Yesterday's show - agree with Pete

SWLeia

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 12, 2018
I attended my first Halloween party last year. I was so excited and anticipated that this would be one of the highlights of our vacation. However, my opinion only that I am sharing, it was too crowded and difficult to get the experience as described. I wouldn't repeat unless it was reported they sold less tickets. Changes do look amazing though!
 
I recall seeing a lot of varied reports last year - it seemed to depend on the day a lot. Some days he parties were sold out and then many people felt like Pete did but then some other days the crowds were lower and people still really enjoyed it

I also think it depends what you are going for - if it is the show and parade and fireworks and candy trails, then you can still really enjoy it ... If it is looking for short lines for rides (which used to be a big reason people would go to the parties) I think that is becoming less of a benefit
 
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to the Dis Unplugged team. I am currently planning a mid December trip (we don’t normally go then due to crowds) due to my niece coming from Germany and she is a first timer.

I was considering the option you all spoke about regarding foregoing a daily ticket and attending the party instead. We want rides more than shows. We used to do the parties years ago and enjoyed them. No way will I do one now.

I’ve been following you guys since close to the inception of these boards. I find your information reliable, trustworthy and fair. I love that y’all love Disney as much as we do.

I especially enjoyed the discussion at the end. We all have a story as to why we love Disney. (Is that it’s own thread yet?) And it is important to remember that when we also get so frustrated with them. Price hikes, crowds, etc. I often say that I love/hate Disney. But every few years, I find myself trying to figure out how I can get back down there. 😆

Thank you for all you do. It’s so appreciated. 👏👏🏆🏆

Oh, we are also staying at Gran Destino this go around based on your reviews of it and Coronado Springs as well. Super excited about it especially because we have been to Barcelona several times.
 


Last time we went to a party, we went for 1. rides 2.fireworks 3. maybe snacks and characters.

Back then, ride lines were still pretty good.
Special fireworks+ parade were fun, but character lines were - IMO -crazy. No way was I going to blow 45 party minutes in line for one character line.

But the REAL reason we have not gone back is that part of my group was too tired to stay for the whole party. Since then, I have been VERY careful about booking ANY prepaid events.

Alas, I've tended to regret the few I have booked. Again, we didn't really feel up to attending.

I LOVED the old $10 e-ride nights. Part of me would love to attend an after hour event, but experience tells me the price and risk are sadly WAY too high.
 


and at least on some nights people would love to see only 45 mins waits for some characters - some get hours long

Right.

So if I do the math... say a group of 4, at $90/85pp... an hour of time = $70 or more.

No character signature is worth $70+, IMO. But I don't suppose most partygoers stop to think about it the way I do.
 
I think it depends on what you make of it and timing. I’m attending my first Halloween party this year and I am very excited to do so. I’m going to go in knowing it will be crowded. I’ve been to WDW so many times that I just expect to deal with crowds. I’m going for the experience, and different offerings I can get only there and not the rides.
 
Parties are just another way for Disney to squeeze more money out of us. Same goes for “early morning magic” and “after hours” events. I’m at the point I don’t enjoy parades, who wants to sit on the curb for 2 hours prior? I never did and never will. As for fireworks I’d rather watch them from the top of the world at the Contemporary with a cocktail in my hand. Being crammed like a sardine and herded like cattle at a Halloween or Christmas party? No, thanks, I’ll pass. They really should cap off capacity at these parties to a decent amount where you feel it’s worth it: short wait times and less crowds.

I’m going in 2 1/2 weeks and never have I ever seen parks close so early in the month of August. Point is we’re paying more yet getting less; for hours that used to be included now you have to pay for those early morning and late nights! What are you REALLY getting at these parties? A special parade? Special fireworks? A cookie? I’m starting to see it for what it is...and unfortunately it’s not so magical :worried:
 
Parties are just another way for Disney to squeeze more money out of us. Same goes for “early morning magic” and “after hours” events. I’m at the point I don’t enjoy parades, who wants to sit on the curb for 2 hours prior? I never did and never will. As for fireworks I’d rather watch them from the top of the world at the Contemporary with a cocktail in my hand. Being crammed like a sardine and herded like cattle at a Halloween or Christmas party? No, thanks, I’ll pass. They really should cap off capacity at these parties to a decent amount where you feel it’s worth it: short wait times and less crowds.

I’m going in 2 1/2 weeks and never have I ever seen parks close so early in the month of August. Point is we’re paying more yet getting less; for hours that used to be included now you have to pay for those early morning and late nights! What are you REALLY getting at these parties? A special parade? Special fireworks? A cookie? I’m starting to see it for what it is...and unfortunately it’s not so magical :worried:
I havent seen any nights where they are open until midnight either like in the past. I was surprised only to see a couple of late hours added and if I remember correctly none are past 11 p.m.
 
Yes, they were initially advertised as an opportunity to go on rides with minimal waits. The parades, and fireworks were a bonus feature. This was back when WDW also offered e-ride nights for $10 to onsite guests. I think you could only register for the e-ride nights on the same day as the event.

But many folks didn't know about them, so they were awesome!

The first parties were like an e-ride night, but you got special fireworks, a special parade, and extra characters to justify the fact that it cost more than $10 for a party event at MK.
Even then, there were MANY threads asking if they were worth the money, and many folks went back and forth about the value of them. Initially, again, I think a few of the early parties were popular, but many were a bit sparse. Part of WHY people paid to attend was the low crowds.

Back then, we often had a choice: paid party OR- same night: go the EMH park for no upcharge.
 
I went the past two years (1st night in 2017 and 2nd night in 2018).

2017 was okay. It was extremely crowded, but after about 930, we could basically walk on Attractions, and it made it worth it. It was way to overcrowded, but once the night really got going crowds spread out. I did not have a great time. But, we were able to go on Splash Mountain twice as a walk-on, and a third time, by not even leaving the boat. That made it WELL worth it.

Last year was an absolute joke. It was so crowded, the park was not navigable. We had to wait an hour and a half to see the parade, and even at about 1030, small world had an hour wait. You could not do anything without a massive wait. As a man, waiting 10 minutes for the bathroom is exceptionally rare. The parade and shows are very cool, but half the party was spent waiting to ensure we could see them. I did consider asking for my money back for the first time ever, but figured lessoned learned, I won't go again. It was dreadful and awful, and really had no redeemable qualities.

So the MNSSHP is the only thing at WDW I really hate.

That being said, I really hope Disney makes positive changes and people have a wonderful time. If it was even %10.00 less people, it would have been a huge help. But when the People Mover has a huge back log, you know its bad.

Sorry to be negative! It does seem with these changes Disney is sincere about plussing the event. Hopefully they will lower the capacity in the process.

And I hope people have a magical time this year!
 
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We used to love the Halloween party. Back in 2007, we had a great time. There were no lines/crowds for anything. Characters, parade, etc. I've since done it 4 more times and after the last one I said never again. We waited forever to meet one character, there were no good spots for the parade or Hocus Pocus show and I could barely push the stroller. We gave up and left.

We're going this December and I'm debating doing the Christmas Party only because we've never done it before. I'm leaning towards no since it'll probably be another nightmare.
 
I've always assumed that when @rteetz goes to the parks, he just spends all day running around the perimeter of the park and doesn't even stop for rides or meals.
You mean you don’t do that?

don't forget taking photos of construciton and posting it and other rumors he is hearing to the News and Rumor board
 

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