welovedis
Disneyland here we come!
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2000
- Messages
- 3,440
Wanted to post this as a "newbie to MNSSHP" point of view. Some background info: me, DH & DS attended our 1st party this past weekend. We hoped for a not-so-crowded experience and also hoped the rain would hold off.
As we left our room and headed for the monorail, we got lots of weird looks and stares as many people had no clue about the party. The CMs were all really enthusiastic though and commented on how much they liked what we were wearing, etc...
We arrived to the MK around 3:45, got excited to see the display with pumpkins and the banner announcing the party, headed over to the ticket window and got our tickets. We have APs so we had to show them to get the discounted rate. We were done at the window at 4:01 and simply walked to the turnstiles near the sign that said for partygoers to enter there. We thought we might need our APs to enter, but we were allowed in with just the MNSSHP at 4:02 pm, I checked my watch. Right thru the turnstile we were given our wristbands-orange with black writing.
CMs were standing there handling out Halloween bags, about 9 inches high (not including the handles), 7 inches wide and 3 inches deep. They are a smooth plastic with the Halloween logo on the front and Goofy's Candy Co logo on the back. We each got one and also got the special maps.
We walked down Main Street amazed at the crowds in the park. The CMs were standing along Main Street from the flagpole until about 1/2 down MS directing those leaving the park to go the right, probably because the partygoers were entering from the left side.
We had ADRs for the Plaza @ 4:45 but decided to see if we could be seated early & we were accomodated. The restaurant was pretty busy and we still got some stares at our matching costumes. After we were finished eating we headed to the nearest restroom and donned the rest of our outfits-scrub hats, operating room booties and the like.
We left the Plaza by 5:20 to take some pics near the castle and in the Rose Garden area. The Photopass photogs were out in full force, but reminded us that only the pics that they take after 7PM would be included in the 50% off deal.
Headed to Adventureland and did Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, Tiki Room & then POTC, then over to Frontierland for Splash (it started to rain hard while we were on it) and then BTMRR. From that point on, it pretty much ranged from a light rain (spit rain as my DS calls it) to down pours (during the 1st parade).
We got some candy near BTMRR with the shortest candy line we saw all night. After that the lines were at least a few mins long, some were about 5 mins long. Got our picture taken in front the Haunted Mansion with the horseless carriage, didn't come out with our camera, came out with theirs.
We did a few other things, then headed over to find a good spot for parade pics and video. DH picked a spot in Frontierland where he though the lighting would be good. The parade was delayed slightly because of the weather & we thought that the Headless Horseman wouldn't ride, but we were pleasantly surprised when they announced that he was coming. Very cool, I have it on video, but DH couldn't get a good pic. Then the pouring rain started, I don't where the people were that said it didn't rain much, it poured, we were drenched right down to our underwear, lol!
. DH had to put his camera away, the rain was so bad, I covered the videocam with my scrub hat & kept shooting. We watched it later & could see the sheets of rain just pouring down on our heads. The parade was awesome, we were soaked!
The only place we saw the Disney Capt Jack Sparrow was on the parade float. There were many men *and one woman* dressed as him, and a few of them did take pictures--we saw them in Toontown and again in Fantasyland, but the CMs said that Capt Jack was not going to be out for pics or autographs that night. We asked 3 different CMs and were told the same thing. One of them took out a paper guide and consulted it before answering us, so I felt confident that they info was correct.
Obviously we did/saw lots that night, went to the dance parties for a short time, did a little trick or treating and this is what we came away with:
The party was crowded until we left at 12:10am. I was surprised at the crowds of people that stayed, even after the fireworks and second parade. I would equate it to a pretty busy EMH, just that most people weren't riding the attractions, but waiting in the picture lines and trick or treat lines.
We were happy that we got some neat pics, esp in front of the Cinderalla coach, but waited in line for 20 mins (at 11:15 at night) for the shot. The trick or treat lines didn't get lessened (at least where we were in the park) until about 11:00 or so. The lines for face painting seemed pretty long, the shortest one we saw was about 5 people deep, there were 3-4 CMs painting faces in each location.
We did not plan well for rain--that was our issue, but our plan to do the party things fell apart because of it. They called for such a slight chance of rain that we didn't bring rain gear and it fowled things up for us. DH wears a cochlear implant that can't get wet, so he wasn't able to hear the cool parade music, or the villians mix & mingle music, etc.. that really put the damper on things for him & our family.
We also saw some people with no wristbands, mostly around Tomorrowland and Liberty Square. In some areas the "policing" seemed better than others. There was one group that was escorted past us (while we waited for the parade) as they were wearing orange wristbands, but they weren't from this party. I guess some partygoers got tricky & attemped to make their own!
Disappointed that the LB was not operating & not offering the haunted storytelling, we were hoping for that. We did see a cool actresss hanging out on the grounds of the HM and she was a riot. She spoke to DS for a few mins, commenting that although he was a doctor, she had died 3 or 400 years ago, he got a kick out of it.
We each got about 1/2 a bag of candy, we did go thru a few t-or-t lines, but we weren't really seeking them out. Our candy was a mixture of mostly Swedish Fish, Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, Dum Dums, Mike & Ikes, Gummy hotdogs & hamburgers, Necco wafers, Nerds, Bit O Honey, some mixed chocolate items-Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth, Starburst, Skittles, and some foil wrapped items (we tossed these). 75% of the candy we got was not chocolate.
We attempted to enter the Photopass viewing area around 12:00 & were told that the line was approx 45 mins. We decided not to wait and they said that the 50% offer would be good online.
The 2 t-shirts we saw for sale were solid orange or solid black, we didn't see any tie-dye shirts for sale, but didn't look into that many shops either.
The big negative that we experienced, in addition to the unpleasant weather, were the adults that really pushed and shoved. We experienced it on the parade route after we had staked out a spot, and again at the Villiams Mix & Mingle when the characters came down and there was not an apparent line. We were attempting to leave the area and a man actually knocked DH (who is 200 lbs, 6 feet tall) into the curved wall area to the left of the castle walkway. I know people were excited to see rare characters, but that was unreal!
For the most part we enjoyed the night, it was disappointing because we didn't plan ahead for rain, they didn't call for it that night, and it didn't rain in Epcot, maybe not in the other parks either. The fireworks were good, but we honestly didn't think they were the best we've seen, sorry to say.
We are looking forward to our first MVMCP this December though! I'll post some pics when I can.
As we left our room and headed for the monorail, we got lots of weird looks and stares as many people had no clue about the party. The CMs were all really enthusiastic though and commented on how much they liked what we were wearing, etc...
We arrived to the MK around 3:45, got excited to see the display with pumpkins and the banner announcing the party, headed over to the ticket window and got our tickets. We have APs so we had to show them to get the discounted rate. We were done at the window at 4:01 and simply walked to the turnstiles near the sign that said for partygoers to enter there. We thought we might need our APs to enter, but we were allowed in with just the MNSSHP at 4:02 pm, I checked my watch. Right thru the turnstile we were given our wristbands-orange with black writing.
CMs were standing there handling out Halloween bags, about 9 inches high (not including the handles), 7 inches wide and 3 inches deep. They are a smooth plastic with the Halloween logo on the front and Goofy's Candy Co logo on the back. We each got one and also got the special maps.
We walked down Main Street amazed at the crowds in the park. The CMs were standing along Main Street from the flagpole until about 1/2 down MS directing those leaving the park to go the right, probably because the partygoers were entering from the left side.
We had ADRs for the Plaza @ 4:45 but decided to see if we could be seated early & we were accomodated. The restaurant was pretty busy and we still got some stares at our matching costumes. After we were finished eating we headed to the nearest restroom and donned the rest of our outfits-scrub hats, operating room booties and the like.
We left the Plaza by 5:20 to take some pics near the castle and in the Rose Garden area. The Photopass photogs were out in full force, but reminded us that only the pics that they take after 7PM would be included in the 50% off deal.Headed to Adventureland and did Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, Tiki Room & then POTC, then over to Frontierland for Splash (it started to rain hard while we were on it) and then BTMRR. From that point on, it pretty much ranged from a light rain (spit rain as my DS calls it) to down pours (during the 1st parade).
We got some candy near BTMRR with the shortest candy line we saw all night. After that the lines were at least a few mins long, some were about 5 mins long. Got our picture taken in front the Haunted Mansion with the horseless carriage, didn't come out with our camera, came out with theirs.
We did a few other things, then headed over to find a good spot for parade pics and video. DH picked a spot in Frontierland where he though the lighting would be good. The parade was delayed slightly because of the weather & we thought that the Headless Horseman wouldn't ride, but we were pleasantly surprised when they announced that he was coming. Very cool, I have it on video, but DH couldn't get a good pic. Then the pouring rain started, I don't where the people were that said it didn't rain much, it poured, we were drenched right down to our underwear, lol!
. DH had to put his camera away, the rain was so bad, I covered the videocam with my scrub hat & kept shooting. We watched it later & could see the sheets of rain just pouring down on our heads. The parade was awesome, we were soaked! The only place we saw the Disney Capt Jack Sparrow was on the parade float. There were many men *and one woman* dressed as him, and a few of them did take pictures--we saw them in Toontown and again in Fantasyland, but the CMs said that Capt Jack was not going to be out for pics or autographs that night. We asked 3 different CMs and were told the same thing. One of them took out a paper guide and consulted it before answering us, so I felt confident that they info was correct.
Obviously we did/saw lots that night, went to the dance parties for a short time, did a little trick or treating and this is what we came away with:
The party was crowded until we left at 12:10am. I was surprised at the crowds of people that stayed, even after the fireworks and second parade. I would equate it to a pretty busy EMH, just that most people weren't riding the attractions, but waiting in the picture lines and trick or treat lines.
We were happy that we got some neat pics, esp in front of the Cinderalla coach, but waited in line for 20 mins (at 11:15 at night) for the shot. The trick or treat lines didn't get lessened (at least where we were in the park) until about 11:00 or so. The lines for face painting seemed pretty long, the shortest one we saw was about 5 people deep, there were 3-4 CMs painting faces in each location.
We did not plan well for rain--that was our issue, but our plan to do the party things fell apart because of it. They called for such a slight chance of rain that we didn't bring rain gear and it fowled things up for us. DH wears a cochlear implant that can't get wet, so he wasn't able to hear the cool parade music, or the villians mix & mingle music, etc.. that really put the damper on things for him & our family.
We also saw some people with no wristbands, mostly around Tomorrowland and Liberty Square. In some areas the "policing" seemed better than others. There was one group that was escorted past us (while we waited for the parade) as they were wearing orange wristbands, but they weren't from this party. I guess some partygoers got tricky & attemped to make their own!
Disappointed that the LB was not operating & not offering the haunted storytelling, we were hoping for that. We did see a cool actresss hanging out on the grounds of the HM and she was a riot. She spoke to DS for a few mins, commenting that although he was a doctor, she had died 3 or 400 years ago, he got a kick out of it.
We each got about 1/2 a bag of candy, we did go thru a few t-or-t lines, but we weren't really seeking them out. Our candy was a mixture of mostly Swedish Fish, Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, Dum Dums, Mike & Ikes, Gummy hotdogs & hamburgers, Necco wafers, Nerds, Bit O Honey, some mixed chocolate items-Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth, Starburst, Skittles, and some foil wrapped items (we tossed these). 75% of the candy we got was not chocolate.
We attempted to enter the Photopass viewing area around 12:00 & were told that the line was approx 45 mins. We decided not to wait and they said that the 50% offer would be good online.
The 2 t-shirts we saw for sale were solid orange or solid black, we didn't see any tie-dye shirts for sale, but didn't look into that many shops either.
The big negative that we experienced, in addition to the unpleasant weather, were the adults that really pushed and shoved. We experienced it on the parade route after we had staked out a spot, and again at the Villiams Mix & Mingle when the characters came down and there was not an apparent line. We were attempting to leave the area and a man actually knocked DH (who is 200 lbs, 6 feet tall) into the curved wall area to the left of the castle walkway. I know people were excited to see rare characters, but that was unreal!
For the most part we enjoyed the night, it was disappointing because we didn't plan ahead for rain, they didn't call for it that night, and it didn't rain in Epcot, maybe not in the other parks either. The fireworks were good, but we honestly didn't think they were the best we've seen, sorry to say.
We are looking forward to our first MVMCP this December though! I'll post some pics when I can.
I am planning to attend next year so I am absorbing all the info I can now.
That's great! Thank you for doing that. I will do the same. 
