Crowd levels during MHP days.

[HopLow1968]

I was watching an older video from Fresh Baked Disney and they mentioned that they expected the crowd level to be low even though it was a Friday, due to the park closing early because of a schedule Mickey's Halloween Party.

Has anybody else found this to be true? Low crowd levels even on a Friday, because people don't want to go only to have to go home early if they don't have tickets for the party?

 

[mom2rtk]

People don't like shorter hours and no night entertainment. So they tend to go on the days with longer hours with night entertainment.

It makes choosing a lower crowd day so easy.



ETA: Sorry, I thought I was in the WDW forum. That has definitely been my experience in the Magic Kingdom. We have not been to MHP yet, although we hope to this year. I hope it holds true on the other coast!

 

[Imdboss]

I've attended MHP on a Friday and also been there on a Friday and not attended. It doesn't seem to me that the party keeps people away because they know that the other park is still open (although not as late as the party). Who knows what this year will be like with the rumors floating around about changes to MHP, I imagine it won't impact crowds though.

 

[Sherry E]

I wouldn't expect "low crowd levels" on any Friday during a popular season like Halloween Time, and especially not smack dab in the middle of the 60th anniversary celebration, which is sure to attract lots of visitors for the entire remainder of the year. The crowds early in the day could be manageable and tolerable, but there is a big difference between manageable/tolerable crowds and low crowds.

In fact, I might expect a lot of people to flock to Disneyland earlier in the day to get on rides or whatever before the party begins and the park closes to non-party guests. Some people even take Fridays off work and make it a long weekend, so that contributes to crowds as well.

If MHP is business as usual this year, with no major changes to the schedule or to the location of the party (and that is still a mystery right now), I would expect that the earliest part of the day will more or less be manageable and tolerable, but the crowds probably won't be low. When the "crossover time" rolls around -- that is the 3-hour block in which non-party guests and party guests can be in the park at the same time (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on MHP weeknights, and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on MHP Fridays or weekends) -- you will see a big increase in crowds throughout the park.

As Angela mentioned above, people aren't too deterred by the party because they can just head over to DCA.

In my time on this board I have learned to expect the unexpected. Sometimes, when we think the crowds at DLR will be huge they turn out to be manageable, and when we expect the crowds to be manageable they end up being very problematic!

I don't know if this will help, as the comments are mainly MHP-specific (and I still have to add in a few more reviews from the end of the season last year), but in this post you will find links to a lot of reviews from people who attended MHP in 2014 and in 2013. If you randomly click on some of the Friday MHP reviews, or any of the MHP days (some of which are more detailed than others), you may find some comments about crowds earlier in the day, or even during the 3-hour crossover time.

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[Diznygrl]

I've gone to several Halloween parties (while also being there for the entire day) and have never experienced lower crowd levels on those days. Shorter hours really don't seem to affect people's decision to come to DL anymore, especially with the high rate of annual passholders.

 

[D1sneyfam1ly]

I've gone to several Halloween parties (while also being there for the entire day) and have never experienced lower crowd levels on those days. Shorter hours really don't seem to affect people's decision to come to DL anymore, especially with the high rate of annual passholders.

I agree. We went on a Friday for MHP in 2012 and didn't notice a lower crowd when compared to the rest of the week. It was a typical Friday for us and was busier than other week days. That being said it wasn't as busy as the Summer crowds.