Not sure $149 Disney After Hrs event is doing well... (ETA: reviews in 1st post)

[BuckeyeBama]

My thought - if they still limit attendance to the number that they were willing to admit based on sales, no harm done to those who paid and a perk given to DVC members. No one is harmed in this, and everyone on this board has been asking for perks for repeat visitors. So I don't have a problem with it.

This does not change the long term viability of this party. It will have to make Disney money to continue. But Disney is clearly willing to lose a little money up front to help this party gain traction and determine its future a little further down the road.

I don't see a down side for anyone. Let's just see how it plays out.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I read that tickets were allocated for 6000 which put it way too big a crowd for the price for me. And I am one of the few who actually prefer paying for these events as long as you don't have to queue as that's the whole point of it to me.

I used to love those e-ride nights as quite a few times you could stay on the ride as many times as you liked as there was no one else waiting to ride it. I must have been on space mountain about 6 times in a row before starting to feel a bit sick. Now that experience is well worth paying for.

I also hope that they do keep offering free tickets to DVC members even though I am not a member as they have taken away a lot of perks from them over the years.

How is 6000 people spread throughout the MK too much??

From TP: "Disney Parks are designed to handle massive crowds. The Magic Kingdom can allegedly hold more than 100,000 guests, but through phased closures Disney limits park attendance to levels more conducive to guest safety and enjoyment."

I've seen other places that they close parking lots at 75,000. If this is even CLOSE to the real figures, 6000 seems like nothing to me for MK.

 

[poppinspenguins]

How is 6000 people spread throughout the MK too much??

From TP: "Disney Parks are designed to handle massive crowds. The Magic Kingdom can allegedly hold more than 100,000 guests, but through phased closures Disney limits park attendance to levels more conducive to guest safety and enjoyment."

I've seen other places that they close parking lots at 75,000. 6000 seems like nothing to me for MK.

I'm not the poster you are referencing. But, if there are only very select restaurants open and a few less rides that 6000 might seem bigger than you would think. How many people at a given time during the day are eating or standing in line to eat? Or waiting for a parade or waiting for characters?

We went to an awesome emh til 2 am about 5 or 6 yrs ago. Place was empty and that was great, but they had no where to eat at all. I think they said Casey's is open this time...that was probably it when we went. So everyone there is all about the rides. You don't have as much shopping, dining, parades, shows eating up some of the people. Or characters (are there any characters at this event?) That sucks up a lot of people too.

Edited: looks like they have the princesses...but not sure if any other charachters

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm not the poster you are referencing. But, if there are only very select restaurants open and a few less rides that 6000 might seem bigger than you would think. How many people at a given time during the day are eating or standing in line to eat? Or waiting for a parade or waiting for characters?

It says more than 25 attractions. Those are probably all the ones that people are at all interested in. With more than 25 open, what's closed that most people will be interested in?

At 6000 (if true) you're not even at 10% capacity! How could that feel like a lot? I guess I'll find out tonight.

 

[poppinspenguins]

I didn't say a few rides. I said a few less rides than normal.

 

[Matty_Disfan]

I have been thinking long and hard, and have found the time I would use this. Our next trip to FLA is all about WDW. Won't go anywhere else, but my wife has already suggested that our next trip should be about beaches, Universal (HP) and outside attractions.

Since this does not require additional passes, it would be a great standalone for a deep Disney fix. It's pricey, but I wager that you would get as much headliners done in the exclusive 3 hours as a full day with FP+s. With entry in the early evening devoted to high capacity/low demand rides. It would cover most of MK in one fell swoop.

So for those among us who can't devote a full vacation to WDW it offers a lot of bang (for a lot of bucks).

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I didn't say a few rides. I said a few less rides than normal.

My point is that 25 attractions can't be much less than what's normally open that people are interested enough in to line up for.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I don't understand why. Disney offers free things to a lot of folks that I paid extra for. Club Level entrance, room upgrades, etc. If I got my bloomers in a bunch every time I heard about things that I paid an additional fee for offered to someone else, I would never be. Happy.



No, not stupid at all. DIsney overestimated how many people would actually pony up to this event. The last thing they want is to have folks publicly discussing what a flop it was. Year and Years ago we used to take the kids to Riverside Park. There was a span of time when it was like a ghost town. You could walk on all the rides. Sound like a blast? No. There is something sad about a park that should be bustling with people practically empty.

I think Disney wants that happy spot....you know the magical feeling of "walk on" attractions but still enough people to make it seem like you were not the only loser to pay big bucks to play.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. These parties are billed as high as they are solely because of the exclusivity. So giving it away for free directly affects those who are going. If I pay for club level, other people getting those perks for free doesn't affect what I paid for. I assume I'll still get as much free food as I want and such. Same with a room upgrade.

I guess it all comes down to how many tickets are sold/given away. As much as people like to guess and speculate on these boards, we won't know for sure until the event happens.

I'm not sure if I'm as affected by a happy bustling park as an emptier park. I've been in an almost completely empty AK at close and I didn't think it was sad, only very magical and adventurous feeling in the dark. I think it is just a difference of opinion.

 

[DISbot]

My point is that 25 attractions can't be much less than what's normally open that people are interested enough in to line up for.

Per the Disney website, Magic Kingdom has 41 items they consider to be "attractions" including rides and character greetings. This means they're leaving a little more than half open. These 41 include the Frontierland arcade, and Casey's Splash n' Soak. This means that realistically, you're looking at only a handful of rides once you factor all of these things out.

 

[poppinspenguins]

I understand your point, but I was misquoted. "A few rides" and a "few less rides" are vastly different things.

I have no idea how many they sold, but I think 6000 could be more than it seems. Still light but not ghost town light. Just my opinion. For those going I hope I am wrong and it is worth it for the price.

I wonder if things like Tom sawyer island, the riverboat, hall of presidents, carousel of progress will be open. Probably not. They are not hugely popular tides, but they eat up people non the less. That is my point. Just like restaurants. How many given people at one time are in the crystal palace, be our guest, Pecos bills?

I still think it will be low crowds, don't get me wrong. Just that 6000 can seem like more when there are less options to distract (or feed!) the masses.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I understand your point, but I was misquoted. "A few rides" and a "few less rides" are vastly different things.

I have no idea how many they sold, but I think 6000 could be more than it seems. Still light but not ghost town light. Just my opinion. For those going I hope I am wrong and it is worth it for the price.

I wonder if things like Tom sawyer island, the riverboat, hall of presidents, carousel of progress will be open. Probably not. They are not hugely popular tides, but they eat up people non the less. That is my point. Just like restaurants. How many given people at one time are in the crystal palace, be our guest, Pecos bills?

I still think it will be low crowds, don't get me wrong. Just that 6000 can seem like more when there are less options to distract (or feed!) the masses.

Understood. Edited to make clearer.

I'd suspect the ones you listed aren't open. I just don't think that will matter IF they only have 6000 people there.

That said, I wasn't sold on the value of this one -- and we do a lot of these extras! I was going to wait for reviews to even consider. But we happen to be arriving today and I got the DVC offer for free, so we'll give it a shot and report back!

 

[Misha72683]

The number has been all over the place because no one knows for sure. 3000-6000 (numbers thrown around here) is a huge range and would definitely impact lines, etc. if it is 3000, then thwt's 1/15 of MK's normal capacity and I could see that be very appealing for some people.

 

[mom2rtk]

My point is that 25 attractions can't be much less than what's normally open that people are interested enough in to line up for.

At 6000 attendees, that's 240 people per attraction. TBH, I'm not sure what I would think about having a couple hundred people in line at each attraction. But then I suppose it would not be evenly dispersed. More will be in line at 7DMT, Splash, Space and BTMRR. I'm really anxious to hear reports of how long those lines really are.

My guess is that if certain attractions are under utilized in the first few parties, they will likely trim the list for later parties.

 

[mom2rtk]

Understood. Edited to make clearer.

I'd suspect the ones you listed aren't open. I just don't think that will matter IF they only have 6000 people there.

That said, I wasn't sold on the value of this one -- and we do a lot of these extras! I was going to wait for reviews to even consider. But we happen to be arriving today and I got the DVC offer for free, so we'll give it a shot and report back!

That really worked out great for you!

 

[mom2rtk]

I understand your point, but I was misquoted. "A few rides" and a "few less rides" are vastly different things.

I have no idea how many they sold, but I think 6000 could be more than it seems. Still light but not ghost town light. Just my opinion. For those going I hope I am wrong and it is worth it for the price.

I wonder if things like Tom sawyer island, the riverboat, hall of presidents, carousel of progress will be open. Probably not. They are not hugely popular tides, but they eat up people non the less. That is my point. Just like restaurants. How many given people at one time are in the crystal palace, be our guest, Pecos bills?

I still think it will be low crowds, don't get me wrong. Just that 6000 can seem like more when there are less options to distract (or feed!) the masses.

I agree with your assessment. Some ride lines will be short, but the ones people want most will likely be longer than they like.

And I'd be sure to eat a big meal before attending. Food lines at things like this tend to be very long. (says the person who went home very hungry after MVMCP once!)

 

[DoingDisney]

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. These parties are billed as high as they are solely because of the exclusivity. So giving it away for free directly affects those who are going. If I pay for club level, other people getting those perks for free doesn't affect what I paid for. I assume I'll still get as much free food as I want and such. Same with a room upgrade.

I guess it all comes down to how many tickets are sold/given away. As much as people like to guess and speculate on these boards, we won't know for sure until the event happens.

I'm not sure if I'm as affected by a happy bustling park as an emptier park. I've been in an almost completely empty AK at close and I didn't think it was sad, only very magical and adventurous feeling in the dark. I think it is just a difference of opinion.

Pretty much exactly this.

I don't know how -big- of an effect this will have, but on some DVC boards/forums/facebook pages, several people are reporting getting this offer, which means it probably went out to hundreds at least, maybe a thousand, maybe even thousands. I can't see me seeing several people reporting this meaning anything less, its not like I have my eyes on every DVC member staying there over the next few days.

For a limited capacity event, sold on its exclusivity, hecks yes thats going to make a difference.

I mean, if you booked your vacation in low season on purpose, paid for it and all, and the Disney decided to give away 20 000 tickets to MK (on your MK day) and free stays at your resort, you telling me you would still be perfectly happy to pay. Or better yet if they were just letting people walk in to the park, but because you had paid you were forced to scan your magic band to get in ?

I am excited for the OP, hope she enjoys the event, can't wait to hear the report, but I'd still be pretty miffed if I was paying to go to this, but I'm not - so good for the OP

 

[poppinspenguins]

Have a wonderful time

Check to see if they have any other restaurants open besides caseys. I swear we were starving at that emh years ago.

It was like being back in college. After going to the bar or dancing we would roll through a drive thru at 2 am. Same thing at Disney lol. Who knew we would be starving at that hour??? Something about being up til 2 or 3 makes you extra hungry lol.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Have a wonderful time

Check to see if they have any other restaurants open besides caseys. I swear we were starving at that emh years ago.

It was like being back in college. After going to the bar or dancing we would roll through a drive thru at 2 am. Same thing at Disney lol. Who knew we would be starving at that hour??? Something about being up til 2 or 3 makes you extra hungry lol.

LOL!!! Thanks!! I will check on restaurants!

 

[rastahomie]

What Disney ought to do is come up with some more after-hours special-ticket events like MVMCP or MNSSHP throughout the year. I'm not really sure what they could do as far as holidays - since no one is really particularly excited about Arbor Day (or whatever) and Universal already does Mardi Gras - but Disney employs people who get paid more money than I do to come up with things like this, so surely they'll figure something out.

 

[jimim]

couple points and opinions:

1. IF its no more than 6000 that would be very nice. remember when the holiday parties were smaller? they were great for getting on rides and such. now with more tickets they suck. so 600 people would be a walk in the park. 6000 people in mk is nothing.
2. from what i heard for dvd invite people were getting turned away cause the spots were taken soooooo they could send it out to 20,000 people that are at the park that day who are dvc but if they only allow so many people, then first come first served. cause that's how it sounds. so who cares how many they sent out.
3. this might be the new business model for dvc with taking perks away for resale people now to get more people to buy direct. they need to get people excited about dropping 15,000 grand till endless money to join and by offering these types of perks vs pool hopping is a nice perk IF these parties are smaller and easy to navigate around vs a regular extra magic night.
4. so people who paid already are mad. . . if i was a dvc member and i paid i would be mad. . . .but i bet disney would work that out wit that member. now if someone who was not a dvc member is mad they had to pay then why complain. . . it's a perk for members. you aren't a member.

all and all i think it was a good move for dvc and disney to do this for dvc members.

this can deff be the way things are moving for dvc and disney. disney is already spending the money to do this so for them to give some comp tickets nothing loss nothing gained. didn't cost them anything to do it cause it was already happening.

jim