Attention all MNSSHPers

[beattyfamily]

I was there last year.

They did a pretty good job of ushering all of the people out of the park at 6pm. The stores all closed at 6, too. If you had a ticket, you got a bracelet and a bag, 1 bag each, for trick or treating. They were very careful about giving out bags. If you really wanted to, or if you were eating dinner, while they were transforming the park into Halloween mode, you could easily walk around undetected, as long as you didn't try to go on a ride or get candy...The lines were not long and we didn't have a problem getting a good spot for the parade or fireworks...I'm not seeing any change from last year...What have I missed?

I guess you didn't read any of the posts?

This year MK is closing at 7:00p, the same time the party starts. There will be no closing of the park (like there used to be at 6:00p) to clear it out thus the concern that there will be many day guests staying past 7:00p.

 

[PrincessCM]

Just got my call from the Executive Offices - pretty much what everyone else is saying here..... Not very reassuring to say the least.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

welovedis, thanks for sharing your response. At least I am glad to know they are thinking about it and planning for it.

I still say this will be my one and only hard ticket event at WDW. Just too much stress and worry!

 

[shyjade]

Anyone see this conflicting report yet?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1203367

 

[Lisa0503]

Welovdis - Thanks so much for post of your conversation. I do hope the CM are as strick about getting the day guests out as they seem to think they will be. We are going to the 9/22 party and will be going to the MK that morning for the MB EMH so I will be on the lookout for CM informing guests of the party that evening. I also plan on being back in the park around 4 or 5pm so I will be watching to see how they are doing checking for wrist bands & escorting the day guests out of the park.

I am going to enjoy myself at the event regardless but if I feel that Disney did not due its due dilligence by making a REAL effort to clear the park of non-ticket holders, then I will be complaining & asking for a refund. I will be sure to report my experiences back here on the DisBoards when I return home on 9/23.

 

[Deemarch]

Except for the 7pm closing...What is the difference from last year????

If they really ask people without bracelets to leave, that would also be different.

I think that you are overreacting...

 

[mirlow]

I've been following this thread with interest. We are going to MNSSHP for the first time on Oct. 24th. We have already bought our tickets. I'm kinda bummed because I wonder if I didn't read any of this if it would matter since it is my first time going and I have no idea what to expect.

What do they do with all of the day guests who are waiting in lines for the rides at 7:00?

 

[JLDSMD]

First, I like to say I haven't read all 22 pages of this thread, so I apologize if this has been brought up already.

If the park isn't closing until 7:00 and the day guest have use of the park until that time, what would stop them from getting their dinner at 6:45 or so, taking their time eating and then going to the curb on Main Street to grab a spot for the parade and fireworks. Unless the CMs are going to go person to person along Main Street they would never find them. If the rides and t-o-t isn't a big deal to them, but seeing the special parade and fireworks is, then they were able to do it without any cost.

And for you DISers, if you see some prime real estate along the parade route and it is occupied by non-wristband guests, tell the closest CM. When they are asked to leave, grab their spots. If they are not asked to leave, now we have big problems.

 

[sconnell]

Did anyone else get a phone call response? I sent an email and yesterday while I was at the gym, I got a phone call response! lol. I laughed so hard, the guy didn't really sound like he knew what he was talking about. He kept saying Mickey's Very Merry, um, Mickey's Not So Merry, lol.
He basically said the same thing that everyone is getting in the email. Anyway, I just wondered if anyone else got a call.

 

[mking624]

Except for the 7pm closing...What is the difference from last year????

If they really ask people without bracelets to leave, that would also be different.

I think that you are overreacting...

The difference is that if the park closes at 7pm, there is no hour in between period to get the day guests out & the park decorated in an efficient way. It's supposedly all going to happen at the exact same time. There's absolutely no way they can do as an effective a sweep when they are doing a park closing, decorating, and party start all at the exact same time. Because of a potential ineffectiveness, people are concerned about how this will affect party attendance in terms of who paid and who didn't.

Regardless if you feel that we're overreacting, this is a legitimate concern. If it doesn't bother you...then you don't have to bother with this thread. For those of us it DOES concern, we will post about this, and ultimately email and call TPTB.

 

[sconnell]

And for you DISers, if you see some prime real estate along the parade route and it is occupied by non-wristband guests, tell the closest CM. When they are asked to leave, grab their spots.

I think I have a new parade strategy. lol.

 

[diselderm]

Here is the email I sent today:

To whom it may concern, special event planners and Magic Kingdom operations managers:

I never received a reply to my last inquiry so I wanted to try again. We have been concerned about Magic Kingdom park closing hours on the nights of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party like the many others who have contacted you. Our concerns are regarding how you will clear the park of day guests so that the party can start at 7pm without large numbers of non-ticketed people remaining in the park.

Apparently the plan is to clear the park the same way as EMH nights are done for resort guests. Many first hand reports, however, state that there are many non-resort guests who manage to "cheat the system" and remain in the park during EMH. Even if the cast members remove day guests more aggressively than EMH nights, there will be large numbers of people who will take time to get out. I'm sure that the day guests will not be pleased to be asked to leave earlier than 7pm when the park is open til 7pm, so they will still be exiting when the party starts.

We are bringing very young children with us to the party--that magical beginnings demographic you all have been marketing to. We may only have the first couple of hours to enjoy the party before we have to take them back to the hotel. It will be unfair if our first hour is over-crowded and wasted, since that may be a significant portion of the party for our family.

I understand from replies that others have received to their inquiries that you will be evaluating the process and could change it if things are not running appropriately. That is great and I appreciate the willingness to change, but we have tickets to the last two parties on 10/30 and 10/31. The earlier parties may run fine since they are apparently not as crowded. Since our dates historically sell out, will there be a fair comparison between these and the September parties?

And lastly, I think it is unfair to change closing hours and strategies after the ticket sales start date. There are still many people who have opted to wait to buy tickets until they hear reports back from the earlier parties. But those of us who already purchased tickets before the closing time changed feel somewhat deceived (even though we all know that everything is always "subject to change").

I hope that this event will be as wonderful as we have been led to believe. We have never been before and are excited to try our first "hard ticket event". Of course, we won't be back if it isn't as special as it has been reported to be in the past.

Thank you so much for your attention. If anyone has answers to my concerns I would appreciate them.

Sincerely,.....

(left my phone number this time)

 

[DisneyBride94]

I'm going on Sept. 29th...so I'll report back my findings to this thread... I don't think it is going to be a big deal... if it is, I will voice my disatisfaction clearly...

Anyone going to a date prior to the 9/29? (That is my arrival day--my first HIT on the parks).

 

[pigletforever]

I am still not happy about all this but at least we are going October 19 so hopefully the "kinks" will be worked out. If not it will be the fisrt and last "hard ticket" event we attend. And I am all for everyone organizing our dates and if there is a problem having a phone tree to meet and go to Guest Services together.

 

[madge]

Thank you for sharing.

I don't get how the part I bolded will work when MK now officially closes at 7:00p per their website. They are just going to upset the day guests who think they have another hour. Did you ask him about that?

It doesn't make sense to me.

I hope it's true but it's going to cause problems, IMHO.

and on that same note, on ordinary park days people are permitted to board attractions right up until park closing... or even a little after if they are in line. So theoretically, the day guests would be boarding attractions at the party's start.

I'm glad our trip isn't until a few weeks after the first parties. I'm very interested to see how this plays out.

 

[goofy4tink]

I just got off the phone with a young lady, Debbie I believe, in the executive offices at WDW. She was basically responding to an email I sent about the CP booking process. The poor thing was clueless when I started in on the whole MNSSHP!!! She had no idea what I was talking about. After we discussed the CP booking issue I had, she wanted to hear about my other email, the one she didn't have in front of her! So, I shared my concerns with her, telling her of the many different versions we were getting from different people at WDW. She said that yes, the park was remaining open until 7. That there were going to be announcements all day, especially as they got closer to park closing telling people they had to leave.
She said that everyone who had a ticket to the party would have a wristband.....didn't matter when they arrived. That those with wristbands were going to be ushered to one set area, while CMs/security cleaned out the park of day guests. She said there would be some form of entertainment for the ticket holders, and then the party would begin. She also stated quite firmly that there would be no 'party' type entertainment on Main St. until the day guests were all out. That it wasn't going to be a situation where the party was starting at 7, while day people were leaving.
She said they did have a plan in place, that it had been discussed at length. I told her that while I was sure they had a 'plan in place' it would like shooting themselves in the foot if they allowed too many non-ticket holders to remain in the park. I said I just didn't see people willing to pay $40 for something in the future if this year there were non-paying people enjoying that same event for nothing. So.....we'll see what happens. That's what I was told, for what it's worth.

 

[mking624]

Geez I really wish they would be consistent with their answers. You'd think that Disney would want to make sure all their workers were on the same page. It's really frustrating to hear an "official" answer of a 6pm closing...and an "official" answer of a 7pm closing...whether it's from CMs, "supervisors", or people in the "executive offices." They need to get their act together.

 

[Bronte]

I remember last year someone stated that they were not buying tickets to MVMCP but that they were making ADR's at the castle for as close to the park closing as possible because they fully intended to eat slow as to experience the snow on Main Street and see the special Christmas Parade as they "slowly left the park" ... she stated that no CM in their right mind would think of forcibly escorting her and her children on such a wonderful evening and she was actually not doing anything wrong because they were able to make the ARD's without a problem (I think she had made ARD's for 5:45 because the park last year closed at 6:00 and had no problem doing exactly what she had planned.)
I believe more people will do such "tricks" because they think it is all "with in the rules." However, I paid good money ... alot of money to see the special Christmas Parade, the fireworks and the snow on Main Street last year and will be attending this year as well (first night of course ... Nov. 13th)
I really, really hope Disney does not fallow through with this plan ... I have been to many MNSSHP's and just one MVMCP ... I have to say that being brought to Tommarow Land or Frontier Land was NO BIG DEAL. Plus, I think seeing them "change" the park will make the party loose a bit of magic.

 

[goofy4tink]

Geez I really wish they would be consistent with their answers. You'd think that Disney would want to make sure all their workers were on the same page. It's really frustrating to hear an "official" answer of a 6pm closing...and an "official" answer of a 7pm closing...whether it's from CMs, "supervisors", or people in the "executive offices." They need to get their act together.

I did mention that to the girl I talked to...told her that within a 4 hr period we got two completely conflicting answers to the same question from two different CMs. She was baffled by that. She said they had the info right in front of them when they called people and she couldn't imagine that two CMs in her area would give such conflicting info.

 

[schlepsnort]

I'm going on Sept. 29th...so I'll report back my findings to this thread... I don't think it is going to be a big deal... if it is, I will voice my disatisfaction clearly...

Anyone going to a date prior to the 9/29? (That is my arrival day--my first HIT on the parks).

Hey us too! We arrive at MCO around 1 and then after getting to our hotel we will be heading to MK, our first hit! We are so excited and will be watching the boards to see how the first parties go.