Does/Has anyone waited until last minute to book MNSSHP?

[disprincess2213]

We know that we want to do MNSSHP in September and are trying to decide between a Sunday and a Tuesday. Has anyone ever waited until they were actually in Disney to book the party or is that just too risky to take the chance? We would like to see the potential weather for the 2 nights before purchasing 4 tickets. Just wondering if anyone has done this and if we are at a very high risk of having it sold out (Sept 23 and 25). I am leaning towards Tuesday bc I feel like it could be less crowded but I could be wrong- thoughts on the less crowded day? Thanks!!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Aside from Halloween night, most of the dates will not sell out in advance. In 2017, these are the dates that sold out (and other 10/31 they sold out day of):
Sold Out Dates: 9/24 (9/24), 9/26 (9/26), 10/15 (10/15), 10/31 (10/8)

So, you "should" be ok waiting until the last minute...but of course there are no guarantees.

 

[fla4fun]

There aren't any guarantees on the weather either, especially in September. We are still in our summer weather patterns in September, and this year the rains have been coming later in the day than normal. I have driven home in the rain a lot more than I usually do, and even at bedtime storms are rolling in, whereas normally you might see the rain around 2-3 in the afternoon. You may not know for sure until mid day on party day whether it will rain or not. I have waited until the last minute to buy tickets before, but not because of weather - just a spontaneous decision to go to the party.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Yes, I wait to buy tickets when I am ready to head out to the party. The tickets are non refundable and only good for that one night. I don't want to buy ahead because what if that night it is bad weather, someone is sick, the vacation fell through or we are just tired. Unless you are going on a popular night like Halloween or a weekend date I'd wait.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We booked of the the weekend for October 19th and i feel like I am last minute. My DD has been asking for a MNSSHP for her birthday and i jsut didn't think I could make it happen. We got lucky and are able to go. I ma a planner and I feel like I am scrambling to get costumes made, ect. I cannot imagine doing day of.

 

[disprincess2213]

Thanks everyone so much! We already have costumes that we are planning to bring and are very casual with our plans. We would not be DEVASTATED if we couldnt go but would like to know our chances of getting in (a day or two) before the date. Its good to know that a lot of you DO in fact do this! I know the weather says rain everyday and we always welcome the 20 minute downpours but we wouldnt want a washout. Its always nice to keep your options open (sickness, sleepy kid, whatever) and glad to know that its not a terrible mistake to do this!

 

[alliecat523]

Actually rainy parties have been great for us. Everyone gets run off early.

 

[btuftee]

Aside from Halloween night, most of the dates will not sell out in advance. In 2017, these are the dates that sold out (and other 10/31 they sold out day of):
Sold Out Dates: 9/24 (9/24), 9/26 (9/26), 10/15 (10/15), 10/31 (10/8)

So, you "should" be ok waiting until the last minute...but of course there are no guarantees.

Are you sure about those dates for 2017? From various news archives, I only see that 10/15/2017 and 10/31/2017 sold out.

I would agree that the risk of a MNSSHP party selling out in advance of the party day, with the exception of Halloween, is very small. Looking back at a few years of news reports, Halloween is the only date that consistently sells out in advance. However, some dates in October can sell out a week in advance, and some oddball dates are longer still (10/25/2014 sold out almost a month in advance). In September, it's pretty unlikely that a party will sell out until the day of, so I would feel somewhat comfortable. Still, if it's a case of having your vacation ruined by missing a party, then don't wait. There will always be a risk of a rain-out where the parades and fireworks are cancelled (but you can still do rides, get candy, etc.), but a total cancellation will only happen for a hurricane (like it did last year).

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Are you sure about those dates for 2017? From various news archives, I only see that 10/15/2017 and 10/31/2017 sold out.

Those are the dates posted on the official MNSSHP thread.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Those are the dates posted on the official MNSSHP thread.

Which is, generally speaking, a more reliable resource than some news/blog reports, which aren’t always consistent and may just occasionally run a ‘sold out’ story. @monique5 does a really good job tracking the website, day of reports on the thread (since many do sell out that day), and other sources.

 

[Pkltm]

Are you sure about those dates for 2017? From various news archives, I only see that 10/15/2017 and 10/31/2017 sold out.

I would agree that the risk of a MNSSHP party selling out in advance of the party day, with the exception of Halloween, is very small. Looking back at a few years of news reports, Halloween is the only date that consistently sells out in advance. However, some dates in October can sell out a week in advance, and some oddball dates are longer still (10/25/2014 sold out almost a month in advance). In September, it's pretty unlikely that a party will sell out until the day of, so I would feel somewhat comfortable. Still, if it's a case of having your vacation ruined by missing a party, then don't wait. There will always be a risk of a rain-out where the parades and fireworks are cancelled (but you can still do rides, get candy, etc.), but a total cancellation will only happen for a hurricane (like it did last year).

I can say that the 9/26 one did sell out last year, we looked at going day of, but ended up at US City walk for the evening instead.

 

[married2grumpy]

We are also debating on waiting to purchase tickets for 9/23 or 9/25 to check on weather forecast. Touring Plans lists 9/25 as the lower expected crowds but the ticket price is higher for that party. Anyone know why 9/25 is priced higher?