How crowded is MHP?

[ParkHopper1]

I am non local DL AP holder and regular park visitor. I have been to DL for a closed private party where we had run of the park and been to DL on NYE...so I know what both the extremes and typical seasonal DL crowds are like. We are doing a MHP for the first time later in October to check it out, but just wondering what crowd level to expect for a "sold out" MHP night.

Any MHP veterans have any insight?

 

[Imdboss]

The last time I went was in 2014, it was sold out. We found the crowds to be quite pleasant compared to what we experienced during the days before and after the party. My kids aren't really into characters so that wasn't a priority however when DD and I went a few years prior I recall waiting in a pretty decent line for the villains. I'd suggest doing treat lines later in the evening. When the party first starts the lines are long, as the night goes on they are basically non existent so you can walk through a treat trail as you are making your way someplace and really not even slow down! We focused a lot on rides and the lines were all pretty short, we never waited longer than 15-20 minutes. I don't recall how long we waited for our parade spot but it wasn't that long although with the changes this year there might be a bigger draw in crowds towards that. As the night goes on the crowds do thin out even more, we always stayed until midnight to take advantage of every minute!

 

[KeKy4]

We went to a sold out Halloween party two years ago and it was a 15 minute wait for the Peter Pan ride!
It was awesome! The Halloween party is our favorite event at Disneyland!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you have reasonable expectations, a sold out night should be fine. Yes, it might be more crowded than you expected (but nowhere near NYE!), but the different party offerings do spread guests out over the park so it doesn't feel like you are jammed in somewhere. The exception to this is fireworks. People do crowd the Hub area, but there is still good viewing by IASW if you want more space. Every year people come back here to complain about the party, but it seems that the common denominator is unmet, unrealistic expectations. Since you've already survived NYE, a sold out party should be nothing to worry about.

 

[figment_jii]

I've found sold out parties to be kind of a mixed bag. During the first two hours or so, the attraction lines didn't seem that much shorter than during the day. For example, we rode Star Tours just after 6:00 pm (the party started at 6:00 pm) and the wait was still 45 minutes. Towards the end of the party, the lines had shortened considerably. As mentioned, the typical bottleneck spots during fireworks and parades are the same. Given that there is a new parade this year, I would expect crowds to be pretty concentrated along the parade route and the fireworks are always popular. The crowds aren't anything like a peak holiday (e.g., NYE), but I wouldn't go expecting walk-on attractions or being able to find a prime viewing spot minutes before the show starts either.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Do the do the projections for the Halloween fireworks onto IASW?

 

[figment_jii]

Yes, in previous years they have used IaSW for the projections.

 

[lindyv321]

In another thread someone commented that they called and a CM said there would not be projections near IASW but I plan on asking on our party day. Seems you get a different answer depending on who you ask!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I've found sold out parties to be kind of a mixed bag. During the first two hours or so, the attraction lines didn't seem that much shorter than during the day. For example, we rode Star Tours just after 6:00 pm (the party started at 6:00 pm) and the wait was still 45 minutes. Towards the end of the party, the lines had shortened considerably...

I wonder how much of this is because of non-party guests still in the lines before the party start time. For example, if non-party guests got in line for ST at 5:45pm, they would still be allowed to finish their ride, even after 6pm. Then they would be escorted out after their ride ended. But they can still shop on Main Street before exiting. So the crowds don't immediately seem reduced from day numbers, but they do thin out noticeably after the first hour or two of the party.