Having second thoughts on going to MNSSHP - It's the price

[Shauna1ee]

We are not planning on going to the MNSSHP. Does anyone know if the other parks are more crowded because of the early MK closing?

 

[jolene63]

We went to one of the parties in late September last year and will not be going again. The party was sold out and it felt very crowded. We waited longer for rides that night than we did the previous night when the park was open late. We loved the parade and fireworks, but they weren't enough to justify the extra cost.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We are not planning on going to the MNSSHP. Does anyone know if the other parks are more crowded because of the early MK closing?

The last time I went the first week of October in 2011, it didn't seem any more crowded at the other parks at nights. The Food & Wine Festival attracts a lot of people to Epcot, but it was still very manageable during the week.

Usually, the worst thing about going this time of year is being limited in the number of nights that you can stay in the Magic Kingdom.

Don't get me started on why this year is so hard to plan for--between the end of MSEP, MK's 45th, Star Wars fireworks not showing in the schedule, and the uncertainty about Rivers of Light--this year is challenging for my trip planning skills.

 

[Huff]

I have heard that the ride lines aren't all that great during the party like they were in years prior. We went quite a few years ago and most rides were walk on or maybe 5-10 minutes tops for all of them. That was a big plus that helped make it worthwhile. The parade and fireworks are awesome but large crowds that aren't much better than any other day would cancel that out.

 

[minijeanie]

What about just taking your granddaughter and let th parents go heave a romantic dinner somewhere?

good idea.. but I am doing that 2 nights already LOL. My daughter just got married and this is kind of their honeymoon. They wouldn't go to wdw without taking their daughter so I am the tag along so to speak and will watch my granddaughter. Its okay with me..after going with my kids 13+ times as a family I am so ready to hand the baton over. Very excited about this trip because my son as well as his GF are actually going as well...
Kind of bitter sweet for all of us as the only person missing will be their dad/my husband. It was his favorite place on earth.. we lost him a few years back
we will be toasting him in Epcot in front of Germany as that was his favorite country

 

[Tearbear]

Sorry for your loss Love One

 

[Corbinator]

Everything you said and more, op. I declined after seeing the price tag and realized our kids would be in bed by 8 or 9 most nights and we wouldn't get our money's worth. We can get candy at home 3 days later on the real
Halloween and they won't even know the difference. They would rather swim in the pool. We didn't want to pack costumes. We don't plan to stay up late for parades, fireworks, etc. either. We chose to spend our money on an AoA suite for 7 nights, nonstop airfare, and a couple of expensive Adrs. To each their own!

 

[Corbinator]

We are not planning on going to the MNSSHP. Does anyone know if the other parks are more crowded because of the early MK closing?

Not necessarily. We chose Hoop at 4pm on a party night specifically so we wouldn't feel like we were totally missing out and there will be no temptation to return to MK and risk cranky kids that night because we won't actually be able to. We don't have park hopper. If we did I could see the answer being different but I don't know what everyone else thinks.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I wouldn't worry about the party. It's her first trip and everything will be magical without the extra party. You can put that $500 towards the next trip you will want to take her on!

Enjoy your time together with your family, sharing memories of your time there with dh and making new ones with your grand daughter!

 

[spob15]

Myself, grown kids and grandaughter are heading to WDW Sept 30th thru Oct. 6th. It will be my 7 year old granddaughters first trip. We are surprising her so super excited about that.

I am having a hard time swallowing the $500 plus cost for one evening. I realize that there is different shows and parades plus the ride lines are very small but is it really worth the price?
We will be seeing fun shows, parades and characters throughout the week so what are you really getting??? some candy

I have taken my kids to wdw numerouse times when they were small and I wanted to give my granddaughter the same experiences they had. But for gosh sake.... between the cost of the room which has quadrupled in years, price of meals and tickets I am second guessing this.

Does anyone else feel this way or for anyone who has gone should we really not miss this event?

I treat the party as a park day. We spend the morning at the pool and go to the park at 4:00 with our passes. So the delta cost is not that much, because I buy one less park day.

 

[Notsofast71]

I went in 2014 and it's what I am most looking forward to when I go back in two weeks. I am on a budget and offset the party price by not buying a park ticket for that day and we will be going to Disney Springs and also playing some mini golf that day until we can get in on our party tickets at 4:00. I figure we were going to do those things anyway, so we bought 6 days of park tickets for our 7 day trip.

Also, it's on Sept. 13 and it's projected to be the least crowded party night (early in the season and on a weeknight) so no crowds to mention as compared to a regular night in MK.

 

[spob15]

I treat the party as a park day. We spend the morning at the pool and go to the park at 4:00 with our passes. So the delta cost is not that much, because I buy one less park day.

I went to the party not he 20th. Was great, but seemed more crowded than "normal" day on the 19th.

 

[minijeanie]

I wouldn't worry about the party. It's her first trip and everything will be magical without the extra party. You can put that $500 towards the next trip you will want to take her on!

Enjoy your time together with your family, sharing memories of your time there with dh and making new ones with your grand daughter!

your 100% right... We are definitely skipping it and doing pool day and go to dtd that night

 

[DVCcurious]

We are not planning on going to the MNSSHP. Does anyone know if the other parks are more crowded because of the early MK closing?

Lots of people hop to EPCOT for Illuminations.

But considering it's a low crowd period the crowds at EPCOT on MNSSHHEPEPDK nights are still lower than busy times of the year (christmas, spring break, 4th of July, valentine's day, etc)

 

[Viking Academy]

We splurged and went despite what I thought about the price. We had a great time. We walked on every ride (except the mine carts) The Hocus Pocus Villain Show was awesome as were the Hallowishes Fireworks. The longest lines were for the candy. We snacked out of our bags all night and didn't end up having room in the suitcase to take any of it home. I hope Mousekeeping kept it. Long story short I thought it was worth it. My 11 and 17 yo kids had a great time. We took the boat back to Ft Wilderness at 1am so I'm glad we didn't schedule anything but sleep for the next morning.

 

[Babs1975]

The party situation is expensive. No way around it. We did the Xmas party 2 years ago and although we really did love it, we are skipping it this year. Just not in the budget. It is a lot of money for a party, when you can just get another park day for a couple more bucks. I figure it's one of those things we'll do every so often, not every time we are there. If money was no object, then yes we would do it every time without question.

 

[goofy4tink]

It's my favorite party! But man, it's gotten expensive!! I'm going down in Oct. my dd is a CM, and it's her birthday. I have an AP. So, I'm buying us both party tickets for the night of her birthday! My gift to her. When my dh asked how much it was, I told him. His response? 'Why do I ask! I really don't want to know!!!'

 

[vinotinto]

We enjoyed the party last year (our first MNSSHP), but we were specifically looking to do something new after many trips to WDW. There is so much to see and do if you are a first timer, second timer or third timer, I would not sweat missing out the party and putting the $$ towards other expenses, such as dining.

FYI, tonight's party is sold-out. It is the first party to sell out this season, as the early parties were fairly quiet. So, despite the price increase, there may be large crowds, so if you do decide to go, then go in with realistic expectations about waits, etc., to ensure a fun time.

 

[KangaFan]

The larger your party, the more painful the price seems. I went in early December 2 years ago with my daughter, sisters, and nieces--8 of us in all. I wanted to do something special for our last night and considered the Christmas party, but couldn't justify the cost times 8. Since the special fireworks were one of the main attractions for us, I booked a fireworks cruise instead. It was wonderful and a much more relaxing and less expensive option than the party would have been at the end of our week. I can't remember the exact total, but I want to say it was between $350 and $375 for up to 10 people.

 

[Spoiledraf]

At a party right now. We road Space Mountain walk on three times in a row. Race cars in five minutes. 20 minutes for seven dwarfs. We ride through the first parade and catch the second then close the park after that. Sometimes we don't even get off some rides. Yes pricey but it's lots of rides in a short time frame.