MNSSHP cancellation?

[whiporee]

What you call hostility and negativity I would call reporting on my experience, honestly, in response to a question.

Every comment that isn’t butterflies and rainbows isn’t “hostile.” Some of us respect each other enough to provide detailed feedback...oftentimes because we appreciated the feedback given by others before us.

With all due respect, I've seen very little detailed or specific feedback -- what I've seen are a lot of unspecified, general complaints, complaints that have made the OP decide to cancel an event they had planned for and paid for. That's the original post -- based on what I've read here, I want to cancel.

We had one poster show photographic evidence, for example, that Main Street during fireworks isn't that crowded. And people with complaints shrugged it off. People talked about long lines, but few give actual numbers of how long they waited. If you cycle through a candy line in five minutes, does it matter how long the physical line was? These headliner waits -- how long were they, actually? Because Easy WDW said Splash, Buzz, BTMR were all less than 15, Space was about 25, Pirates 18, HM about 20, and that waits dropped as the night went on. Compared to a normal day, those are pretty low, and that was with a lightning storm shutting things down. If someone has different experiences, please share them, but just saying "it was so crowded and WDW oversold it" doesn't really help anyone, but it could scare people away because they might think "oversold" means "unable to move" and every feature taking an hour. If you're going to bash something, it might be nice to include the specifics you're bashing.

And I don't think asking for context is demanding rainbows. It's just asking for context, and to remember when the piling on commences, it can have actual repercussions to someone else's planning.

 

[mamaofsix]

We are in the same camp as OP. We shelled out over $1000 for MVMCP tickets for our party of 10. This will be a first party for all of us. What sold us was walk-on rides, low crowds and the free treats and entertainment throughout. These boards didn't give us that unrealistic impression / expectation - DISNEY's own advertisements on the parties did. But now we're worried. It's not just these boards - virtually everywhere is reporting packed crowds and negative experiences. Our favourite vlogs - Touring Plans, TimTracker, DisUnplugged, etc., all show ample footage of massive crowds - lines hundreds of people longs for treats, waits of 45 minutes+ for rides, hard to walk in some crowded areas, etc.

To be honest, those types of reports DO convince me that we are not getting value for our $$. We could have tacked on 2 more park days for the same price. Or done a different after hours event that would give us the walk on rides we were hoping for. I don't find the honest reports of the party 'dramatic,' I find them useful. If Disney really IS selling 10K more tickets for each party than they used to, I want to know. It will certainly affect how I spend my $$ in the future at their parks.

 

[jarestel]

I think the boards do a major disservice to people looking for information about Disney topics when they become strictly cheerleaders ("It's all magical and wonderful") and naysayers ("In 1 million trips, I've never had that happen to me"). People report their experiences, good or bad, and we as readers can utilize that to prepare for upcoming trips. But I would never use second hand accounts of something as the only reason to do or not do something. OP, if you're interested in MNSSHP and you already have the tickets, then go and experience it for yourself and then report your thoughts and impressions back here. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[disneyfantotheend]

People have been complaining of packed parties for years. They may be saying more packed than prior years, but if you look back to other years, you will see just as many complaints.

 

[dachsie]

Op you might consider waiting a little while before making that decision. It sounds like last nite's party went very smoothly and with little waits. The first parties they are still working out the kinks. See how a few more go and you may feel better about it.

 

[hopemax]

We have a party scheduled for 9/9 and I was on the verge of cancelling after watching the DIS Unplugged where they said how bad it was. But instead of cancelling we decided to take our break around 4 and walk back to the Contemporary to freshen up and rest. We will head back to the party around 7. The way I see it, we will avoid the overlap crowds between 4 and 6 and since there are no FP during the party, we will tour with no stress and do what we want as we come to it. If we cannot get a good spot for the first parade then we will try the second one. If that one is still to crowded we will go hit some rides. Crowd level is what you make of it and we will go in expecting big crowds and tour accordingly. If we have light crowds then it's a bonus.

We went to the party 8/28, and because of the rain, it cleared the park out a lot. We accomplished so much in the 4-7 block. Several attractions, took a lot of our decor pictures, picked up our Sorcerer Card, purchased the little bit of merchandise we wanted, were in position in the back of the park when everything officially started. It got much busier when the rest of the party guests arrived. Arriving at 7, I think you would constantly be fighting a school of people who arrived the same time you did, trying to do the same stuff you are.

And yes, even with the rain probably causing some people to cancel, we felt the party was much busier this year. We went to the same "Tuesday after the Epcot Pin Event" MNSSHP and the speed we could do last year we couldn't do this year, or didn't have as good of a spot (we watch the parade in Frontierland, and we were farther back for the 1st parade, and I had to claim a spot earlier than I did for the 2nd parade). Trick or Treat lines were definitely longer, and it seemed like last year, the line would let you hit 3 buckets in one go, but this year it was only 2 and a few times only 1 bucket. Sometimes you'd get a huge handful, sometimes like 3 pieces. Attraction lines were still reasonable, but I don't think as short. We had to choose between Pirates and BTMRR while last year we had time for both, and this year we didn't quite make it to the front of the castle for the midnight show, because we were still finishing at Mine Train. We felt that we relied a lot on being park veterans and knowing how to tour efficiently. We commented on how difficult it would be for people attending the first time. A lot different than my first party in 2006.

 

[DisneyLove2015]

It’s also 100% subjective. Like a previous poster, I was at the 8/24 party but I didn’t think it was that crowded. We managed 7 character meets including jack and Sally, Elvis Stitch and Moana, the first parade, the fireworks, part of the second parade, almost all candy stops, some shopping for merchandise and the hocus pocus show. I took my kids on some fantasyland rides from 6-6:45 while my husband was in line for Belle. We had plenty of space in front of us at the fireworks and we were in the Hub. We had a blast.

Don’t let these boards and reports sway you from experiencing something yourself. Have a good plan, be flexible, and prioritize and you can have a Lot of fun!!

 

[Selket]

I went to two parties this year - the August 24th and 28th and it did seem more crowded to me than the parties we went to (2 of them) in 2016. I don't know if it's cause they're August parties (those were late Sept/early Oct) or what exactly. The lines for candy were definitely a bit longer a slower - and I didn't do as many but still got a ton of candy. Waited in line for Jack and Sally (2.5-3 hours) - never did that before but that was def a long wait. However I'd gotten in line around 4:30 and was done by 7:30pm so missed very little party time. Had no issues getting a good spot for the fireworks and 2nd parade. I was watching a vlogger's video from the party on the 24th and the crowds do look like I remember them - and busier than other parties in my memory.

I definitely wouldn't cancel though - you can get a lot done (candy stops, a few rides, parade, fireworks, meet and greet depending on who). I also think I like the later Sept/Oct parties better because it actually feels a bit like Fall outside - lol! Late August and hot doesn't make me feel like Halloween.

 

[anomamatt]

This will be a first party for all of us. What sold us was walk-on rides, low crowds and the free treats and entertainment throughout. These boards didn't give us that unrealistic impression / expectation - DISNEY's own advertisements on the parties did.

Disney does not advertise walk-on rides nor low crowds for the parties.

Free treats and special entertainment -- absolutely.

Here is Disney's website for MVMCP: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/e...rty/#/drawer=drawerAttractionsOpenDuringEvent (it says nothing about crowds, big or small).

But the idea that parties should be nearly empty is not from Disney advertisements -- it's from boards like this one.

If you want walk on rides and low crowds, you want Disney After Hours or Early Morning Magic. For those events, Disney does advertise low crowds and low wait times. (some rides are still not walk on, 7DMT for example, even at those events).

 

[Dug720]

Disney does not advertise walk-on rides nor low crowds for the parties.

Free treats and special entertainment -- absolutely.

Here is Disney's website for MVMCP: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/e...rty/#/drawer=drawerAttractionsOpenDuringEvent (it says nothing about crowds, big or small).

But the idea that parties should be nearly empty is not from Disney advertisements -- it's from boards like this one.

If you want walk on rides and low crowds, you want Disney After Hours or Early Morning Magic. For those events, Disney does advertise low crowds and low wait times. (some rides are still not walk on, 7DMT for example, even at those events).

THIS!

Even for the (apparently by how quickly it filled up) super limited AP Play Time in TSL, there is this caveat in the further info email:

"Registered Passholders may experience wait times for activities and attractions during this event."

 

[rlessig]

I honestly believe if you give it time that these parties will calm down a bit. Many kids don't go back to school until after Labor day weekend. I would be willing to bet that these upcoming parties in Sept/early Oct will come with much better reports on crowds and wait times.

 

[maxiesmom]

If you want to avoid everything that gets a negative review on these boards, you may as well cancel your trip and stay home. Every single thing at Disney World gets negative reviews. Every ride, every restaurant, every time of day, every party.

If the only thing making you want to cancel are posts on this board, I hope you rethink things.

 

[monkyby87]

Here's my added opinion and view of the Halloween and even Christmas events at Disney World; you're paying extra money to go during this time of year because of the Halloween and Christmas activities. That's why Magic Kingdom closes early and restricts guests, it's because we paid extra for these special events, like the parades, fireworks, shows, etc. That's the point of MNSSHP and such, it's the Halloween stuff. If I just wanted short waits on rides, I would go at a different time of the year or even splurge and go during the special nights they have, I forget what they're called. I think people miss the point of these types of events. You go for the Halloween stuff that you don't get any other time. So when they go expecting something different and don't get it, then it's a big failure and disappointment to them. If you're going just because of supposedly shortened wait times or less of a crowd, I would argue you're going for the wrong reasons.

 

[StacyStrong]

What you call hostility and negativity I would call reporting on my experience, honestly, in response to a question.

Every comment that isn’t butterflies and rainbows isn’t “hostile.” Some of us respect each other enough to provide detailed feedback...oftentimes because we appreciated the feedback given by others before us.

Did you wait in any of the ToT lines or ride lines? What about for specialty treats?

 

[Disneylover99]

I was there on August 24th & the headliners were not less than 15 minutes. It wasn't Christmas Week, but it was uncomfortably crowded & lines didn't move quickly. Absolutely not worth the extra cost or even just the aggravation of trying to maneuver through the walkways with crowds, extra lines, parade block-offs, and the train down due to the party. I wouldn't have minded the train being down during a less-crowded event, but it was frustrating at this one, as riding it to avoid wading through crowds in the dark to cross the park would have been a welcome relief.

And no, I wasn't trying to do everything. We just wanted to ride some rides, see the parade & enjoy a relaxed, fun evening, but were so annoyed by the crowds (and this wasn't even on Main Street or at the hub) that we even decided to skip the parade. We had a great trip overall, but MNSSHP was by far the low point.

Everything else from our trip (Beach Club resort, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach) was stellar. I'm not being negative; I'm being honest. When people try to stop others from sharing their honest, firsthand experiences on these boards, it waters down the boards' usefulness to other trip planners.

The Aug. 24th. party was a bad night for rides. Several popular rides went down for extended periods, leading to crowded, and clogged walkways. I’ve read that wait times were actually lower at the first, sold out party then the second party.

 

[jmoney4080]

keep in mind August Parties are also still in the height of the peak season

 

[greg9x]

Disney does not advertise walk-on rides nor low crowds for the parties.

Free treats and special entertainment -- absolutely.

Here is Disney's website for MVMCP: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/e...rty/#/drawer=drawerAttractionsOpenDuringEvent (it says nothing about crowds, big or small).

But the idea that parties should be nearly empty is not from Disney advertisements -- it's from boards like this one.

If you want walk on rides and low crowds, you want Disney After Hours or Early Morning Magic. For those events, Disney does advertise low crowds and low wait times. (some rides are still not walk on, 7DMT for example, even at those events).

Agree that the boards can give false expectations.... been reading for years about how great parties are for walk on rides and low crowds (even if sold out).... even up until the first party night (which is one I went to), everyone was just hyping up how great the party was going to be (even if there were some first party snafu's)... So I was not expecting just how crowded it was in the walkways. I did try to give accurate waits that we experienced, which were reasonable since we did not do any characters, and we had an 'Ok' time. Just the crowds and navigating around put a damper on things... mainly because I expected less due to these boards.

Hard part is separating the emotional reviews ("Disney is the BEST thing ever !", or "My child almost died of hunger waiting in lines") from the factual reviews ("I waited 15 minutes for this ride at 7:30pm" or "I was 3 people deep for parade in Frontier Land"). Plus the fact that people at the same party can have vastly different experiences depending on what they are trying to do.

Think the narrative about parties now is that "You can't do it all.". If you pick your top 3-5 things then you will probably be ok, but you won't be able to see all the characters, ride all the rides and see all the shows, and hit all the trick or treat trails. (outside of a weather event that keeps the crowds away). Probably still going to be a while until the glory days of parties fades from here.

 

[Shanti]

keep in mind August Parties are also still in the height of the peak season

August is nowhere near peak season at WDW.

 

[DWillowBay]

i was just at MNSSHP on the 28th. Based on past experience: The crowd was not large. The candy lines were not long. The show was amazing. The fireworks are the best Disney has to offer imho. It rained early on, but then cleared. We had a great time. ????

 

[Love Tink]

With all due respect, I've seen very little detailed or specific feedback -- what I've seen are a lot of unspecified, general complaints, complaints that have made the OP decide to cancel an event they had planned for and paid for. That's the original post -- based on what I've read here, I want to cancel.

If you're going to bash something, it might be nice to include the specifics you're bashing.

And I don't think asking for context is demanding rainbows. It's just asking for context, and to remember when the piling on commences, it can have actual repercussions to someone else's planning.

There you go again - calling it “bashing” simply because you don’t like the content of the posts. Giving honest feedback is not “bashing.”

And I sincerely hope it has repercussions on someone’s planning. That’s the point of this board. I hope I can provide information that might help someone. I also think making assumptions about the OP’s ability to make a rational decision is really condescending.

And with all due respect, if you have not seen any specific context and details then I do not know what you have been reading. Many party attendees gave specific information about their experience, in an effort to provide helpful information. Did you read about the attendee who had to change her child’s diaper standing up because of the lines at the diaper changing stations? Or my post about how my son had to leave the party after 90 minutes because of how overwhelmed he was by the inescapable, packed-in crowds? Or the 30-minute line to buy a water? Or the line for the People Mover? Or the crowds in Frontierland for the second parade? What did you read?