4 Halloween parties in 10 days in August

[wdw4rfam]

Every year Food & Wine and the MNSSHP start earlier and earlier. We are going the 3rd week of August and never expected the park to be decorated for Halloween nor have the party start that early.

No kidding. We used to always go the week after Labor Day because the crowds were low and neither the parties or F&W had started yet. A couple years ago that all changed. Pretty soon you will be able to see 4th of July fireworks, then catch the first MNSSHP in the same week.

 

[Colleen27]

Who wants to go to a Halloween party in August??? It’s like celebrating Christmas in October. Dumb.

Well, to be fair... Doesn't the first Christmas party happen about 2 days after the last Halloween party?

And I'm a total hypocrite. As much as I hate the idea that Disney's party season has gotten this long, there's a part of me that wishes Universal would follow suit because we can't ever seem to get down there while Halloween Horror Nights are happening.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Agree. We did matching t shirts for a September party and we’re sweltering. Still hot at midnight. A girl behind us in line to get our wristbands, whose mother thought she’d dress her up as Jessie and brother as woody...was crying that she was so hot. 92 degrees and long sleeves, long pants, a wig and hat. Almost makes you think they need a disclaimer on the tickets, right after the costume rules that states-Florida heat is still in full effect in August and September- keep that in mind while choosing costumes

EXACTLY!!! And yes maybe they should do that .. you know why warning labels exist right ? FOR those people lol

 

[Betty Rohrer]

not that we are going to make it down but these August dates mean we could bring the grandsons to a party in that by court order we must have stepgrandson's mother's permission for any trip that means he misses 2 or more days of school which she refuses to give. if we could go no matter the heat it would great for us as we can never go until he is out of high school for a party in Sept or Oct.

 

[Disneylover99]

Chocolate didn't melt. In fact, we still have some from the August 25 party!

Never had an issue with melting chocolate either.

 

[ariane37]

I see both sides of this because when they started doing the parties in August I thought it was a tad ridiculous. We'd done 2 Oct. MNSSHP's prior to that and after the first one I fell in LOVE with the party!!

I will also add, we went to the first MNSSHP last year and it was fantastic.

We attended the 8/29 party last year and it was so much fun! I agree, it was a little challenging beforehand to get in the Halloween spirit, but the party was very manageable.

Many families in the North East don't have the option of being in Disney in September or October because their kids are in school. Those families typically head back home around the last week of August, so having parties in the middle of the month opens up an entire new demographic for Disney. Our family is one that will most certainly pay for a Halloween party in August, since that is the only time we could possibly go to one.

AND, because MNSSHP is my absolute favorite thing about Disney and to do when in Disney, we did an Aug. party in 2014-the first party of the season and it was fabulous! Totally UN-crowded. Hot, and being from NY it was weird to be sweating our faces off on (faux) Halloween rather than wearing 2 layers under costumes but we quickly got into the "spirit" of things once inside the park. And as @Tomh said, being from NY and having older kids it's now difficult to get down there in Sept. (we start school after Labor Day) and even in Oct. since they only get 2 days off and not together. So while I get people feeling the parties start too early and feeling that the holiday mood won't be there, I'm glad they do start them early. And glad we'll most likely get to go again this August!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Who wants to go to a Halloween party in August??? It’s like celebrating Christmas in October. Dumb. Not to mention that chocolate candy will be nasty melted since it’s still like 90 degrees at night in August. No thanks.

Ours melted at the end of September......

So it's "dumb" to go to a Halloween party in August, but totally acceptable to go in September?

I have seen it plenty with clueless parents that dress their kids up in in fluffy dresses and full make up in the dead of summer .. so yeh I completely think if it’s a Halloween party they wouldn’t hesitate how is it possible that “ you know for sure “ but no one else can possibly have seen otherwise ? come on .. lol

So you're saying parents make clueless decisions regarding dressing their children all days of the year. Agreed. But Disney should make park decisions based on what clueless parents are going to do? They'd need to shut down the entire resort.

Agree. We did matching t shirts for a September party and we’re sweltering. Still hot at midnight. A girl behind us in line to get our wristbands, whose mother thought she’d dress her up as Jessie and brother as woody...was crying that she was so hot. 92 degrees and long sleeves, long pants, a wig and hat. Almost makes you think they need a disclaimer on the tickets, right after the costume rules that states-Florida heat is still in full effect in August and September- keep that in mind while choosing costumes

I think people are fully capable of checking the weather. This is not Disney's responsibility. As Fldisneyfamily4321 has stated time and time again on this thread, she sees this all the time at WDW on regular park days. As Disney will say, "we cannot control guest behavior". They also cannot control the weather nor need to make a disclaimer. It's not Disney's fault those parents dressed their children like that. At what point do guests take responsibility for their own behavior? And for those, like us, who actually check the weather, know it will be hot and dress appropriately, we are supposed to not attend a party because some people can't check the weather and make appropriate decisions?

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

If your going to quote me at least use it correctly ... I CLEARLY said in the dead of summer .. and that statement is the same , what would make me think if they can put all that junk on their kids during a regular Park day at 100 degrees and 100% humidity that they would not hesitate to do it for a Halloween party ?
Do you happen to be from Florida ? I get your a “ dis vet “ but how often is that ? Central Florida summer weather can be downright dangerous.. especially to elderly and young kids , it’s sad to see very young kids that really don’t have their own choice not to where all that junk when it’s that hot .. and their parents wonder why they are cranky and crying

 

[LilyWDW]

Eh... there is obviously enough demand that Disney is willing to extend the dates. You are not forced to go to the parties and it is not that hard to plan around them. I normally go in October so I know what it is like to plan around MK closing early. Not a huge deal to do even if your trips are short. This year my trip is only 5 days long (4 park days) and the party days have not really impacted it.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Normally I would say it's too early in the real world, but this is WDW we are discussing. I am very excited about attending the party Labor Day week. Then I will go home and complain about decorations being sold too soon in stores.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Well, to be fair... Doesn't the first Christmas party happen about 2 days after the last Halloween party?

Not for 2017. The MVMCP Schedule was set back to begin on November 7th due to the ABC & Disney Channel Holiday Specials being taped in all 4 parks.

A break from parties but taping was taking place for 4 or 5 days in MK.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We were there in early September 2016 (had to cancel Sep 2017 trip due to Irma) and there were 4 MNSSHP scheduled during our trip. We loved spending those days in the MK as the party meant many people did not go to the MK those days. We would go to MK on a party day again in a heartbeat!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If your going to quote me at least use it correctly ... I CLEARLY said in the dead of summer .. and that statement is the same , what would make me think if they can put all that junk on their kids during a regular Park day at 100 degrees and 100% humidity that they would not hesitate to do it for a Halloween party ?
Do you happen to be from Florida ? I get your a “ dis vet “ but how often is that ? Central Florida summer weather can be downright dangerous.. especially to elderly and young kids , it’s sad to see very young kids that really don’t have their own choice not to where all that junk when it’s that hot .. and their parents wonder why they are cranky and crying

I am agreeing with you. Parents shouldn't dress their children like that in the dead of summer whether it's a regular park day or a Halloween party. I have stayed onsite over 40 times over the last 10 years and 7 of those times have been the last week of August (including the year that Orlando had the highest heat index on record). I am incredibly familiar with how hot it is in the dead of summer in WDW. I do not understand the point, however, that Disney is somehow responsible for parents dressing their children this way and should, perhaps, not schedule a Halloween party in August because parents will continue to do this. This argument could be extended to - Disney should also shut down BBB and Pirate's League at this time because it incentivizes the same behavior. The other PP suggested Disney put a disclaimer on tickets that it will be hot. I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. Disney can't fix stupid. I did go to a Halloween party in August. I did not witness any children dressed in hot costumes, makeup or masks on the evening we attended. I also witnessed no cranky or crying children on the evening we went. There were many responsible parents in attendance. We enjoyed the party and will go again this year. I happen to think it's terrible to keep toddlers up until midnight so people can get their "money's worth" at these parties, but I'm not arguing that Disney should stop the party at 9 pm so parents get their children to bed at a reasonable hour. It's simply not Disney's responsibility to police this and I don't think it should enter their conversations when planning these events. That's ALL I'm saying.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Take a look at July hours for HS. Yes they have EMH every day, but 7AM to 8AM. You would think it would stay open later. July 8AM to 10PM every day but in August 9AM to 9PM with 1 EMH morning on Sunday. Then starting on the week of 8/19 in drops to 8:30PM. Someone has lost their mind. I hope they come to their senses.

It's still just February and the opening of TSL was only announced this week. There is still lots of time for Disney to update hours. I've even had them change the hours the actual day I'm in a park. It's far too early to panic or be concerned. Lots can change between now and then.

 

[lovewdwfun]

I love Halloween parties in August! We tend to go at the end of the month. It really helps with crowds - we head to MK around rope drop and leave by early afternoon to go to another park or rest. We have little kids so it works perfectly for our touring plans. I do understand the frustration of those who are night owls, but for now, it works for us!

My big complaint is that they have priced us out of the parties. We are a family of 6 and I can’t justify the price. I do understand why Disney does it though - they are here to make money. I’ll show them, though, by refusing to pay for the party. Instead, I’ll save the money for something else - like a Disney Cruise or Disneyland.

 

[jimim]

i just saw this thread.

I know this is not going to be popular and I will get flamed but I am going to say it.

Halloween party August 17th? Really?

Is Disney getting a little nuts about these parties?

I am there for 10 nights starting 8/21 and there are 4 parties where the Magic Kingdom closes at 6PM. Should I not be mad about this? I thought Disney was trying to reduce crowds by jacking up ticket prices. This is only make things worse. On 8/21 for instance HS AND AK close at 8:30pm. So the only choice is EPCOT with EMH from 9 to 11. What do y’all I think that’s going to be like?

Sorry MNSSHP fans but this is ridiculous.

8/21, 8/24, 8/28, 8/31

i feel you. i love the halloween party. i think it is still one of the best nights at disney. yes it's col they are making more available for others who can't travel in october or that area cause of school say, but ya kinda doesn't have any halloween feeling to it. like if the holiday party was in august.

it would just not feel like halloween. i would deff do it but i wouldn't have the kids dress up or anything. just way too hot.

but again stores have halloween candy out by then. lol and xmas tress too by then right? lol i'm kidding.

 

[jimim]

If your going to quote me at least use it correctly ... I CLEARLY said in the dead of summer .. and that statement is the same , what would make me think if they can put all that junk on their kids during a regular Park day at 100 degrees and 100% humidity that they would not hesitate to do it for a Halloween party ?
Do you happen to be from Florida ? I get your a “ dis vet “ but how often is that ? Central Florida summer weather can be downright dangerous.. especially to elderly and young kids , it’s sad to see very young kids that really don’t have their own choice not to where all that junk when it’s that hot .. and their parents wonder why they are cranky and crying

i hear you about that august heat. not a florida resident but ur summers are humid. i mean we get some high humidity up her in NEPA but ur humidity is on a totally diff level. lol you literally stick to your cloths the minute you walk outside. i have to keep my camera in a bag for 1 hr before we leave the room or i can't use it for most of the day. it's crazy. we try to dress the kids as light as possible. it's just tough. but i still say disney doesn't feel like disney without the heat. maybe it's cause as a kid it was the only times i went and it's etched in my memory. but august is humid. i don't know how you locals do it.

 

[Ds4angels]

It makes me mad because we specifically booked the 3rd week in August so we wouldn't have to plan around MNSSHP and now they made the party a week earlier. And since we are staying at the campgrounds it's much harder to switch our reservations.
And I refuse to spend money on park hoppers just because they want to cut hours at MK

 

[wdw4rfam]

So it's "dumb" to go to a Halloween party in August, but totally acceptable to go in September?



So you're saying parents make clueless decisions regarding dressing their children all days of the year. Agreed. But Disney should make park decisions based on what clueless parents are going to do? They'd need to shut down the entire resort.



I think people are fully capable of checking the weather. This is not Disney's responsibility. As Fldisneyfamily4321 has stated time and time again on this thread, she sees this all the time at WDW on regular park days. As Disney will say, "we cannot control guest behavior". They also cannot control the weather nor need to make a disclaimer. It's not Disney's fault those parents dressed their children like that. At what point do guests take responsibility for their own behavior? And for those, like us, who actually check the weather, know it will be hot and dress appropriately, we are supposed to not attend a party because some people can't check the weather and make appropriate decisions?

wow someone’s taking this a little personal...Yes, by the way I went to the party at the end of September. I think mid august is waaaay early to celebrate Halloween.To each is own. I personally don’t see it, but it’s not going to affect me as I don’t go to Disney in August anyways, so have at it.

 

[disneyvoice]

While I agree that August seems a bit early for Halloween, we actually love going to MK on party days. We always find the crowds much lower and it allows us to do everything we want to do and get out at 4:00 or earlier so we don't have to deal with the huge influx on party goers. I will say that we don't really care much about the fireworks/night time entertainment anymore so we don't mind missing that.