Ok here is some info based upon my families perspective... 3 kids, 2 of which are special needs with various individual needs and differences.
Disclaimer - we have been to MNSSHP multiple times and are AP holders, so we are somewhat used to what it is and what it isn't.
We are AP holders so were in the park a little early, i think they were allowing MNSSHP ticket holders to enter around 4pm, so it was a good long afternoon if you were only planning on using a hard ticket for that day instead of one of your standard ticket days. They funneled everyone in and then pushed everyone to the right and behind of Mainstreet USA to the bypass road to Tomorrow Land.
This is where they handed out bags and you got your first hit of Candy... strategically placed big bags of M&M's and other similar partnered candies. Most of the Candy pick up points were not out at this time, you can see the red and purple pillars in the distance on the picture above, there designate the candy pick up points around the park (also highlighted on the map they give you). This path takes you towards Tomorrow Land and attempts to loop you around the park anti-clockwise to give guests who are not attending MNSSHP time to exit the park in the same direction on the opposite side of the park. CM's were very stringent in checking hands for bands and ushering people out who were trying to stay.
The lines for characters even at the earliest locations were simply insane. Lines were 50+ people deep within minutes of being in there to line up for Candy, and we are talking store bought small snack pack candy, nothing super special! Although I did like the Dove chocolate, that was a nice touch! The characters were good though, with that said there was no way to FP+ the lines and as above, the lines were insane. We wanted to see the park, get a little candy, check out the shows and parade and then see the new deserts they had this year..... It was not a disappointment!
The parade was awesome, we got great spots in Frontier Land and sat with the kids to watch the show. A couple of new characters... namely Wreck-it Ralph and crew! And the usual suspects in all their glory.... I think the biggest cheer of the night was for a CM who was taking her cleaning cart along the road to check for trash prior to the headless horseman's entry, the crowd went wild! it was very funny....
Our family favorite!!!....
We were there to check out the new desert foods though... here are some shots:
It was all very good and very different!....
Now to the rides, as I stated above, lots of places were simply posting 10 minutes as wait times, we say no FP+ lines open and spoke to a number of different CM's about DAS access. They were pretty consistent and stated that it is down to the various Lands as to how they handle that. They were allowing
ECV's and wheelchairs around all the normal lines for the most part. While the signs posted stated 10 mins, we did a little bit of timing and they were more like 20-25mins, give or take. We experienced fewer CM's on the rides coordinating things which slowed things down a little, but overall it wasn't that much of a wait. That said, the lines for characters and some candy spots were just insane. Maybe because it was opening night and everyone was manic? but there was no way we were going to be able to wait 25-35 mins to meet a character. Some of the desert vendors had lines as big as rides too!
The parade was great, the ambiance was great and while it felt busy at times it wasn't as bad as a usual day in the park in my opinion, especially when taking into consideration there were no FP+ lines operating.
We got to ride lots of rides, get lots of candy, see some cool people and shows (parade was awesome) and then we stayed for the fireworks and the night ending castle show... The fireworks were great! However, as a tip, they are shot from behind Fantasy Land and there is limited viewing of that from the side of the castle (think sleepy hollow area) so think ahead when trying to get a spot.
And finally the night ending Sanderson Sisters! Definitely worth staying to watch..
I'll pad this out a little more in the next few days, but I wanted to get something down as its so fresh in my memory... just getting the kids ready and going to jump on the monorail and go play Sorcerers Quest!
We enjoyed it, rode good rides, didn't wait too long, saw some cool characters, ate (too much) good food and enjoyed the show..... However, enjoy it for waht it is, its an bit hectic and an 'experience' as opposed to getting on lots of rides.... but of course you can do that too if you want!
If you want to see some more pictures I tend to upload to my instagram channel.. TheGizmodi so feel free to look there.