MNSSHP ? About MK hrs...

[parkhopping]

I'm not surprised. I consistently see stories of people saying the parties have light crowds, and almost without fail these people have done mostly rides. That is because most folks willing to pay $65 a head (when an extra day on a regular multi day ticket is $10) are there to do the things they could not do during the day. I have been to 9 MVMCPs, 2 MNSSHPs and 3 P&Ps. And I can think of really one one that I would consider to have had a low crowd. But we rarely do more than one or two rides. We usually are there for special character meets, fireworks, parades and shows. And I, along with many others, think they oversell those hard ticket events.

DO go to a hard ticket party if you are looking to do rides with a short wait. DO go to a hard ticket party if you want to meet characters you can't see on a regular park day. DO go to a hard ticket party for some of the best parades you can see at Disney.

DO NOT go to a hard ticket party hoping to find an uncrowded park.

I should also mention that the first three parties I went to, I went as a college student who was able to get a discounted ticket - an employee at my school also worked at the Disney reservation center, and was able to get our group a great deal. For us, it was just a way to go to Disney for a significantly lower price than a one-day pass. At last year's MVMCP, had I been with other Disney vets, I probably would have watched the parade and focused more on special party stuff. I agree that under normal circumstances, $65 is a lot to pay for rides you can do anytime. But I was with a group of friends from my alma mater, one of whom had never been to Disney before. So rides were definitely our focus, along with a few characters (and plenty of cookies/hot chocolate ) For us, the park felt practically empty.

 

[monorailrabbit]

A good idea is to go in at 4pm. Either do a counter service meal or have a reservation. It's also a great idea to meet some characters in your comtume before the party has started. The party characters don't come out but you can meet Tink and her friends, Tiana and Naveen after 5pm, Woody and Jessie, Buzz, Ariel. You can meet quite a few characters before the party has started that you won't have to meet during the party. All of these characters don't have different outfits for the party, even if they're meeting at all.

Awesome - I think our plan is to eat at RC at AK before we head over and then kind of snack throughout the party. We will definitely try and be there by 4 then! I would love to see some characters before hand too! My DH isn't too keen on having to pack & wear a costume... I know it isn't required, but would we be an extreme minority if we didn't wear costumes?

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Awesome - I think our plan is to eat at RC at AK before we head over and then kind of snack throughout the party. We will definitely try and be there by 4 then! I would love to see some characters before hand too! My DH isn't too keen on having to pack & wear a costume... I know it isn't required, but would we be an extreme minority if we didn't wear costumes?

Be careful with the idea of snacking. Many of the regular places are closed during the party and those that are open are often packed.

Many people don't wear a costume. If he's uncomfortable, he can wear regular clothes, maybe a hat or something.

 

[cruisingkat]

We have attended both MNSSHP & MVMCP each year around the same time. Each year it seems to be more and more crowded than the year before.
The first year we went, there was hardly a line for anything. Last year, there were long lines for characters and top rides at both MNSSHP and MVMCP. We go to the Halloween party in early Oct attending on weekday evening and the Christmas party in late Nov, first week of Dec again attending on weekday evening.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Previously having attended both parties, I would say they are a great time. I don't think they are a particularly great value, but I think you should do a party at least once if you have the opportunity.

 

[Iloveeliot]

If you will be in MK on a party day but not attending the party you might want to try to get a late dining reservation in the MK. The first day of our first trip to Disney we had a late dinner reservation at the Crystal Palace the night of MNSSHP and we didn't have tickets. There was hardly anyone in the restaurant when we were finishing up our dessert and we had some amazing character interactions since we were virtually the only ones left in the restaurant. It was just DH and me and we had 3 characters hanging out with us at our table for a long time. I think Piglet hung out with us for at least 10 minutes. Not sure if this is the norm for the last diners of the night or if we were just lucky but it was awesome and we enjoyed walking out of the park and seeing everyone in costume and hearing the music. We did head directly out of the park but no one said anything to us. It got us even more excited for when we would be attending the party in a few nights!

 

[monorailrabbit]

Be careful with the idea of snacking. Many of the regular places are closed during the party and those that are open are often packed.

Many people don't wear a costume. If he's uncomfortable, he can wear regular clothes, maybe a hat or something.

Ooh! Very good to know! Thanks! Hmm... I guess we should just try to eat a LOT at RC then! It seems odd to me that there wouldn't be a lot of food options during the party, but I'm glad to know ahead of time!

 

[purple figment]

Hmm... I guess we should just try to eat a LOT at RC then! It seems odd to me that there wouldn't be a lot of food options during the party, but I'm glad to know ahead of time!

Not a lot of food places open during the MNSSHP. I think there are so many other things to do that many people don't want to spend a lot of time eating. You can always make inroads into your trick or treat candy!

 

[monorailrabbit]

Not a lot of food places open during the MNSSHP. I think there are so many other things to do that many people don't want to spend a lot of time eating. You can always make inroads into your trick or treat candy!

That's probably very true - I'm sure we will be having so much fun we won't even think about being hungry (sometimes I think the only reason we remembered to eat at all during our last trip was because we had ADR's ) And can't forget about the candy!

 

[mom2rtk]

Not a lot of food places open during the MNSSHP. I think there are so many other things to do that many people don't want to spend a lot of time eating. You can always make inroads into your trick or treat candy!

And the places that are open are not open until midnight. We got caught up having fun at a party once, then try as we might could not find a single thing to buy to eat because it was late (close to 11). We just mistakenly figured Disney would not miss an opportunity to sell us something. I was wrong. And by the time we got back to the resort, the food court had just closed.

Won't make that mistake again.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Ooh! Very good to know! Thanks! Hmm... I guess we should just try to eat a LOT at RC then! It seems odd to me that there wouldn't be a lot of food options during the party, but I'm glad to know ahead of time!

As others have said, most places are closed, the ones that are open close early and earlier in the night, they few that are open are packed. That's why I'd recommend doing a lunch at RC and then a medium counter service meal at MK by 5:30pm. Otherwise, you might end up with rumbly tummys until morning.

 

[Chelley00]

The Ice Cream Parlor is open late. We've had to "suffer" through having ice cream for dinner when we didn't realize nothing would be open

 

[Disney_Princess83]

The Ice Cream Parlor is open late. We've had to "suffer" through having ice cream for dinner when we didn't realize nothing would be open

We did this one night during EMH. It was in late January and nothing else was open (it was midnight) And we were starving!

 

[purple figment]

Last year the MNSSHP guide and map had a list of the food places open during the party. Not too many places to begin with and a number of them closed early.

I know Aloha Isle stayed open until the end because we were having Dole Whips at 11:45. I think Cosmic Ray was open late, but throughout the entire evening it had a limited menu. Also, I remember seeing a couple of places on Main Street open until late.

 

[Lurch]

You shouldn't be escorted out early. You are being escorted out at the park closing time-7pm. Nothing is preventing you from using the ticket you paid for.

Pardon the delayed response, I have been on a cruise for the last week.

In looking at the park calendar normal MK closing time is either 9 or 10 pm for September. It seems to me that they are indeed shutting down early and charging extra for the time I have paid for and should be entitled to.

I'm in for nearly $4,000 for my trip, I am honestly shocked that Disney would try to squeeze a few hundred dollars more out of me for basically a handful of candy. Maybe I am missing something, but I am genuinely surprised people are not upset about what appears to be a hard ticket scam Disney is putting on. Shouldn't the park ticket I already paid for include a parade and character interaction?

 

[mesaboy2]

Pardon the delayed response, I have been on a cruise for the last week.

In looking at the park calendar normal MK closing time is either 9 or 10 pm for September. It seems to me that they are indeed shutting down early and charging extra for the time I have paid for and should be entitled to.

I'm in for nearly $4,000 for my trip, I am honestly shocked that Disney would try to squeeze a few hundred dollars more out of me for basically a handful of candy. Maybe I am missing something, but I am genuinely surprised people are not upset about what appears to be a hard ticket scam Disney is putting on. Shouldn't the park ticket I already paid for include a parade and character interaction?

Every park ticket does. These are available 365 days a year during any normal day.

If you want to attend the party, you have to pay for the party. People are paying for exclusive events. This is how it has worked for years.

 

[mom2rtk]

Pardon the delayed response, I have been on a cruise for the last week.

In looking at the park calendar normal MK closing time is either 9 or 10 pm for September. It seems to me that they are indeed shutting down early and charging extra for the time I have paid for and should be entitled to.

I'm in for nearly $4,000 for my trip, I am honestly shocked that Disney would try to squeeze a few hundred dollars more out of me for basically a handful of candy. Maybe I am missing something, but I am genuinely surprised people are not upset about what appears to be a hard ticket scam Disney is putting on. Shouldn't the park ticket I already paid for include a parade and character interaction?

Then choose to visit the MK on days it doesn't close early for the party. The calendar is there. The choice is yours. Of course you'll pay for that choice with higher crowds on those days. I personally love that they do parties. It makes choosing a low crowd very easy.

 

[khaoskat]

Pardon the delayed response, I have been on a cruise for the last week.

In looking at the park calendar normal MK closing time is either 9 or 10 pm for September. It seems to me that they are indeed shutting down early and charging extra for the time I have paid for and should be entitled to.

I'm in for nearly $4,000 for my trip, I am honestly shocked that Disney would try to squeeze a few hundred dollars more out of me for basically a handful of candy. Maybe I am missing something, but I am genuinely surprised people are not upset about what appears to be a hard ticket scam Disney is putting on. Shouldn't the park ticket I already paid for include a parade and character interaction?

Not Disney related, but IMHO, the park is putting on an event during certain hours that requires a separate admission ticket and it not classified as "open to the public". Totally different things. If I remember correctly, the "early closing" time really only affects 2 maybe 3 nights. So, what you lose between 4-9 hours of park time. In the grand scheme of things, not that much.

Just as an aside, MANY parks do something similar. Our local park, King's Island, offers a Halloween event. Even though I am a season pass holder, and the event is included in our passes. If I leave the park on the Halloween event days and do not re-enter prior to 7 pm, I have to pay to re-enter.

But again, the park is not "open to the public" during the MNSSHP. MNSSHP is a separate ticketed event and is not included in your park admission. This will be my families first ever trip to Disney, and we plan on doing the MNSSHP, as I think my kids will love it, even though it will be an expensive add on to our trip, and I will be in our trip well over the $4,000 you have in yours. Not everything is about money. Why don't you look at this as an opportunity to spend some great time with your family regardless of how much extra it is going to cost...and instead of visiting MK on the day it closes early...go to one of the other 3 parks that may still be open late if you don't want to goto the MNSSHP.

 

[Allison]

Pardon the delayed response, I have been on a cruise for the last week.

In looking at the park calendar normal MK closing time is either 9 or 10 pm for September. It seems to me that they are indeed shutting down early and charging extra for the time I have paid for and should be entitled to.

I'm in for nearly $4,000 for my trip, I am honestly shocked that Disney would try to squeeze a few hundred dollars more out of me for basically a handful of candy. Maybe I am missing something, but I am genuinely surprised people are not upset about what appears to be a hard ticket scam Disney is putting on. Shouldn't the park ticket I already paid for include a parade and character interaction?

You didn't pay for that time and aren't entitled to it. You get to be in the park during normal operating hours.

Technically, you might not even get that if a park is at capacity during peak times of year.

 

[Lurch]

You didn't pay for that time and aren't entitled to it. You get to be in the park during normal operating hours.

Technically, you might not even get that if a park is at capacity during peak times of year.

What are normal operating hours? I am an auditor, so maybe I see things differently, but every other day the park is open until at least 9pm so I'm not sure how you can imply that normal operating hours are something other than 9-9 in fact 9-10 is just as frequent.

How many hours early could Disney close their park before you felt like you have been cheated? For me, it is finding out that for half of my trip, the park I was most looking forward to visiting, will be closing 25% earlier. I feel cheated, but hopefully it won't spoil my trip. I'll pay the extra $$ and hopefully forget about it between now and September.