Moonlight Magic not so Magic

[momandmousefan]

How many tickets do you need?

3

 

[momandmousefan]

We've

How many tickets do you need?

we've been on the phone with member services too etc and they just keep transferring us everywhere to see if anyone has cancelled tickets(we're not at a DVC property this trip) We don't really want to drag the toddler all the way back to MK to be told there are none.

 

[PrincessDuck]

We've

we've been on the phone with member services too etc and they just keep transferring us everywhere to see if anyone has cancelled tickets(we're not at a DVC property this trip) We do t really want to drag the toddler all the way back to MK to be told there are none.

I am double checking, but I might have 3 extra. Plans are in flux.

 

[Sammie]

This is a very good video of the fireworks. Looks like a fun time.

 

[RyMickey]

Anything free is fine by me, but in my opinion, this year's Moonlight Magic event was much more disappointing than last year's. Opening the whole park was an exciting proposition (last year only Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Haunted Mansion were opened), but it allowed A LOT more people into the park than last year due to the increased capacity. Crowd-wise it "felt" like a normal night around the park. At 11:45, Haunted Mansion was logging a 30 minute wait, Winnie the Pooh was at 25, Peter Pan was at 30, and Mine Train was at 45 (as examples).

Lines for the characters were huge (if that's your thing -- it's not ours, so it didn't bother us, but if you were interested, they were LONG waits). The fireworks were pretty great (I don't think they were as good as last year, but they were still pretty fantastic.)

Some people may love the notion of hot dogs and chicken nuggets at 10pm, but for us, we missed the tables set up at various locations throughout the park with chips (more than one chip option, too), ice cream (which was awesome), and drinks (both hot and cold). I understand from a budgetary standpoint it may actually be cheaper to man seven counter service locations and only serve hot dogs, chicken tenders, apples, chips, cookies, and carrots/celery instead of ice cream which has a much higher cost point, but I just missed the ice cream which was such a special treat!

And that word "special" is the difference between last year and this year. Listen, the event was free and it was fine. It's difficult to really complain because they didn't have to do this at all. But, last year's even felt "special" -- it was like you were invited to an exclusive event. This year felt like just another night in the park.

 

[OhhBother]

We enjoyed last night. It was a free event and much appreciated. But it didn't hold a candle to After Hours the night before. And that's probably an unfair comparison to make.

But the lines for rides were longer than I expected last night. I assumed they'd be comparable to Halloween and Christmas parties. They were not. They were longer.
(We're not character people, so I can't speak to that.)

But that's ok. It was a lot of fun. We loved being there. The fireworks were great. We actually enjoyed our 10 pm dinner of hot dog and chicken nuggets -- it's been years since we've eaten like that at that hour, and it was a treat. All in all, much appreciated!!

 

[The Expert]

I was completely bummed that we couldn't take advantage of this. We were there and invited, but with most of the family participating in the Disney Princess 5K the morning of the event and the 10K the morning after, those 3am wakeup calls and early morning races just didn't jibe with the timing of the event. Hoping next time we can go!

 

[Sammie]

People complain when they can't go, people complain when they do get to go. Honestly I have no idea why they even try.

 

[Flossbolna]

I think the issue is that when offering something like this they are trying to find a balance between opening up the event to as many people as possible while at the same time preserve an atmosphere that is more special than any usual day at the MK.

My experience on 2/25 was that it seemed that they were able to hit that balance quite well. Yes, it was not an "empty" park. But it was not as crowded as many evenings I had experienced at the MK in the past. I am ok with short waits if that means that more fellow DVC members can experience the party as well.

I also think you cannot compare it to other hard ticket events. The Christmas and Halloween parties have other things to occupy guests with the shows and two parades. This takes a lot of people away from the attractions. And the After Hour events are obviously designed for a far lower crowd.

At 11:45, Haunted Mansion was logging a 30 minute wait, Winnie the Pooh was at 25, Peter Pan was at 30, and Mine Train was at 45 (as examples).

Did you look at the lines in person or were these the ones that were quoted by the app? I cannot imagine the HM really having a 30 minute wait unless it has broken down. Without FP operating, the line should be way out of the door for a 30 minute wait. We rode Winnie the Pooh at 11:40pm on 2/25. The sign said 20 minutes wait at the entrance, but the line was virtually empty. We waited 5 minutes.

 

[recmouse]

I was there last night and really enjoyed it... but... I have to say, I was not expecting as many people as were there. I wanted to see some of the characters but those lines were ridiculous! At 11:25 the wait for the Princess Fairy Tale Hall was 45 and 90 minutes!!! And yes - HM was 30 minute wait, so was Winne the Pooh. We got on a 40 minute wait for 7DMT and it was only 30 minutes. Fortunately, they let us in at 7:30pm so we did do a lot before the 10pm start time. Many of the wait times throughout the night were long. The fireworks... wow... just phenomenal!

For what it was, the food was fine. It was free and I appreciated it!

 

[Anal Annie]

Betting they didn't run a fully staffed park with rides running at peak capacity. That's probably why the lines were longer than some expected. Super stoked to hopefully see what one of these events will be like this summer at T.L. Now if only they would open the booking...

 

[recmouse]

Betting they didn't run a fully staffed park with rides running at peak capacity. That's probably why the lines were longer than some expected. Super stoked to hopefully see what one of these events will be like this summer at T.L. Now if only they would open the booking...

Actually when we went on Space Mountain both tracks were running. Alot of staff everywhere.

 

[disneynutz]

Reported attendance last night was 15,000.

Bill

 

[Flossbolna]

Reported attendance last night was 15,000.

Bill

Do you know what was the attendance on 2/25?

 

[Amw1064]

We went last night and had an awesome time and enjoyed it way more than last years event. I did miss the ice cream but other than that we did way more rides and even got to stay on and ride twice because it was so empty. (splash around 12:45, Thunder around 10:30 and Dumbo around 9pm) We rode Space Mountain, Buzz, Teacups, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, 7 Dwarfs, Pirates, Splash, Thunder and tea cups. Got to see Dr. Facilier, Goofy & Bowler hat guy. Thought the fireworks were great as well. We go all the time but my daughter brought a friend who had only been once when she was really little and we were trying to do as much as possible with her. We did stop around 10:30 and do a very late dinner. We had a great time. I honestly did not find it crowded. Maybe we just went in opposite direction of the crowds?

 

[RyMickey]

People complain when they can't go, people complain when they do get to go. Honestly I have no idea why they even try.

I mean, I don't think that's really a fair statement. As someone who went to last year's event, this year's event in comparison simply wasn't as enjoyable to me.

To me, last year felt like I was invited to a special party the way DVC set things up. This year, it just felt like the park was open late. Is it great that they do this at all? Yes, no doubt and I know they're shelling out a ton of money to do this, but compared to last year's event, I just didn't have as good of a time.

 

[RyMickey]

I think the issue is that when offering something like this they are trying to find a balance between opening up the event to as many people as possible while at the same time preserve an atmosphere that is more special than any usual day at the MK.

My experience on 2/25 was that it seemed that they were able to hit that balance quite well. Yes, it was not an "empty" park. But it was not as crowded as many evenings I had experienced at the MK in the past. I am ok with short waits if that means that more fellow DVC members can experience the party as well.

I also think you cannot compare it to other hard ticket events. The Christmas and Halloween parties have other things to occupy guests with the shows and two parades. This takes a lot of people away from the attractions. And the After Hour events are obviously designed for a far lower crowd.



Did you look at the lines in person or were these the ones that were quoted by the app? I cannot imagine the HM really having a 30 minute wait unless it has broken down. Without FP operating, the line should be way out of the door for a 30 minute wait. We rode Winnie the Pooh at 11:40pm on 2/25. The sign said 20 minutes wait at the entrance, but the line was virtually empty. We waited 5 minutes.

Those times were posted at the rides themselves. Whether they were legit or not I don't know.

I appreciate what DVC did with this event in that it was OBVIOUS to me that opening up nearly the entire park allowed for more DVC members to attend. I just simply thought last year's more intimate event was more enjoyable. That's sort of a no brainer - less crowds equals more enjoyment during any Disney trip.

Once again, for them to do this at all is nice but I wonder if a more simple event like last year done four times a year instead of two big ones equals out money-wise. If that's the case, I'd take the four smaller events.

 

[Sammie]

Those times were posted at the rides themselves. Whether they were legit or not I don't know.

I appreciate what DVC did with this event in that it was OBVIOUS to me that opening up nearly the entire park allowed for more DVC members to attend. I just simply thought last year's more intimate event was more enjoyable. That's sort of a no brainer - less crowds equals more enjoyment during any Disney trip.

Once again, for them to do this at all is nice but I wonder if a more simple event like last year done four times a year instead of two big ones equals out money-wise. If that's the case, I'd take the four smaller events.

When they do smaller events, they got even more complaints about those that were able to go and those that were turned away. They tried to make it a bit larger and yet people still complain. So many people wanted to go but were turned away. I can't see them making them smaller again.

 

[Judique]

First of all, Thank you to DVC for creating an event for the membership!

I was there and enjoyed myself!

I also enjoyed 20% off at several restaurants due to the reduced cost annual pass that I was able to purchase because of DVC, and kudos to the cashier at Contempo Café for asking me if I had any discount cards. I'd forgotten to ask!

Now, I didn't stay that long as I have a pass and entered the park at about 7:30pm so staying the whole time would have created a record time for me in a park. I'm usually in and out of most parks in about 3 hours.

I did wait in line for some chicken nuggets and apple slices - maybe 15 minutes - but this was right at 10 when they started serving. I probably would have preferred an ice cream treat since 10pm is pretty late for me to be eating chicken nuggets, but I was a guest so I'm happy with what was offered by my host.

Having been a member since 2000, I certainly see an extra effort on DVC's part to reach a greater part of the members with these events and more discounts.

Early on we had the xmas events with cookies and an ornament and you could go to the Wednesday membership drives, or sales updates and get a continental breakfast and maybe get a hat. These events definitely reach many more members!

As far as the lines went, the numbers posted didn't match the time it took to ride - maybe half the time on the rides I did.

If I didn't have my ap, this would have been excellent to stretch park time on a trip. I'll be watching for future events.

 

[Flossbolna]

Those times were posted at the rides themselves. Whether they were legit or not I don't know.

As far as the lines went, the numbers posted didn't match the time it took to ride - maybe half the time on the rides I did.

To me this is the one thing where they really missed the mark. It feels as if they were scaring people away from rides. If you are knowledgeable about the parks, you might be able to judge how long the wait would be by looking at the line. But in the times of FP this has become a difficult business and most of us have no experience on how the rides operate without FP (i.e. how quickly the standby line can move if not a large chuck of the capacity is given to the FP riders). Everyone is happy if the actual wait time is a little shorter than the posted one. But if they post a 20 minute wait and you only wait 5 minutes it does feel as if they were untruthful to you.

However, this is not a DVC issue and it is out of DVC's control. It is a WDW issue. We actually encountered this with the Frozen ride at Epcot on our trip in December. A friend of us had told us that once you are inside the building the wait should be not more than 20 minutes if there are no FP people. We got there about 15 minutes before park closing, the wait time posted was 70 minutes but you could see that the line did not start until somewhere inside the building. They told people at the entrance that it was going to be a very long wait. We got in line because of what we had been told thinking that in the last 15 minutes of the park being open there could not be that many people with FP+ still wanting to ride. We ended up waiting 13 minutes. There was a family in front of us who only had one day at Epcot and only got into line because this was their last chance and the 7-year old girl really wanted to go on that ride. Instead of being happy about waiting shorter, they were totally disgusted that Disney dared to lie at them about the wait time. So, instead of ending their day on a happy note, they left with a bitter feeling about having been lied to because Disney wants to be able to clear the park quicker.