Nov 17, 2016 Magic Kingdom - closing at 4:30pm ??????

[Mikie]

Where is everyone seeing these hours for November? That's the week we're visiting. I just looked on Disney's website and they're not up yet.

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/staticfiles/parkhours/wdwtravelagent_november.pdf

 

[MakiraMarlena]

With that timing, it's usually a private party. If that's the time of the industry convention...then that is probably what it's for.

And it is the usual time for the cast member service celebration..It is usually at DHS but I can see them moving that out of DHS this year.

park hours are well posted, so I'm not sure it's on Disney that people don't check. Now if you're staying at the resorts, they even have the park hours on the screen you see when you turn your TV on. They're posted outside the park when the park closes early, and they're posted at the parking booths.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Nov 17 is the Service Celebration day for Cast Members, Crew and Imagineers. Disney throws a big party for them

This is exactly what it is.

I believe this is the first year they have held it at MK (in recent years at least)

 

[Mikie]

This is exactly what it is.

I believe this is the first year they have held it at MK (in recent years at least)

I'm very glad Disney treats their CMs well with a special party. . . . Kind of stinks that there's not a better time than November, which is already crowded with early closures for parties.

 

[GPC0321]

It's nice that they do something for the cast, etc.

Rumor is with the staffing cutbacks they will need the extra time for fewer workers to transform the park from Halloween to Christmas theme.

Not specifically aimed at you, BoltzNBrew, but it's stuff like this absurd rumor that adds fuel to the angst and frustration already exhibited on forums like this. The level of misinformation and blatantly unfounded gossip that swirls around about Disney is to the point that it's hard to believe half of what is posted online. This is a prime example, since MK will have long been decked out for Christmas by 11/17 for the MVMCPs that start ten days earlier.

 

[LilyWDW]

I'm sorry, but if you don't check hours before you go somewhere (ESPECIALLY somewhere like Disney), that is kinda sorta all your own fault. No way can you put blame on Disney for that.

 

[BK2014]

This might be a dumb question, but who staffs the park during the castmember celebration?

 

[GPC0321]

This might be a dumb question, but who staffs the park during the castmember celebration?

I was wondering the exact same thing. And it seems like a lot of CMs at the other three parks will miss out. I guess those who have a shift during the party are just out of luck for that year?

 

[rpb718]

Many thanks to the OP for the heads up on this. While I would have checked park hours at some point closer to our trip, chances are I would have been looking for ADRs before then. I wouldn't have wanted to have an ADR for a CP breakfast or BoG lunch and think of planning this day for MK only to find out later that the park closed way earlier than I would have expected.

 

[DVCcurious]

LOL, that should rile some people up. Maybe he wants to make Disney great again.

If he promises to bring back FP- he's got my vote!

 

[mom2rtk]

If he promises to bring back FP- he's got my vote!

If he makes Iger pay for it, I'm definitely in!

 

[yulilin3]

I was wondering the exact same thing. And it seems like a lot of CMs at the other three parks will miss out. I guess those who have a shift during the party are just out of luck for that year?

It's not for all the cm, it's for the ones that have certain years of services. 15, 20, 25...and for those voted by fellow cm as the best of the best. They get to being family with them as well

 

[wdw4rfam]

With that timing, it's usually a private party. If that's the time of the industry convention...then that is probably what it's for.

And it is the usual time for the cast member service celebration..It is usually at DHS but I can see them moving that out of DHS this year.

park hours are well posted, so I'm not sure it's on Disney that people don't check. Now if you're staying at the resorts, they even have the park hours on the screen you see when you turn your TV on. They're posted outside the park when the park closes early, and they're posted at the parking booths.

Exactly what I was going to say. I remember the same last year that same week it was DHS closing one day at 4:30 also.

 

[Sevey13]

I can only imagine that there will be many non-planners who find out about this 4:30 close when they get to the park for the day. Imagine the family who drove 2 hours for a day trip to the magic kingdom to find out that the mk ticket is more expensive than other park tickets and is only for half a day.

If I were going to drive 2 hours to be somewhere for the day, I might look up the hours for that day.

Yeah, I don't go anywhere for a day trip before making sure it will be open.

 

[GPC0321]

It's not for all the cm, it's for the ones that have certain years of services. 15, 20, 25...and for those voted by fellow cm as the best of the best. They get to being family with them as well

Oh, how cool. That's got to be so fun having a park all to themselves! Especially MK! Neato.

 

[SureAsLiz]

This might be a dumb question, but who staffs the park during the castmember celebration?

Depends on the role.

It's a service celebration for those who have reached 5 year intervals throughout the Orlando area (Glendale and Anaheim each have their own in their cities).

For cast who regularly work the park in attractions, merchandise, food, etc, they may continue to work depending on their role/the need.

Other teams involved with the event (such as whichever event team puts it on) will work.

They also recruit CMs from around property to volunteer. I have been told by those that have volunteered in the past that it is possibly the coolest event to volunteer at, and it always has a long wait list.

 

[KateP85]

Depends on the role.

It's a service celebration for those who have reached 5 year intervals throughout the Orlando area (Glendale and Anaheim each have their own in their cities).

For cast who regularly work the park in attractions, merchandise, food, etc, they may continue to work depending on their role/the need.

Other teams involved with the event (such as whichever event team puts it on) will work.

They also recruit CMs from around property to volunteer. I have been told by those that have volunteered in the past that it is possibly the coolest event to volunteer at, and it always has a long wait list.

Sort of. The majority of the CMs working the event are banquet cast and those in server or bartender roles. Everybody wants to work the event because the hourly rate is a banquet rate and it's a LOT of money! When I was a server at WDW I used to love working these events; the money was awesome, you got to see some of your fellow CMs having a great time with family and friends, it was a really fun event. DH and I are going this year and I'm pretty excited that it's at MK, I was wondering how everyone was going to fit at DHS!

 

[SureAsLiz]

Sort of. The majority of the CMs working the event are banquet cast and those in server or bartender roles. Everybody wants to work the event because the hourly rate is a banquet rate and it's a LOT of money! When I was a server at WDW I used to love working these events; the money was awesome, you got to see some of your fellow CMs having a great time with family and friends, it was a really fun event. DH and I are going this year and I'm pretty excited that it's at MK, I was wondering how everyone was going to fit at DHS!

The banquet cast! I forgot about that.
I had former roommates - one in catering and one in attractions - who I think both ended up working last years in their respective areas. I don't work in the parks, so my knowledge base is what I've been told by others, and most of the people I know are in the 'volunteer' group

 

[pachanga5]

Our trip dates are 11/12-11/18. We can't justify the extra $300+ for the Christmas Party. Unfortunately this extra early closing day makes 3 out of our 6 vacation nights that we won't be able to end the evening at MK.

I considered adding another night to the end of our trip just so we could end our vacation with MK fireworks, but it's another early close/party evening.

I'm happy for the CM and their families, just wish Disney would have scheduled this event during a non-party month.

 

[jhammond3966]

They scheduled it on one of the lowest attendance days of the year and before the full holiday rush. That said, I feel the same way. One bonus is MK will be will be super low crowds that day.