New MK Paid Disney After Hours Event Announced

[MomofKatie]

I suspect that the Disney-After-Hours will be limited to a significantly low number.

Experience has not shown this to happen. Every year, the hard ticket parties get more and more crowded (Disney sells more and more tickets to a supposedly "limited number of attendees" event). As soon as they see the suckers lining up to fork over $150 for basically the same thing they give away for free now, you can bet the number of guests allowed the privilege of attending will go up, up, up.

 

[serenitynow]

The park isn't empty in September anymore

 

[ckb_nc]

I have done lots of things at WDW but this is one that really takes the cake. $750 for my family of 5 for three hours - I can do alot with that money. I did EMH on 3/11 (now granted it was solo) and did Space Mountain, Peter Pan, and Mine train in one hour, then did both Big Thunfer (twice ) and Splash in 50 minutes when Frontierland opened in 50 minutes. 6 attractions two hours and it cost me nothing extra. The irony is increasingly EMH is the best bang for your buck.

 

[Day-Day]

EMH at night used to be for 3 hours...

 

[btk2333]

it's starting to feel like Disney is the Spirit Airlines of theme parks- just keep adding tack on fees. I've been to Disney about 15 times in the last four years and this is the first time in a long time that I don't have another trip planned

 

[RedAngie]

Ugh this is ridiculous - Walt is going to be rolling around his grave. Free ice cream and soda but no cupcakes? I will not be paying for this event unless "much much more" includes much much more cupakes.

Can somebody explain this recurring cupcake reference to me? Thanks. I'm guessing that at some prior extra cost event, the "plus much much more" turned out to be a low quality cupcake.

Why does anybody think this will be a low capacity event?

Because some dreamers equate "tickets are limited" with walk-on ride lines.

There is no chance they will be handing out Mickey Bars and bottles of soda. They will make it as inefficient as possible to keep people away from the free stuff.

Yep, probably one or two locations, with one CM at the kiosk or counter.

I love that they're including a photo of fireworks. Did I miss the mention of some special event exclusive fireworks show?

Silly girl. You of all people should realize that those exclusive fireworks are during the regular operating hours open to anyone smart enough not to pay for the after party.

I am thinking about it. I really wish I knew what the 'and much, much, more" entailed, that would either make or break it for me. We happen to be at the world for the first night. DH and I have been discussing it and we are thinking that if it turns out to be something really great, we might regret not having done it later. We did a lot of Disney this year, but this year was unusual for us and it might be several years before we can go again (not because of money, but because of upcoming family stuff), so it might be worth it. Late night EMH are our very favorite time to be in the park, I know that we usually get a ton of rides in during the two hours of late EMH in MK, so this could be a really good opportunity for that, and if there were some great extras, I do think that the price might have a lot of value. But it's still unknown at this point. I'm so on the fence....

I really don't think even Disney knows what the "much much more" is at this point. I suppose they have a few weeks to slap something together.

 

[Sue M]

I'm still waiting for them to sell Disney air. A tank of Disney air strapped to the guest's back with a special rose colored face mask for $100. You can add a thawed out cupcake for another $25.

Yup

 

[Sue M]

I'm really hoping somebody comes back here and gives a review of this and whether or not they felt the money was worth it!

Yes I don't see how this is a good deal at all. The price is way to much. I don't get why they would charge so much if they are not going to make it worth our money and time.

Imo nothing they add can make it worth forking out $300 for any party. Or paid EMH ticket event. And that's only for 2 people. Let alone a family of 4. Disney has lost its mind!!

 

[jknc]

By no means is this post meant to preach about what to do with your money but attending this event is a win for corporate bean counters. If you are truly tired of these recent moves to nickel and dime and perhaps eliminating EMH in the future, you won't be at this event.

EDIT: and if you can't wait to attend this event and are thinking of going more than once, a member of The Dark Side you are?

 

[Nezumi Fan]

I'm not even going to lie...

If they will booze me up, let me drunk-hug rare characters and then stumble on to rides with little to no waits...

I am in.

You were never really known for good sense, Your (Headless) Majesty

 

[horse11]

I'll be there 5/12 with no plans to stay after 11. We will have been there from rope drop rope drop and 14 hours is more than enough touring.

That is our date as well and I too feel the same as you but my concern is it will get very crowded from 7:00 pm and Wishes will be impossible to see. Chances for getting a 4th FP after 7:00pm may be non existent. Not sure if we should switch our date to Saturday May 14th. Not sure which would be the best option as far as crowds

 

[Nezumi Fan]

we like to be in the disney bubble too but we use the heck out of EMH.
we especially like AM EMH.

We have never once made an early EMH opening and, most likely, never will. We'll gladly stay till 2:00 a.m. to ride SDMT a half dozen times in a row, though

 

[Anniefrances]

Okay I haven't read all 42 pages of posts (gulp!) but did see enough to worry that this new event may reduce evening EMH.

Now that my kids are older, our summer touring style has been to routinely close down MK (yes, up until 1-3 AM in the summer). We sleep until noon, swim, table service dine, and relax during the afternoon, fast pass in the early evenings, and then have a blast as the crowd thins after Wishes. Evening EMH is the only reason we continue to stay on WDW property.

Given the other change$ that have been occurring over the past year or so, if EMH get reduced, I think this will be our last year as annual pass holders and it will be the final impetus to switch over to Universal Studios (which we have never visited).

 

[Nezumi Fan]

Yeah .... I wish I could. It's just as hard keeping it in.

I remember when DD told us the Hat was being taken down and destroyed. NO ONE had leaked it. I'm like THIS IS HUGE!!! I WANT TO TELL, mostly cause I hated it. For almost a month we bit our lips and talked among ourselves trying to scratch the itch. Finally it broke ... and to us it was old news. Then all the "oh they'll save it, they'll move it" ........... no they are going to cut it up.

But today we actually knew before the insiders, we told them. And then all H-LL broke loose!!!

Burden of working for a major IP! At this point anything you say is just chumming the waters

 

[Nezumi Fan]

Interesting if this is true. The high price would make me think the number of tickets are very limited so the 3-hour time period would be a unique experience. It would likely be limited by the market demand at that price but Disney would need to make sure the number of guests is low.

We did the E-ride nights a few times. The 1st time we did it the ride waits were short and the crowds low; the last time we did it, we decided never again because it was crowded. I read posts stating the number of guests were limited to 5,000 but I don't know this to be a fact. Based on our experience, there were way more than 5,000 guests in the MK.

You've hit the nail on the head. Problem is, it starts out reasonable, then gets more crowded...and more crowded...and then it's Star Wars Land at DLR, which will rival rush hour on the Yamanote line in Tokyo. They'll be hiring "pushers" then more likely than not

 

[Nezumi Fan]

You mean like what happens at Disneyland every day for $0 extra?

The characters, while plentiful, don't ride the rides, yo, although it is an awfully lot easier to meet them at DLR than it has been for us at WDW

 

[pens4821]

I actually think this is a great idea by Disney. I would never do it, but they will probably sell thousands of tickets every time they do it. Just because most here hate it, doesn't mean it's not going to work. This is going to make Disney money, and that's what they're in business for (sorry to inform people, but they care more about money than us just like every other business).

I also don't think this is going to eliminate EMH. That's something that seems to be common in theme parks with hotels on property or annual passes. As for resort fees, they're becoming common place any more. I'd rather just pay more and not have a fee, but I see them popping up at other resorts anymore. Adding a resort fee wouldn't get me up in arms.

I think of anything Disney will get rid of it'll eventually be FP or you'll have to pay for them. Do any other theme parks anyone know of offer something like this without paying extra or staying in a "deluxe (serious question)?" Would I be annoyed if they got rid of it? Yes, but I honestly am shocked they still have them and if they did you'd think they'd only be tied to deluxe or a fee. I would still go if they got rid of them or you had to pay, just like I go to local amusement parks that offer it for a fee and don't pay for it.

I know everyone loves the old Disney. Back when you got a lot for a little. Well those days are eventually going to come to an end. how much is BBB? How about the money for the dessert party? You'd be better off paying for dessert and watching the fireworks. These are all ways to make money, and they work. Yeah, things fail, but who would've thought people would pay $60 for dessert and to watch fireworks you can see better elsewhere? Or pay crazy money to get their kids hair done? And guess what, even if everyone on this board stops going because they price us out, they'd still be making money.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

If this notion of Disney magic is a crock IYO, then why even bother being on a Disney message board. None of us would even be on here right now if we didn't feel some sort of " magic " being there.

We're sharing the magic, which in this particular case is the magic of outrage. Communities don't just come together to, as another said earlier, "fart pixie dust"; every community is unique in its own way, depending on its members. Right now, we're feeling ornery, but that doesn't mean we don't also love the Parks.

 

[StuckInKS]

These past few months have been one hit after another--starting with the AP restructure and price hike in Oct '15 for us. The recent examples of tiered ticketing prices, Club Villian price hike, the preferred parking fee, cutbacks in staff, the rumored resort fee....I'm having a hard time feeling the magic

Agreed. Our trip has went up $500 just from ticket and meal plan increases since we started planning in late-Jan. Luckily I've been able to save that money in other places, otherwise we probably would have had to cut a few things from our plans. I can't imagine how much it will be by this time next year, after the new price increases + any new fees that are implemented by then. I think there's supposed to be a resort parking fee coming sometime, too.

 

[anneboleyn]

You were never really known for good sense, Your (Headless) Majesty

I will drink to that!