Boo Bash appearing to be a COMPLETE LETDOWN shortly after opening.

[disneymom0104]

I was there with my family of 6. It was a not a complete let down. It was fun, high energy and most ride lines were very short. There was Halloween music playing over the speakers throughout the park. The cavalcades played Boo To You music (we missed the dragon one- so sad!). Free snacks and drinks- so fun! Most rides were complete walk ons and that was so fun- my kids getting to the top of Space Mountain and them saying- you pick- right or left. There is nothing more fun for a kid than that! The lighting was great all over the park.

The downsides to me vs. a MNSSHP were the obvious lack of character meet and greets as well as the lines for photo pass opportunities were very long. I don't know how long the photos actually took- but at a 3 hour party vs. 5 hours for MNSSHP- we did not want to take a large chunk of the night waiting in those lines. The party just goes too fast. The other disappointment, and this could have just been us not knowing was that the shops closed the minute the party did. We rushed from Mine Train to Jungle Cruise for one last ride and wanted to walk through the Emporium on the way out. All doors were closed tight by the time we got over there (maybe 12:40am) so we didn't get to see the Halloween merchandise there.

It did and didn't feel like MNSSHP depending on where we were in the park. Some of the ToT lines were long, some of the snack cart lines were long. The free snacks are so fun though.

We arrived at 6:50pm and they let us through the gates and we had wrist bands. My kids really wanted to hit some the smaller attractions that have been hard for us to get to on a regular day. We rode:

Tomorrowland Speedway (15 min wait at 7pm)
it's a small world (5 min wait)
Pirates (walk on)
Big Thunder x2 (walk on)
Splash (10 mins as they were loading remaining day guests)
Haunted Mansion (5mins)
Dumbo (walk on)
Barnstormer x2 (walk on and didn't have to leave the seat to go twice)
Pooh (walk on)
Teacups (walk on)
Space (walk on)
2 Cavalcades
Peter Pan (10 minute wait, posted 20)
Mine Train (13 minute wait, posted 20)
Jungle Cruise (walk on)

We got the special themed funnel cake from Sleepy Hollow as well. It was expensive, but it was fun. Crowds were more than I thought they would be overall but it was fine for us. I only saw a couple vloggers and suspect they stayed toward the front of the park to catch every cavalcade and things happening there!

So, I did think there would be less people, but also, it was fine if you are wanting to ride rides. If you are wanting to spend much of the 3 hours in line for photo pass, it might feel crowded.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Does anyone really think MNSSHP is coming back after this? Disney just proved it can charge double the price for half the time and less then half the experiences. I get that this is less people, but it is also less overhead. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Disney's profit margins on these Halloween & Christmas AH events was way higher then the parties. And if that's the case, I don't ever see them bringing them back.

I guess I don’t see it happening either… when you have people in this thread who are supposed to be part of the Disney fan community defending this then I guess you get what you ask for!

 

[disneymom0104]

I guess I don’t see it happening either… when you have people in this thread who are supposed to be part of the Disney fan community defending this then I guess you get what you ask for!

There were things about the Boo Bash that I much preferred over the MNSSHP They are 2 different events that kind of felt the same at times, but also not. Crowd wise, I'll take the Boo Bash- add in the free snacks and it might just be a win. Just wish it had been 5 hours vs 3

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We are huge fans of anything Disney Halloween, but decided to hold off buying Boo Bash tickets until the reviews came in. Not impressed. We have been to both After Hours Parties and MNSSHP numerous times and this event just seemed to be Disney trying to give as little as possible. Not enough Halloween for our taste.

We are going to cancel our reservations and turn to Disneyland instead. DL is doing Halloween fireworks and Oogie Boogie Bash that will be a lot more "in the spirit" than what happened last night.

The unfortunate thing is this might be the death of MNSSHP. The lack of fireworks, parade, and stage shows are sadly missed.

 

[PaladinButters]

no night is double the price or really even close to double the price.

Don't you come in here with your facts and math when "double the price for half the experience" sounds so catchy to complain about!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

FACT: It is true about the price though. I paid $74 for both of my MNSSHP nights in 2019. Those same nights this year are $129. Not exactly half, but very close!

 

[Looper]

We were there last night and it was just okay. We’ve done a sold out after hours event, and absolutely loved it. That feeling of having the park to yourself is the best….but this was too crowded for that, even until the very end. That said, wait times were low! We were able to walk on lots of rides, and my kids loved getting the candy. I wouldn’t go again, but it was fun to have gone to. Also…I felt like it was really loud… They were playing the Halloween music at top volume everywhere, and I could barely hear the other people in my family speaking.

 

[focusondisney]

I guess I don’t see it happening either… when you have people in this thread who are supposed to be part of the Disney fan community defending this then I guess you get what you ask for!

You know, the first few years they had After Hours events, some people complained there was nothing besides rides. They complained there should be special merch, some theming, characters & a parade. Those people get exactly what they asked for with this event. Those people should be very happy with this. The parties lost their appeal to me a long time ago because of crowds. I much prefer the low capacity of AH events & am more than happy to pay for that. Everyone’s wants & priorities are different. And one person’s preferences are no more important than someone else’s.


Remains to be seen how Disney will proceed. The parties are much better for families with small children who need earlier times. I think they make a good amount of money on them & can see Disney bringing them back.

 

[FCDub]

Good to see actual reviews in here.

 

[emmabelle]

We were there last night and it was just okay. We’ve done a sold out after hours event, and absolutely loved it. That feeling of having the park to yourself is the best….but this was too crowded for that, even until the very end. That said, wait times were low! We were able to walk on lots of rides, and my kids loved getting the candy. I wouldn’t go again, but it was fun to have gone to. Also…I felt like it was really loud… They were playing the Halloween music at top volume everywhere, and I could barely hear the other people in my family speaking.

did you see a lot of guests in costumes? I didn't really see much in the live streams?

 

[gharter]

Reading through the posts from people who were there, it sounds like the event was exactly as promised.
Depending on your point of view, that may or may not be a good thing.
The live streams made it appear that it wasn't overly crowded. Not sure if crowds were limited for the media event or if that will be the max crowd. My concern was that they were going to charge more, offer less and pack it as full as MNSSHP. Doesn't appear that they did that. The short ride waits are encouraging.

 

[emily nicole]

I'm not sure I want it to. We quit going to both holiday parties several years ago. They became oversold and so crowded you couldn't move. For us, we don't go for the rides and standing in a 4 hr line to meet a character is not my idea of fun. I'd like to see them improve the offerings a bit, but keep the lower crowd levels. I have no desire to go back to what they were doing before.

I totally agree. We experienced a MNSSHP one year where, after the fireworks, we ended up in a crowd that became stuck on the bridge to Liberty Square. It was shoulder to shoulder sea of people and no one could go anywhere. I’m not claustrophobic but I just about became that way in that situation. Those events were very oversold IMO.
On the other hand we attended MNSSHP right before Hurricane Matthew hit and had a lovely time as the crowds were low. Gave us a peek at how nice the event could be if Disney didn’t oversell it to death.

 

[limace]

FACT: It is true about the price though. I paid $74 for both of my MNSSHP nights in 2019. Those same nights this year are $129. Not exactly half, but very close!

And three hours instead of five, so yeah, I think twice the price is pretty accurate.

Serious question, as we haven’t been to either (though we did pay to go to a couple of the early entry special events in 2019 and enjoyed them)-how were ride waits at MNSSHP? I know that party had become really crowded in recent years, but it also seemed like many folks were most interested in activities other than rides there.

 

[gharter]

I totally agree. We experienced a MNSSHP one year where, after the fireworks, we ended up in a crowd that became stuck on the bridge to Liberty Square. It was shoulder to shoulder sea of people and no one could go anywhere. Those events were very oversold IMO.

Completely agree. Originally enjoyed MNSSHP. The last 2 times, it was clearly oversold. It was packed to see the show, even the midnight one. Rows of people lined up for every parade. The lines for M&Gs were 2+ hours for many of the characters and ride lines were long. The last time was not enjoyable.
We don't have tickets for the AH party, but if experiences continue to be positive, may need to consider it.

 

[chaoskids]

Low crowds is why we are going.

 

[JenBush]

I mourned the loss of MNSSHP back when they announced this. I doubt we’ll ever get those parties back since Disney discovered they can just do these AH events instead. I think the lack of energy I felt watching various streams was because it seemed like half the people there were vloggers and bloggers. While I’m sure vloggers and bloggers have a good time at the park, they are working so it’s just a different vibe than people visiting to relax and enjoy the event. I think I’ll make my final judgement on this event when we get closer to Halloween, it feels so weird celebrating Halloween in the middle of august.

 

[LisaDKG]

Why is everyone so stuck on being OK that this event is exactly what an After Hours party should be or is advertised to be?

Sure, it is a Halloween party and the only one that is currently offered. Sure, we don't know if MNSSHP party is ever coming back in the iteration that we have experienced.

The bottom line is that so far, it SEEMS as there is less value than an MNSSHP for the amount money being paid (I did not attend so, like the OP, I am judging by basing on what the live reports form vloggers and other Disers have presented after 1 party). Not only is it way fewer hours than MNSSHP but there is way less to do entertainment wise and character-wise and reports are saying that it wasn't even that empty (which seems like what drives most people on this thread to do After Hours?)

Is it our own fault for laying down that amount of money after reading what will be offered and HOPING that the party lives up to the price? - yes. But we still have the right to evaluate and comment on what we are seeing from reports. The OPs thread title may be sensationalist but maybe a little outrage is what Disney needs to see from its guests to quit offering more for less.

 

[afan]

Why is everyone so stuck on being OK that this event is exactly what an After Hours party should be or is advertised to be?

Sure, it is a Halloween party and the only one that is currently offered. Sure, we don't know if MNSSHP party is ever coming back in the iteration that we have experienced.

The bottom line is that so far, it SEEMS as there is less value than an MNSSHP for the amount money being paid (I did not attend so, like the OP, I am judging by basing on what the live reports form vloggers and other Disers have presented after 1 party). Not only is it way fewer hours than MNSSHP but there is way less to do entertainment wise and character-wise and reports are saying that it wasn't even that empty (which seems like what drives most people on this thread to do After Hours?)

Is it our own fault for laying down that amount of money after reading what will be offered and HOPING that the party lives up to the price? - yes. But we still have the right to evaluate and comment on what we are seeing from reports. The OPs thread title may be sensationalist but maybe a little outrage is what Disney needs to see from its guests to quit offering more for less.

It's not a party though, that word isn't even in the event name. I paid for it and will happily go next month and enjoy the low wait times and my "free" snacks. I'll take the extras of trick or treating when I pass by a spot and if I happen to see the other stuff great. But I want low wait times because there's no fp and I don't enjoy spending my entire day standing in long line after long line.

I still would have gone to mnsshp but that's less about rides for me and this event is specifically about short waits with other stuff tossed in.

The fact is there are people that like an after hours event and those that don't and want mnsshp back. That's fine, but as a PP said, these are all the same arguments as a few months ago when it was announced. It's what's happening and you either go or don't but nothing about the fact that this is this year's halloween offering or the price is going to change. No one knows what the future will bring so why waste time lamenting about what might be when no one here knows.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I think what "gets" me most is that we probably will never see MNSSHP or MVMCP events again. Disney has figured a way to provide something with a slight theme of past events for a much higher cost for a shorter time period and with less pizazz (which means lower cost for Disney). As with everything else Disney, I think that they've found a way to appease the masses while turning a larger profit, so why go back? Bye bye, MNSSHP/MVMCP.

Completely agree. And this is my upset. I would GLADLY pay $199 a night (or whatever the AH prices were) for MNSSHP when it was truly limited. Don't even need the "free" cheap filler foods of popcorn and icecream that some people think make this an awesome deal.

If Disney can charge almost double MNSSHP without limiting the crowds to those of pre-COVID AH and spending money on less entertainment (cavalcades and no fireworks) then we are never getting MNSSHP back. They will keep this watered down version and keep allowing more and more people (so not the limited crowds of AH), while charging $150-$200 a ticket.

This. People are SO ok and complacent with throwing money at Disney they aren't looking at the big picture.

"I've seen so far watching multiple lives." (presuming the OP meant livestreams and shortened it). In this day, technology allows us to see something without being there (and admittedly, we may think we know what it's like but it can also feel different than that to the people physically there. But not physically being there doesn't mean OP or anyone can't feel as though it's disappointing based on what they witnessed with their own eyes (I didn't see OP or anyone say, "I agree with my friend who was there and it was disappointing", etc.

But remember, in this thread your live stream opinions ONLY count if they are positive. If you have a negative opinion based off a live stream then your opinion is invalid.

Does anyone really think MNSSHP is coming back after this? Disney just proved it can charge double the price for half the time and less then half the experiences. I get that this is less people, but it is also less overhead. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Disney's profit margins on these Halloween & Christmas AH events was way higher then the parties. And if that's the case, I don't ever see them bringing them back.

I would find it hard pressed for MNSSHP to come back but if it does, you can bet there will be a price jack that's out of this world.

I think the lack of energy I felt watching various streams was because it seemed like half the people there were vloggers and bloggers.

Your opinion from watching live streams only counts if it's positive. You can't share a neutral or negative opinion based on a live stream because, well some don't understand the logic in how that works.

 

[Disneyliscious]

It's not a party though, that word isn't even in the event name.

No one is saying it SHOULD have been a "party". You're completely missing the point. The issue people are having is that Disney charged SO much for SO less when you look at the 2 events (AH and MNSSHP) and that because this was likely so much more profitable for Disney than MNSSHP, its unlikely MNSSHP will ever come back (or if it does it almost certainly won't be at the price point it was).

Also, for the record, typical AH events don't have things like trick or treating, costumed characters, and certain other features that WERE exclusive to MNSSHP so just as one can say this wasnt a MNSSHP, it can also be said that it wasn't a regular AH either.