Having second thoughts on going to MNSSHP - It's the price

minijeanie · Aug 23, 2016

Myself, grown kids and grandaughter are heading to WDW Sept 30th thru Oct. 6th. It will be my 7 year old granddaughters first trip. We are surprising her so super excited about that.

I am having a hard time swallowing the $500 plus cost for one evening. I realize that there is different shows and parades plus the ride lines are very small but is it really worth the price?
We will be seeing fun shows, parades and characters throughout the week so what are you really getting??? some candy

I have taken my kids to wdw numerouse times when they were small and I wanted to give my granddaughter the same experiences they had. But for gosh sake.... between the cost of the room which has quadrupled in years, price of meals and tickets I am second guessing this.

Does anyone else feel this way or for anyone who has gone should we really not miss this event?

babesboo99 · Aug 23, 2016

We went for the first time in 2014 and we lived it the parade was amazing. But we are not doing it again it's up to you if you have never done it then yes I would do it it is worth it. But we just didn't see anything to different excepted for the trick or treating and the parade.

phillymummer · Aug 23, 2016

I went to the Halloween party in 2012 and to this day it remains one of my most favorite days in the park. I think the Halloween parade and fireworks are far better than any others. Plus, the atmosphere is awesome. However, if the price is an issue for you. I would suggest waiting until your GD is older and can stay awake until midnight. To me, being able to be in the park from 4 pm - midnight makes it worth the price.

DrewJB · Aug 23, 2016

It's my favorite event of the year at Disney World. The parade, fireworks, characters in costumes, and the general vibe of it all is just wonderful. That said, I don't think their Disney trip will be any less exciting for not going to it. I'm sure they'll spend that same time doing something else that they love. And yes - that's a lot of money to add on top of a ticket package that already costs a lot of money. So basically, yes it is wonderful and is much more than just candy, but you could still absolutely skip it and the kids will have every bit as much of a magical vacation.

COscrapper · Aug 23, 2016

YES! I still feel this way and if I let myself think about the price I feel sick. This is our first trip to WDW and we have 2 boys, and when I first heard the prices I laughed! Our only option is to go on Halloween, so it's costing $440 for our family of 4. My husband totally talked me into it, saying we'd probably never be back and the kids will be missing Halloween at home with their friends. But man that price is just INSANE. I have decided to completely block it out or it makes me crazy.

kj2mom · Aug 23, 2016

Only you can decide if it will be worth it but if the cost is going to eat away at you potentially during the event then it may not be for you. My children loved dressing up, they loved trick or treating, the parade was great and the fireworks were awesome. We played the Boo to you song for the rest of the school year while waiting for preschool drop off. What I did was not purchase a park day ticket for that day, we just had the party ticket and we entered right at 4 then stayed until the end. Even now, 10 years later, we still joke about how excited they were that it was the next day when we were riding the bus home (the party was on their 5th birthday and they were trying to wrap their heads around the fact their birthday was over and it was the next day). Anyway, it was all of these little things that made it soo worth it for me to have decided to go ahead with the party!

Lights · Aug 23, 2016

I am not a big Halloween person, Christmas is more my thing, but when it comes to Disney parties, Halloween is the best one, hands down. I have been going every year for the past 4 years, (And the first time I went I went thinking 'I should do this at least once') and my upcoming trip this September is the first one that I won't be attending, but not for the lack of wanting! I do agree with the prices though, and it is the only reason right now I feel sort of okay with not going, knowing that the prices are a bit too high and they add up quickly if there's a few of you.

I personally love the parade, the fireworks and LOVE the characters with their customes and the ones that are rare. The trick or treating at Magic Kingdom, yes it might be trick or treating but I think it is the best place to do it! If you decide to do it, try to hit up every candy stop before leaving and make sure you fill those bags with candy! Plus the atmosphere is so fun and seeing people's customes is just... amazing.

But back to the pricing which is why I think you're having second thoughts, if I were you, and I could afford it, I would do it for the fact that apparently Disney has a habit of raising the prices, so who knows how high they will be next time you go?

Whatever you decide you will have fun!

DisneyKeepsUsYoung · Aug 23, 2016

You can certainly have a very full week and tons of fun without going to a party. We have done parties when we are in town for other things and not buying week passes so the cost is not bad for a 1 night ticket. But we can't justify the cost when we already have week long passes as another full day is much cheaper to add on. Definitely not worth the extra cost just for short ride lines. The unique atmosphere and shows is what makes it different than just a late night in MK.
If your granddaughter is really into Halloween it may be worth it to you. Or Hocus Pocus. I loved that movie as a child and love the stage show. The fireworks show is amazing and much better than standard Wishes. The parade is fun and different. There are unique characters but again that depends on if characters or those particular characters are your thing. We also found it fun to see most everyone dressed up in costumes. And we aren't even big Halloween people but the atmosphere is just fun and different.
So Not a MUST do to us, but certainly fun and not just the same as any MK night with candy thrown in.

minijeanie · Aug 23, 2016

phillymummer said:
I went to the Halloween party in 2012 and to this day it remains one of my most favorite days in the park. I think the Halloween parade and fireworks are far better than any others. Plus, the atmosphere is awesome. However, if the price is an issue for you. I would suggest waiting until your GD is older and can stay awake until midnight. To me, being able to be in the park from 4 pm - midnight makes it worth the price.

My GD age was another issue as well. She will be exhausted the next day if I don't bring her back to the room by 9pm.. I think you just made my decision. Maybe her mom and dad can go and I can hang in room with her.

guinea pig · Aug 23, 2016

minijeanie said:
My GD age was another issue as well. She will be exhausted the next day if I don't bring her back to the room by 9pm.. I think you just made my decision. Maybe her mom and dad can go and I can hang in room with her.

What a nice grandma you are!

Tinker06 · Aug 23, 2016

minijeanie said:
My GD age was another issue as well. She will be exhausted the next day if I don't bring her back to the room by 9pm.. I think you just made my decision. Maybe her mom and dad can go and I can hang in room with her.

I have a 9 and 6 year old. They have NO problem staying awake through it and just LOVE the parties. With the Disney adrenaline we have never had a problem. (But that is just us.)

mikedoyleblogger · Aug 23, 2016

I know MK's Halloween parties are more opulent, but two of the worst times we ever had at DL were the two consecutive Halloween parties we went to. Not all rides or restaurants will be open, and aside from the parade and holiday characters, the highlight is standing in long, long lines for a bored CM in a pirate hat to toss a couple of mini-Snickers bars in your and your kid's trick or treat bag. Essentially it's an up charge for standing in line all night for five bucks worth of candy. I'll be the devil's advocate here. If you really can't swallow the up charge, do something better with your money at Walt Disney World that night.

cel_disney · Aug 23, 2016

minijeanie said:
My GD age was another issue as well. She will be exhausted the next day if I don't bring her back to the room by 9pm.. I think you just made my decision. Maybe her mom and dad can go and I can hang in room with her.

Honestly - as a mom of 2 - that sounds heavenly for me and I think my kids would love it too! A night at the hotel with Grandma - maybe a visit to the pool / hot tub and some smores by the fire to put the icing on the cake!

That said - our family LOVED the party. And I did too! We were there when my kid(s) were 2, then 1 and 5 and then 2 and 6...(they are now going to be 6 and 10.). My kiddos were always flexible about staying up late and closing out parks ON VACATION and being ready to go the next day....(but they would be puddles at home!!)....

We usually have tickets for party days - and take advantage of low morning crowds at MK - usually go for rope drop for 3-4 hours, head back at lunch time. Chill for the afternoon - and head back around 5ish. We usually have dinner at cosmic rays and proceed to take turns standing in a photo line and riding rides from 6-7pm...and the kids make a mad dash for the trick or treat line nearest us for 7 on the nose and then head back for pictures with whomever!

Good luck with your decision!! It really will be okay no matter what you choose! But - fireworks are at 9:30 and it's better to see the 10:30 parade so it will be a late night (11:30/11:45ish?)..

dizneegirl · Aug 23, 2016

DH and I did it for the first time a few years ago, and love it. But honestly, I wouldn't worry about getting it in on a first trip for her. She'll be so overwhelmed and happy with everything, she'll never miss it.

kelleybean · Aug 23, 2016

We went 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. We immediately decided to make it a family tradition. But when we went at a comparable time last year (mid-September), it was noticeably more crowded. The parade was absolutely packed (6-8 people deep), ride lines were really long. It was so frustrating, especially since that was not our experience the year before.

I think it comes down to your ticket situation. Our family would be looking at a one day ticket to visit MK, so the party isn't as hard for us to justify. But if you have a situation where adding on an extra day of regular park admission is really cheap, I'm not so sure it is worth it. The 7 year old would probably love the dressing up and trick or treating, but I think the $500 seems pretty steep for that.

stephmarty · Aug 23, 2016

One way to ease the price may be to use the party to create an extra park day. We've decided to forego using our 7-day tickets the day of MNSSHP, swim at the resort that day, then hit MK at 4pm. We are "saving" one of our regular ticket days that day to add an 8th park day at the end of our stay. Hope that makes sense. I know it's not as cheap as adding an extra day to a 7-day ticket, but somehow it doesn't seem so expensive to me from this point of view. Ahhh, the things we tell ourselves to justify what we really just want to do! :rolleyes:

emij · Aug 23, 2016

I totally understand! We are going to WDW late Sept and I haven't bought party tickets yet as I just haven't decided how I feel about cost /benefit.

Calee · Aug 23, 2016

We aren't doing it. It is my kids first trip and there will be so many amazing "firsts" already. I just don't feel it necessary. I am sure it is fun, but the long days and late nights and so much to take in is going to be enough. Also while I have heard great reviews, I have also heard poor ones from folks there on sold out nights. It's too much money for me to gamble.

midge3426 · Aug 24, 2016

I absolutely adore the parade and the music played all over the park, but I don't think that it is worth the money charged. The party is worth going to once, otherwise, I would skip the thing. The times that we have gone there were quite a few people and it was a bit crowded. As I said before the parade is wonderful, but the party is way too, too expensive.

ammag · Aug 24, 2016

We skipped it on a r first trip, had a great low crowd day at the parks and left at 7. We did get to see the lights come on and the people in costume coming in which was fun. We took the kids (then 8 and 4) to the event on Halloween last year. We had an amazing time! It was worth it for us, the parade fireworks were both the best I've ever seen. We ended up staying...and staying....until it ended. Then we had a LONG wait for the bus to pop, over an hour, we got back close to 2 am. We had no trouble getting a ton of candy, the treat paths are fast, after 10 pm no lines ON Halloween. It was massively crowded too but we saw the first and second parade in frontierland, first time we got in line 30 min early and were second in the line up and the last one my husband and son just walked up and saw half while my daughter and I did haunted mansion again. If you go, I'd expect the crowds to be less than on Halloween?

I am actually going again this October with my husband on an adult trip, but mostly because it saved us money! On a short trip at the beginning of the season it was 86 VS 110 per ticket, so we will do some Halloween things but mostly just enjoy the night

. They do make it magical!

Having second thoughts on going to MNSSHP - It's the price

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