Kicked Out of MK for the Christmas Party

[loveysbydesign]

We've been to the WDW Christmas Party in the past but skipped it this time because our kids are 2 and 5 and just can't stay up late enough to make a 7pm-midnight venture worth it. So when we went to MK last week we knew we'd have to leave at 7pm promptly and it was no problem for us.

However, we noticed that certain areas of the park were shut off to people without party wristbands 15-20 minutes before 7pm. This was a bit frustrating since we assumed we were completely welcome there until the park officially closed at 7pm.

In fact, my wife and 2 year old went on Pirates at about 6:30pm while my 5 year old and I walked around and waited. At exactly 6:45pm I decided to wait in the Pirates gift shop since that's where all riders exit but the shop was mostly closed off with a cast-iron gate. When we tried to enter a CM at the doorway asked if we had wristbands. I said "No, but it's not 7 o'clock yet." She said "I know but we're clearing out our day guests." I replied, "But it's not 7 o'clock yet. Why can't I wait for my wife and son in the gift shop?" She just again said that we couldn't come in because they're clearing out their day guests.

I'm sorry, but we paid our admission to be there until the park officially closes and that wasn't until 7pm. And 15 minutes of Disney time is a lot to us so it bothered my son and I quite a bit. Why would they do this to their customers? Is a 15 minute jump on the evening that big of a deal that they have to start treating "day guests" like second-class citizens? I just don't understand.

I feel your pain! We were there in Oct. and MNSSHP was going on. After coming out of Philharmagic we walked over toward Pinochios to use a restroom before heading out of the park. A cm would not even let us use the bathroom by Pinocchios at 6:50 because we did not have wristbands! I was very angry as I had a woman's issue I needed to take care of in the restroom and my 5 y.o. ds and 10 y.o. dd both had to use the bathroom too and the cm would not budge. I even tried to explain to her that I really, really had to use the restroom as did my kids....to no avail. We were told we had to walk all the way up to Main St. to the front of the park and use that restroom as they would not allow us to use any of the others. After being herded to the front of the park and finally using the restroom I stood in line for 15 minutes to express my issue with a cm up front and they basically said "oh well" we'll talk to the her about it. Now I was very polite about it and did not yell or anthing. Just expressed how upset we were with the situation. We never had this issue before when we were there on party nights!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Also wondering why this in under "trip reports"?

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

We've been to the Halloween party both at WDW and at DL...and we've been to the parks during the day when we didn't have party tickets. We knew the park closed at a certain time, and made sure we rode our last ride at least 15 minutes before the park closed. It never occured to us that we were getting "ripped off" by starting our exit 15 minutes early. I always thought if the park closed at 7...it meant we had to be OUT at 7...not 730. Kind of like when I'm shopping at a store, and they make an announcement overhead telling shoppers the store is closing in 10 minutes and to please take your final purchases to the checkout. I know its not the same thing, but thats how I always thought of it. There are thousands of people in the park, I certainly wouldn't want to be a CM trying to make sure people leave at the appropriate time. I understand that they do not start herding people to the exit early during regular nights...but there is also not another event going on on regular nights, so the 2 cannot be compared. They have to do the best they can with what they have, to me it makes sense to have areas blocked off 15 minutes before the party starts. They do it for fantasmic and the fireworks nightly. You can't access Fantasyland or the Matterhorn in Disneyland during the fireworks.We've also witnessed people hiding in bathrooms and refusing to leave at the appropriate times when we have been there for the party. I agree with the poster who said if 15 minutes matters that much to people, perhaps going on a party night is not the best idea.
We are not local, so we always have a regular park ticket plus the additional party ticket when we go.So we are "allowed" into the park during the day as well as the night. We go during the day, then leave for a few hours and then return around dinner time.I imagine there are a TON of people just like us, althought I am curious as to what the ratio would be for people who are on vacation and already have regular passes, or APs vs those who are there ONLY for the party(i assume mostly locals?).
I can see both sides..but for me, I'd want to be at the front gates at 7pm, when the park closes. Just my humble opinion though

Very Good Examples 7pm with another event planned means OUT by 7 ! I too have been in during the day and back with my special event ticket. Frankly I appreciate the CM's trying their best to herd out the ones who DIDN'T pay for party !! Not an easy task as you can read here.

 

[mesaboy2]

Very Good Examples 7pm with another event planned means OUT by 7 ! I too have been in during the day and back with my special event ticket. Frankly I appreciate the CM's trying their best to herd out the ones who DIDN'T pay for party !! Not an easy task as you can read here.

I will respectfully disagree. It is not the guest's fault that Disney manages the party changeover the way that they do. Disney chooses to advertise park hours on party nights until 7:00p, and to me that means day guests can do what they like until 7:00p.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

I will respectfully disagree. It is not the guest's fault that Disney manages the party changeover the way that they do. Disney chooses to advertise park hours on party nights until 7:00p, and to me that means day guests can do what they like until 7:00p.

That's true as long as their ready to step outside the gates by 7:01

 

[mesaboy2]

That's true as long as their ready to step outside the gates by 7:01

Definitely agree.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Also wondering why this in under "trip reports"?

I've been wondering that too

 

[ChancesAre]

We attended the Christmas party one night in December and witnessed a little girl, about 10 years old, and her parents get turned away from the Buzz character greet at 6:35 because they didn't have party tickets. We had just entered the line ourselves and there were probably only five families ahead of us. Plenty of time for the little girl to have met Buzz and leave by 7:00. I felt so bad for that little family because she was so excited to see Buzz.

 

[mom2rtk]

We attended the Christmas party one night in December and witnessed a little girl, about 10 years old, and her parents get turned away from the Buzz character greet at 6:35 because they didn't have party tickets. We had just entered the line ourselves and there were probably only five families ahead of us. Plenty of time for the little girl to have met Buzz and leave by 7:00. I felt so bad for that little family because she was so excited to see Buzz.

I think they have always handled character greets differently from rides. Even during party it's handled differently and they cut the lines for characters when they have enough people to last through midnight.

They had a real problem with this last year at the Halloween party. They were letting day guests get in the princess line up until 7 PM. Starting at 7, the princes would join the princesses, and many day guests were getting party exclusive greets without a ticket. Meanwhile, the party guests were having to wait behind them. It was a real mess, and I was very happy when they finally started cutting the character lines in advance of 7. But rides? They need to consistently follow one set of guidelines.

 

[jimsanfilippo]

That's true as long as their ready to step outside the gates by 7:01

Why is that true? If the park were closing at 7pm and NOT having a party afterward they would advertise the closing time as 7pm and you would NOT be expected to be completely out of the park by 7:01pm as you suggest. So why does your park admission ticket allow you to get on a ride, go into a gift shop, or use a restroom at 6:45pm (or even 6:59pm) any other evening the park is advertised as open until 7pm but somehow the rules change on evenings with a party? That is completely inconsistent and aggrevating to most who have paid to use the park until "closing time".

 

[jimsanfilippo]

We attended the Christmas party one night in December and witnessed a little girl, about 10 years old, and her parents get turned away from the Buzz character greet at 6:35 because they didn't have party tickets. We had just entered the line ourselves and there were probably only five families ahead of us. Plenty of time for the little girl to have met Buzz and leave by 7:00. I felt so bad for that little family because she was so excited to see Buzz.

That is so awful and completely unnecessary. Why would they treat customers like that? Do they really not understand the harm they are doing to themselves by upsetting families like that, especially considering they just do not have to have policies like that in place. It just wouldn't be a big deal if the last day guest left the park at 7:20.

 

[jimsanfilippo]

They had a real problem with this last year at the Halloween party. They were letting day guests get in the princess line up until 7 PM. Starting at 7, the princes would join the princesses, and many day guests were getting party exclusive greets without a ticket.

I just cannot understand why that is so horrible. The percentage of people who get an "extra perk" like that is so insignificant that I cannot believe most would care or be so unfeeling as to make day guests not be able to participate in something like you describe even though they were in line before the park closed. I just don't understand this reasoning.

 

[jimsanfilippo]

Also wondering why this in under "trip reports"?

The moderators moved it here, I assume because I was reporting on my experience while on my trip to WDW in my original post.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Why is that true? If the park were closing at 7pm and NOT having a party afterward they would advertise the closing time as 7pm and you would NOT be expected to be completely out of the park by 7:01pm as you suggest. So why does your park admission ticket allow you to get on a ride, go into a gift shop, or use a restroom at 6:45pm (or even 6:59pm) any other evening the park is advertised as open until 7pm but somehow the rules change on evenings with a party? That is completely inconsistent and aggrevating to most who have paid to use the park until "closing time".

You shold be making your way to the front gate at least. You know there is a party starting that YOU didn't pay for. CM's do their best on normal nights to try and move people out and if it's open 9-7 you should respect those hours.Feel bad for those CM's who are working those times when guests are trying to get more than they were willing to pay for. Maybe you don't but you know there are people who turn 7pm into 7:10 and 7:10 then turns into 7:30 and those are the ones that screw it up for the rest.

 

[jimsanfilippo]

You shold be making your way to the front gate at least. You know there is a party starting that YOU didn't pay for. CM's do their best on normal nights to try and move people out and if it's open 9-7 you should respect those hours.Feel bad for those CM's who are working those times when guests are trying to get more than they were willing to pay for. Maybe you don't but you know there are people who turn 7pm into 7:10 and 7:10 then turns into 7:30 and those are the ones that screw it up for the rest.

OK, it's time for a dose of reality here. It is NOT Disney's policy to start getting people out of the park by closing time and never has been on any night other than party nights. There are always people in the park well after the official closing times and I've been in the crowded shops on Main Street at 12:30am when the park closed at midnight and there is no sense of urgency to get people out.

I've seen lines of people for rides after the park has closed. I've seen people in the back of the park allowed to use the restrooms after the park has closed.

You say I'm trying to be there at a time "YOU didn't pay for"? No, it's just the opposite. I'm trying to be there for the time I DID pay for. I paid to use the park until 7pm. That is a fact no matter how you want to spin it or justify it to yourself.

Quite honestly it baffles me that anyone believes it is asking too much to get what it is you paid for. Their policy on making people leave the park is wildly different on nights they have parties, period. And that inconsistency is the very heart of the problem. Disney's decision to handle these events the way they do is very frustrating and very unfair to day guests. Especially given that they allow party guests to arrive so many hours ahead of the start of the party.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

OK, it's time for a dose of reality here. It is NOT Disney's policy to start getting people out of the park by closing time and never has been on any night other than party nights. There are always people in the park well after the official closing times and I've been in the crowded shops on Main Street at 12:30am when the park closed at midnight and there is no sense of urgency to get people out.

Again there is a difference between Party nights and regular days just like there are differences when they have ENH at a a park. They do mostly the same thing except they check for room keys don't have one out of the park.

I've seen lines of people for rides after the park has closed. I've seen people in the back of the park allowed to use the restrooms after the park has closed.

Again that is diffident circumstances an those people were in the line before park close. They also do many times cut off the lines at the attractions well before park close once they know they have roughly what they can put through before then sometimes it gives you some extra time in the park sometimes not.

You say I'm trying to be there at a time "YOU didn't pay for"? No, it's just the opposite. I'm trying to be there for the time I DID pay for. I paid to use the park until 7pm. That is a fact no matter how you want to spin it or justify it to yourself.

Quite honestly it baffles me that anyone believes it is asking too much to get what it is you paid for. Their policy on making people leave the park is wildly different on nights they have parties, period. And that inconsistency is the very heart of the problem. Disney's decision to handle these events the way they do is very frustrating and very unfair to day guests. Especially given that they allow party guests to arrive so many hours ahead of the start of the party.

If you have a problem with Disney's policies contact them instead of complaining about it on a message board.

 

[mesaboy2]

Again there is a difference between Party nights and regular days just like there are differences when they have ENH at a a park. They do mostly the same thing except they check for room keys don't have one out of the park.

Again that is diffident circumstances an those people were in the line before park close. They also do many times cut off the lines at the attractions well before park close once they know they have roughly what they can put through before then sometimes it gives you some extra time in the park sometimes not.

If you have a problem with Disney's policies contact them instead of complaining about it on a message board.

This is incorrect. Policy is that ride queue entrances are open until the minute of close. If the attraction closes before park close, that is either a different issue or an overzealous CM.

The OP has a legitimate beef and is perfectly acceptable on a discussion forum. Whether they take it to Guest Relations is their call.

 

[mom2rtk]

This is incorrect. Policy is that ride queue entrances are open until the minute of close. If the attraction closes before park close, that is either a different issue or an overzealous CM.

The OP has a legitimate beef and is perfectly acceptable on a discussion forum. Whether they take it to Guest Relations is their call.

Yep. And I attend many hard ticket parties. I don't begrudge anyone the right to get in a ride line all the way up unil 7, even if that means I would b in line behind them. I just expect them to handle the special party things (like character lines) differently.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

OK, it's time for a dose of reality here. It is NOT Disney's policy to start getting people out of the park by closing time and never has been on any night other than party nights. There are always people in the park well after the official closing times and I've been in the crowded shops on Main Street at 12:30am when the park closed at midnight and there is no sense of urgency to get people out.

I've seen lines of people for rides after the park has closed. I've seen people in the back of the park allowed to use the restrooms after the park has closed.

You say I'm trying to be there at a time "YOU didn't pay for"? No, it's just the opposite. I'm trying to be there for the time I DID pay for. I paid to use the park until 7pm. That is a fact no matter how you want to spin it or justify it to yourself.

Quite honestly it baffles me that anyone believes it is asking too much to get what it is you paid for. Their policy on making people leave the park is wildly different on nights they have parties, period. And that inconsistency is the very heart of the problem. Disney's decision to handle these events the way they do is very frustrating and very unfair to day guests. Especially given that they allow party guests to arrive so many hours ahead of the start of the party.

Again you paid up to 7pm. Whether ,sometimes, you are allowed to linger after(I know they'll let you linger in the gift shops for sure) is just bonus time.I have seen them close rides before 7.Always thought there was a system they employed for directing guests towards the front without them thinking they were being ushered that way.Anyway You should enjoy it when extra time is there and not complain when it isn't. (I do agree with being able to use restrooms on way out however) And again many people before you have probably ruined this by staying WAY past their paid time especially on party nites.

 

[mom2rtk]

Again you paid up to 7pm. Whether ,sometimes, you are allowed to linger after(I know they'll let you linger in the gift shops for sure) is just bonus time.I have seen them close rides before 7.Always thought there was a system they employed for directing guests towards the front without them thinking they were being ushered that way.Anyway You should enjoy it when extra time is there and not complain when it isn't. (I do agree with being able to use restrooms on way out however) And again many people before you have probably ruined this by staying WAY past their paid time especially on party nites.

Actually I don't think they will let you linger in the gift shops after 7 on a party night. Right up UNTIL 7? Absolutely.

Policy has indeed always been to allow folks to enter a ride line right up until 7. I think consistency is critical here. Sounds like the OP had a rogue CM trying to interpret the policy on their own.

If policy is keeping the shops open until 7, then they should be open until 7. For the guest who planned to make a purchase on the way out (to avoid carrying it all day). But to believe it will be open until 7, then finding it closed at 6:45 would be disappointing.