer fp during the day, but not all do (and some should).
My girls and I attended the very first MNSSHP, years ago. Awesome time! Fantastic price! We just stayed on each ride, continuously riding, until we wanted to continue on to the next. Never a line anywhere. I believe the tickets were $18 each. Not much had been planned so the cast members handed out instant hot chocolate packets!! Very few of us dressed up. Great fun, though!
Hey Disney–- Bring the party back to better days. Higher ticket prices are okay but the delight of a special event is the ability to enjoy the park completely without crowds! Keep the magic alive!
We attended October 2 and would never go again. The park was jammed the ride lines were prohibitive and the queues for candy were ridiculous. We did a couple of rides but we eventually got discouraged and didn’t even stay for the fireworks. Just wanted to get out and away from the crowds. It’s awful that the don’t limit the crowd size. I feel totally ripped off paying for the ticket for 3 rides and $5.00 worth of candy. Awful. Never again.
We also went that night. It was our first time going to a special event. We won’t be going again. I loved the parade but the traffic to get anywhere was insane. All the people who spend the night on main street near the castle made it near impossible to pass to the other side of the park. The lines for the trails and to see characters was way too long. Luckily, my kids were happy just to wave to the characters as we passed them. 🙂 We had fun and made the most of it but we won’t be going again unless Disney does something about crowd control.
We were at the MNSSHP last night. It was very crowded. We only rode 1 ride during the party (Pirates), rode HM and BTM with fast pass prior to official party start. We did accomplish my Must Do’s though: Meet Jack and Sally, catch Hocus Pocus, Parade, Fireworks and Meet Lottso. We also left with a full sack of candy between the 2 of us and ate at Cosmic Rays.
We attended the October 8 party. We had read that Tuesday’s were a good party day to choose…for low crowds. It was a sold-out night, & completely not what we expected. We had read there would be low wait times for rides, & only rode Space Mtn, in which we waited 1 hour & 20 minutes for. The line for Haunted Mansion was so long that it extended all the way passed the loading station for Liberty Belle. There is a wall up opposite of that area, so there was no way to walk through between the Haunted Mansion line, & the wall. It created a pinch point that was not easily navigated. We purchased Memory Maker in hopes of taking Halloween themed photos. We were able to get 2 photos because the lines were just completely insane. We ended up regrouping….focusing the kids on treats, because those lines were moving. We did enjoy the parade & fireworks despite the crowds. Boo To You is the absolute best parade Disney does. After the fireworks, crowds improved. We were able to visit the Seven Dwarfs & Moana. The Seven Dwarfs were great!!! My daughter loves Moana & can sing every word to every song…& she was wildly disappointed. It was late, & I suspect it had been a long night for Moana too with the crowds because she was not friendly or fun. I could read her body language, but thought maybe it was just me…& my daughter said, “mom, she was not a nice character. She didn’t even want to side-hug, and quickly pushed me away.” I don’t know the definition of a sold-out crowd, but there were simply too many people in MK for MNSSHP Oct 8. We have attended in the past, and loved our experience. I can say without hesitation, that was our last one for the price we paid to experience it. A busy park day is preferable.
we were originally supposed to attend the labor day monday party 9/2 but dorian moved our trip back a week so we attended the tuesday 9/10 party. both were priced at the lowest rate. (i’m not sure if the labor day party even took place or if it was cancelled or if it was severely cut back. in any case, would have been a disappointment).
we had gotten up to go to HS for EEMH on 9/10, then left HS after lunch to try and get a nap in with the kids. We got to MK about 5:30 and got in without issue, got our first treats and were on our way to Moana, as I read she began greeting before the official party began.
i will say, i am not a fan of the party exclusive characters, because the lines are a nightmare. we did in fact get done before the party began, but it was a LONG wait, well over an hour. my kids really wanted Moana, and since that is literally the only place to meet her, we waited. for dinner i went to Columbia Harbor before it closed and ordered many of the menu items listed as snacks and carried them on a tray back to the line and we ate as we waited. it was at least a good way to pass the time, and we were thankful they allowed us to do that.
but there has got to be a way to make the meet and greet lines move faster- create a way to have multiple “rooms” with the same character behind closed doors and you are sent to a specific room. apply that at the parties and in the regular meets. even adding a second character cuts wait time in half. i am not a fan of the “when it’s your turn go stand for a picture and then go bye-bye” because i firmly believe in that personal interaction, especially for kids. but invent a way to make the line go faster, and having multiple characters would do that, but then of course they would have to pay more CMs and that won’t happen. we met Jack and Sally on a disney cruise last year so didn’t have to do that line, but we also wanted to do the dwarfs and that wasn’t going to happen, not with the liens, so we had to make a choice. the other must-do for us was the queen of hearts and tweedles, as our family was dressed up as alice in wonderland, but we didn’t get to do any other meets, as every line we passed was at minimum a 30-40 minute wait (Tarzan? jafar? forget it).
we also thought the photopass lines were crazy long waits too. we only got one set of party photos (which we weren’t happy with since they were snapping without a “look here!”) because we happened to find one without a line, but everything else we passed, at least a 20 minute wait. we ran into this all week too, so don’t be telling me disney that the photopass isn’t popular- they need MORE photographers, not fewer!
after moana we rode POTC with a very short wait. was not impressed with the live action, i thought it was very distracting. in the queue it’s fine but not on the ride. we rode Aladdin’s carpet with no wait and did the treat trail at jungle cruise with no wait. most of the other treat trails we passed early on had long waits so we skipped them for later. we made our way to fantasyland and rode the teacups (the best overlay in my opinion) while part of our party got in the queen/tweedle line. that moved better than moana, but we almost missed them and were the last party to meet them before the first parade. we ran into the stepsisters for a quick photo in fantasyland (but they wouldn’t sign books) then rode haunted mansion, which had only a 10 minute wait. we went and got our one photo taken, then managed to find an ok spot for the fireworks- CROWDED! we managed to only have a light fixture in part of our view… then headed to frontierland for the 2nd parade, which was not crowded, at least where we were- across from us only had people one layer deep. after the parade we started hitting trick or treat with no wait anywhere we passed, then we made our way back to fantasyland just by chance to see if we could squeeze in the dwarfs last minute but were not surprised the line was done. we met vampirina at the dance party, then headed out as it was midnight.
overall, we enjoyed ourselves and as far as the rides we chose to ride, we had no wait (i completely forgot about space mountain so i can’t say how that line was). and i was glad to have read the tip about waiting to trick or treat. but having said that, yes, it was still quite crowded. i agree the hub area gets to be unsafe. we have a sit and stand stroller and i am so thankful for that in a crowd so i at least know both kids are safe. but that many people in one space is asking for trouble. and the lines for photopass and meet and greets were ridiculous. there’s no reason they need to be so long. either come up with other options to have multiple meets or cut the line off after a certain number of people to ensure everyone in line gets their chance and no one else wastes their time waiting for nothing. the queen/tweedle line we were last to meet them? there was a line of 2 dozen behind us including one crying little boy who was also dressed as a tweedle (i heard the dad say they would come back to the line so i hope they got their chance). i am extremely disappointed in how they are handling some of these things, not magical at all. feeling like cattle is not fun. i also echo a number of comments about food- too many sweet offerings and not nearly enough savory, and only having two places open after the party starts is a terrible idea, but again, fewer cms to have to pay then. that’s why we purposely planned to grab food at Columbia before they closed, but we shouldn’t have HAD to do that.
will we go again? it depends. our trips have been cut down to once every few years, and i’d like to experience the christmas party at least once (this was my 2nd halloween party, first was in 2012). so if we were to go again, it would need to be a very early party date again and risk the hurricanes, unless they cut back on the crowds. reading other people’s posts, it does not make me want to attend any later than we did unless they start limiting ticket sales.
Back in August, I was able to sneak down to Disney for a quick 31 hour trip. My sister and I wanted to visit MK but the timing wouldn’t allow us to get proper use of a 1-day ticket, so we decided to buy a ticket for the 3rd MNSSHP of 2019. We didn’t care about the party specific offerings as much as we just wanted to go on rides and enjoy the park…the party things were considered a bonus. It was perfect! The crowds (outside of Main Street & the hub) were super light, we tasted some yummy treats (except for the cake push pops, yuck! – wish I would’ve seen your blog post first), and saw the parade & fireworks along the way. It was a GREAT way to spend our night and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone with the same objective as we had!