Mickey's Halloween Party is soooo expensive!

[StitchSpawn]

I just don't like that SWW is free with park admission and this is extra cost, and you get SW!!!! all for not any more than what I would spend on a normal day in the park.
And all MNSSHP is characters that are usually findable somewhere in WDW and candy you can get at home and a parade and fireworks with NBC music but there's no Jack or Sally M&G, ***! & free face painting, that you can also find everywhere, for much cheaper than a ticket...

but everyone I ask says it's amazing so I going to give it a try...

and I don't count the 7dwarves as being worth paying extra for, fyi Disney

 

[McIntoshTx]

It could be as low as $102+tax for the two tickets.

$48+tax may be extravagant to some people for a birthday, but odds are that isn't going to be the case for most who pay for their family to go to Disney World.

Good Texas common sense I agree if you are posting on a Dis forum then you either plan to go or have gone to Disney before. A vast majority of those folks can indeed scrape up $130 for a B-Day celebration. It is certainly not unreasonable to think so anyways IMO. The OP said she had a hard time justifying it, not that she could not afford it. Big difference.

 

[TheNotSoGreatGonzo]

I just don't like that SWW is free with park admission and this is extra cost, and you get SW!!!! all for not any more than what I would spend on a normal day in the park.
And all MNSSHP is characters that are usually findable somewhere in WDW and candy you can get at home and a parade and fireworks with NBC music but there's no Jack or Sally M&G, ***! & free face painting, that you can also find everywhere, for much cheaper than a ticket...

but everyone I ask says it's amazing so I going to give it a try...

and I don't count the 7dwarves as being worth paying extra for, fyi Disney

Pretty sure there are a ton of characters that do M&G's at MNSSHP that are not out and about at WDW on any random day.

most of the princes
Hag
Bullseye
Flynn
7 dwarves
some of the villains don't appear anywhere regularly
and probably some others that I'm forgetting

I also read somewhere on here that there might be a Jack and Sally M&G beginning this year.

 

[bwilcox]

Pretty sure there are a ton of characters that do M&G's at MNSSHP that are not out and about at WDW on any random day.

most of the princes
Hag
Bullseye
Flynn
7 dwarves
some of the villains don't appear anywhere regularly
and probably some others that I'm forgetting

I also read somewhere on here that there might be a Jack and Sally M&G beginning this year.

Plus, there is the whole fun, party atmosphere. It's hard to describe but fun to experience!

 

[Donut23]

I think it is very much worth the cost as well

I think you have to remember - perhaps others do not have the generous wallet your family is lucky enough to have. Perhaps they honestly cannot afford it. We have no idea what their $$$ situation is. Perhaps they have worked overtime for a year to get to WDW.....and they have to manage a tight budget.

I remember when these parties were a far better value. Heck, in 2005 it was only $36 to attend! Value now.....HAHAHAHAHA.


I like the idea of a mother, daughter evening but that may still be too expensive.

If so, I applaud the parents for being reasonable while they teach their children financial responsiblity....perhaps the kids can teach our politicians!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

so split up the family and just take her. It's a birthday gift, and $50 doesn't seem like that absurd for a birthday gift.

Quite a bit more than 'just' $50.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/halloween.htm#tickets

Many nights, a LOT more.

 

[kaligal]

It could be as low as $102+tax for the two tickets.

$48+tax may be extravagant to some people for a birthday, but odds are that isn't going to be the case for most who pay for their family to go to Disney World.

It's not $48. It's not $54.

Unless you're planning to wave good-bye as the kid goes into the MK to attend the party alone, you're looking at $114-131.

That isn't "just spend it" money to everyone.

 

[StitchSpawn]

Pretty sure there are a ton of characters that do M&G's at MNSSHP that are not out and about at WDW on any random day.

most of the princes
Hag
Bullseye
Flynn
7 dwarves
some of the villains don't appear anywhere regularly
and probably some others that I'm forgetting

I also read somewhere on here that there might be a Jack and Sally M&G beginning this year.

Flynn *used* to be in the Parks regularly and I have met Bullseye, he is around on occassion. I don't care about the princes or the snow white characters! You have a point about the villians, except the ones that have appeared in the past I don't like! I like Gaston and Madam Mim. And I still don't understand why Disney doesn't incude NBC characters! It's HALLOWEEN! Include your HALLOWEEN characters at WDW!

And SWW is offers a LOT 2, for less the cost! If your going to charge me, I want NBC characters, ALL the villians, maybe a special ride or experience only offered on halloween, like simulation ride, or decorate one of the rollercosters up, like space mountain, to show halloween characters on it when you ride, like RCC has the blacklight signs, but halloween themed or something, just an idea. If your not going to do the Holiday ride for HM like at DL, do something! People say WDW is unlike DL because more locals go to DL, so they have to change it up. Well, guess what Disney, I'm a floridian and we usually go to WDW more than most people because it's close, but I DO GET BORED with things, and I probably spend more because I go more, so maybe cater to me more! I don't want candy or Prince Charming and my 4 yr old neice is in love with Jack Skellington and I keep having to tell her he may not be there this year, FOR HALLOWEEN! How messed up is that! Yes, my 4yr old neice loves Jack over any Prince! She's going to be a skellington princess for halloween

::done with rant now::

I don't really want to go...I'm going because my family is going...

 

[BrerVixen]

I just don't like that SWW is free with park admission and this is extra cost, and you get SW!!!! all for not any more than what I would spend on a normal day in the park.
And all MNSSHP is characters that are usually findable somewhere in WDW and candy you can get at home and a parade and fireworks with NBC music but there's no Jack or Sally M&G, ***! & free face painting, that you can also find everywhere, for much cheaper than a ticket...

but everyone I ask says it's amazing so I going to give it a try...

and I don't count the 7dwarves as being worth paying extra for, fyi Disney

The parade is worth the hard ticket price ALONE.

OP. You know your finances best. Only you can decide if you can afford it or not. It really is worth the $$ IMHO.

 

[BigGreen73]

"Mickey's Halloween Party is soooo expensive!"

What isn't expensive at WDW? Anyway, it's a lot of fun. If you have not done it before and if you can afford it, it's worth doing at least once. We did it twice last trip and we did not regret dropping the extra $$$.

 

[cvjw]

These days, a trip to Disney is very expensive. If a family is already spending thousands of dollars for a Disney vacation, another hundred dollars for the Halloween party isn't that much extra. The OP just has to decide if it is worth it to her to spend that extra $100. OP, I have taken my kids to the Halloween party every year for the last 10 years - I started when my oldest was 4. The Halloween party holds some of our best and favorite Disney memories. My kids love, love, love the Halloween party - and they are 15 and 12 year old boys. They don't get to go this year - we lost our fall break, and they are so upset. My advice is to take your child - it is one of the best experiences that Disney offers, and it is magical for kids - even my teen/preteen boys!

 

[okeydokey]

I completely understand. The OP is from FL and may have annual passes. When we have gone to Disney we purchased the seasonal annual pass and tried to get in 2 or 3 trips a year, stayed at the campground or offsite.

When you have an annual pass that is already paid for, the cost of adding that much money for an additional night in the park does not make sense. We have never been to one of the special parties and most likely will never go to one. That's OK. I tell my kids that not everyone gets to do everything. We have a great time within our budget.

 

[DeaverTex]

Evi: I hear what you're saying, but then what about the rest of the family? They get to stay home? (WARNING: The following is a personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the official position of Mrs. Tex or anyone else.) Doing something special for a birthday is great. Excluding the rest of the family from the celebration is not so great. It doesn't matter how you spin it, the celebration here is MNSSHP.

That's how I see it, at least. YMMV.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

Why are so many of us telling tmarquez to go ahead and spend the money on MNSSHP? Not everybody has the disposable income to just say "Oh, what the heck! It's worth it!" to another $300 or so bucks for a child's birthday on top of real life AND a trip to WDW.

ars0525 said it best:

Because life is too short to worry about money. if your child wants something reasonable for her birthday, why not give it to her. She doesn't have to bring the entire family her and her daughter can just go together.

If a few extra 100 bucks is really going to break the bank, i would think one wouldn't be spending $1000 to Disney in the first place. Never did OP say that it was going to cost them financial distress only that it is expensive, which it is. She asked if it was worth it and it is.

 

[RobRees]

. They don't get to go this year - we lost our fall break, and they are so upset.

My DW and I had to make a decision after we lost the break also tried to change the dates to later but could not afford to almost triple the costs so we are going in Sept for our 1st MNSSHP and cant wait. I jist hope my boys will be okay with missing week of school. Dont you just hate the CCSB sometimes?

 

[JimmyV]

When you have an annual pass that is already paid for, the cost of adding that much money for an additional night in the park does not make sense.

I don't get this at all. How is having an AP any different than having a 7 day pass? Either way, the customer has to pay extra money for the party. The hard ticket event doesn't become any more or less "sensible" just because one person has an "already paid for" pass that gets them into the park 20+ times a year and the other person has an "already paid for" pass that gets them in 7.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Because life is too short to worry about money

Spoken like someone who's never had to struggle with money. I applaud your success, either inherited or earned, but not everyone is able to have such a devil-may-care attitude about their finances.

While I don't think MNSSHP is expensive in terms of value in comparison to the rest of WDW's pricing structure, it is a pretty extravagant cost for a birthday present, particularly when you'll have to buy at least two tickets, if not more. Obviously this isn't the case for everyone, as some people can afford such extravagance, but for many people this would be living well outside their means.

I've seen more than a few people say, "If this is what she really wants, it shouldn't matter how much it costs." This logic baffles me. In a perfect world everyone would like to grant their children their every wish, but this doesn't work in reality for two reasons: 1.) The aforementioned money issue and 2.) Just because a child wants something, doesn't mean they're entitled to it, even for their birthday. That's a lesson more people could probably stand to learn. There are more than a few 16-year-olds who really wanted a car for their birthday, but alas, they'll still be riding the bus.

To the original question my best advice is to save up for another year, perhaps someday you can grant your daughter's wish. Until then, I'm sure you'll find no problem making each of her birthday's special, with or without Disney.

 

[kaligal]

Because life is too short to worry about money.

That's nice in theory, but the electric company and the landlord rarely buy that.

Not everyone has the extra money to toss around.

I'm not saying I don't like MNSSHP.

"Worth it" depends on how much you value the thing and how much money you have.

 

[stargazertechie]

Cake- $15-$20
Decorations- $5-$20
Pizza for guests- $20-$30
Party Favors- $10-$20

Birthday parties aren't cheap either, and the way I see it, the OP could spend $100 giving her daughter what she wants for her birthday, or $100 feeding a bunch of DD's classmates for DD's birthday.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Cake- $15-$20
Decorations- $5-$20
Pizza for guests- $20-$30
Party Favors- $10-$20

Birthday parties aren't cheap either, and the way I see it, the OP could spend $100 giving her daughter what she wants for her birthday, or $100 feeding a bunch of DD's classmates for DD's birthday.

Meanwhile leaving the other three people (family members, I'm assuming) out in the cold.

As for your pricing, many of those things can be done considerably cheaper or done without altogether.