HappyHallowishes dessert party released today

[dixonsontour]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/happy-hallowishes-dessert-package/

Price is on top of MNSSHP ticket and is $69 adult, $39 child

Includes parade viewing area, dessert party and fireworks viewing from tomorrowland terrace

 

[2Tiggies]

Sounds like an insanely expensive evening to get viewing spots that aren't necessary on a party night. Especially considering a good strategy is not to waste time in restaurants swing the party. Anyone else think all these paid-for viewing experiences are becoming overkill?

 

[chmurf]

Sounds like an insanely expensive evening to get viewing spots that aren't necessary on a party night. Especially considering a good strategy is not to waste time in restaurants swing the party. Anyone else think all these paid-for viewing experiences are becoming overkill?

yes

I voiced that concern on another board, but people seem so excited to book this party which is nothing to write home about in the first place when it's during regular operations (and I've done 3 of them)

It's indeed a waste of precious party time. Considering people will line up way before their time. And will spend valuable party time at a restaurant where the only offerings are available almost everywhere on property at buffets.

Basically, it's paying $69 a piece to have the privilege of not attending the party specific stuff you already paid $80 for ...

that's a grand total of $150pp to spend half your party time in an area where the view is not as good as the one you could have from another place (with an equally low crowd around you)

it's like the special event they held inside the castle last year. Many attendees were rather disappointed.

of course many of those who're happy to have score the dessert party say they weren't able to have a reservation for a non MNSSHP days and they wanted to do a dessert party ...
well, in my opinion it's like paying for a DCL, Verandah stateroom, and spending the whole cruise with curtains drawn, watchning reruns of lost on TV ...
absolute waste of time and money.

just my opinion


sorry, rant over

 

[dixonsontour]

I've made a reservation but am in two minds I'll admit due to cost (has a 5 day cancellation policy)

Party last year was a sell out and doing the same date this year. People seem to stake out spots at the party for the first parade so early. We didn't last year thinking we would try and do the second parade and DD/DH were tired so we left without seeing it. I have seen it before but it still irritates me I missed it. Second parade is very late this year so I couldn't chance it.

We watched the fireworks from an ok spot near crystal palace but wouldn't do the hub as DH isn't going to stand in the scrum of people.

We also had a horrible incident waiting for the parade in 2013 which I'd rather forget - involved a man yelling at and pushing in front of us/others who had been sitting waiting on the kerb over an hour. A cm had to move us for our saftey to a 'vip area'

I've never done regular dessert party so have nothing to compare.

Was thinking we'd do rides 4-7. Then go to viewing area 8 ish. Watch parade and fireworks then hopefully party for last 2 hours. I'm not bothered about meeting characters. I've found that trick or treating at the beginning gets limited sweets whereas at the end they pour handfuls in.

 

[chmurf]

we're still not decided on doing a MNSSHP this year. We first planned for 20/10, which would not likely be sold out (well ... we'll see)
Trick or treating is fun, but first 3 MNSSHPs we were in some kind of competition from afar with Lee who had told us about how many kilos she brought back ... and we tried to beat that, lol, but TBH we ended up throwing a lot of candy as we didn't like them (candy corn anyone ? the kind of candy everyone buys, but no one eats ...)
next trip we did 2 parties, and we left more than 2/3rd of our candy for mousekeeping (again, those we didn't like)
So we've come to wonder if it was worth it at all. Ok it's fun for DS, we at almost 8 he's come to a point where he'd rather ride space mountain on a loop than going in lines for candy he knows dad can buy from Walmart ...

Hallowishes, we discovered we loved it much better from the top of California Grill.
It's fired from a much wider range of locations, and it's even more spooktacular (pardon the pun) from outside the park

The parade, well, it's nice but when you've seen it several times (okay, been there, done that kind of attitude, but well...)

the only thing that could swing our vote is the new show in front of the castle. We're waiting for the first parties to look at youtube videos and decide if it's worth the money, and worth the crowds ... We were on a sold out MVMCP 2 years ago, and there was no way you could have gotten me near that stage ... too many people ... we're a family of human beings in a theme park, not a bunch of sardines in a can, thank you ...

well, just talking about my life, lol. But it's becoming harder to justify the price for those hard ticket events, when we don't do characters, party specific stuff, and just take advantage of walk on rides.
As a family of 3, the cost of our MNSSHP tickets gets us a room at Royal Pacific, with 2 days of unlimited express. and since we're Universal Passholders, if it comes down to spending $250 for minimal wait on rides, the choice between 5hours at Disney's and 2 days at Universal, I think choice will be easily made.

but we keep our options open

 

[dixonsontour]

We are defintely doing the party, I need a bit of Disney park time this trip (we are just doing Universal this year - my 9 year old harry potter fan prefers it to disney, DH prefers the cheaper price and offsite eating!)

Agree fireworks from the cali grill are fantastic we saw them on halloween night there in 2012.

Like you'll I'll look at the reviews and pictures once the parties start and decide on the dessert part.

 

[tinkerpea]

I don't think I'd do this on a party night,
My time is muxh better spent running around like a loon collecting the " free" candy! Like seriously we do every trail a few times over, so we can take home a decent selection of our favourites! Its even better if the party is at the start of a trip,
Because then that candy keeps the kids quite in the Qs for the rest of the trip ....

There is just too much to enjoy on party night. That doesn't include sitting eating for a good hour.
That said I Love Halloween themes sweets etc. And if they threw in some villians like the castle party they did. That might sway me!

 

[tinkerpea]

We also just booked for September 2016 so we can do Halloween, last time was 2013 and we've missed it greatly.

 

[Elise79]

Sounds like an insanely expensive evening to get viewing spots that aren't necessary on a party night. Especially considering a good strategy is not to waste time in restaurants swing the party. Anyone else think all these paid-for viewing experiences are becoming overkill?

I agree entirely - the only time I would do it was if the party was sold out as getting parade and firework viewing spots are difficult on those nights

TBH I won't do sold out parties any more as they are just too busy

 

[zavandor]

Sounds like an insanely expensive evening to get viewing spots that aren't necessary on a party night. Especially considering a good strategy is not to waste time in restaurants swing the party. Anyone else think all these paid-for viewing experiences are becoming overkill?

I agree completely. I was looking forward the dessert party last time I went to WDW and I didn't care for it at all. Viewing of the fireworks is suboptimal, not being centered in front of the castle, and I feel that for Hallowishes it would be even worst, because of the 360° fireworks. If they could do the party and give a FP+ for the reserved area, then I would reconsider the normal party, but certainly not during an hard ticket event.