Magic Kingdom on MHSSHP days

[it'sbeenalongtime]

We are planning on visiting Magic Kingdom on a few MNSSHP days. We will not have party tickets. My understanding is we can stay until 7pm but party guests can enter from 4pm.

Generally when I am planning ADRs etc., I'm expecting the parks to be busiest from lunchtime through mid afternoon and then starting to quieten from late afternoon onwards. So I was planning on lunch-time ADRs (maybe in monorail resorts) to miss some of the busiest time. However on MNSSHP days will different rules apply? Will MK be busy from 1-4 as usual or will it be busier from 4-7 once the party guests have arrived so that I'd be better off with a 5pm ADR?

Thanks for helping my planning!

 

[Meeko5]

I'm planning the same this October, great question!

 

[georgina]

Park attendance is USUALLY (no guarantees) lighter on party days because of the 7 PM close, as those without party tickets don't want to go for the short day. We went on a Christmas party day last year and had our ADR at 5 PM. I made my FP for the afternoon, and we found the crowds on the lighter side. It worked well for us, except getting out of the park around 7 was crowded (they opened up the alternate exits behind main street for those of us leaving as party folks were entering).

 

[ELSA711]

We always donour ADRs on party nights at 6:30/6:45 at a monorail resort. Works well because we dont like leaving park mid day. You can usually accomplish a lot on party days so we dont like to waste our time with ADRs mid day. With that said if u can score a BOG lunch mid day we did that.
It was quick and we enjoyed air conditioning during lunch time

 

[Ava]

We went to MK on a party day last year and found the crowds pretty light for most of the day. I do think it started to get more crowded around 4pm as party guests arrived, but we left about then so can't say exactly how much it picked up. We had a BOG lunch FP and it was a nice break without leaving the park or taking the hour+ for a TS meal. I would do a dinner ADR and just plan indoor air-conditioned attractions for mid-day.