We went last year on Sept 29th and although I don't know what number Disney "caps" at I can tell you it was very crowded. I think the people who did not pay to attend didn't all leave the park and that made it much worse than it should have been.
Sept 29 sold out. Part of the problem with parties is that Disney has increased the cap of the number of tickets they sell each year (due to popularity and greed!) so it's no longer an intimate event when sold out. Rumors are that in the very beginning they sold 18,000 and now it's at about 30,000).
I went last year on Oct 26 and I couldn't believe what an amazing job the CMs did in clearing out the park of day guests who weren't attending the party. I've also been on a sold out night (Halloween night) and there's a big difference between a sold out night and a non-sold out night, especially in regards to the Halloween festivities rather than the rides.
I was very worried last year about the new closing time (7:00p) as were many other Disers when we first found out they weren't going to close the park for an hour to clear it out as they've done in the past. Many party goers, including myself, emailed Disney to voice their concerns before the first party happened. They assured us that they would be diligent and after going to a
MNSSHP party last year, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they did.
This is what I saw:
They made several announcements stating that the park was closing for the party and if you didn't have tickets you could buy them at Guest Services or it was time to leave.
They had a sign at the entrance stating that the park was closing at 7:00p due to the party.
They had hundreds of CMs whose sole purpose was to check for wristbands.
They had CMs along Main Street directing non-wristband guests out of the park.
They had CMs at each entrance to the Lands blocking the entrance and would only let you through if you had a wristband.
They wouldn't let you on rides without a wristband.
They didn't let non-wristbands guests enter restrooms after 7:00p.
They didn't let non-wristbands guests make purchases (food or souveniers) after 7:00p.
They wouldn't let non-wristbands guests sit along Main Street after 7:00p.
They did an amazing job.
