Park Closing before Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

[tony609]

If you are seated close to 6:30, the meal is family style and pretty much ready when you seat as the menu is designed for a quick serve table service. You should be done around 8 at the latest,even with a party of 10, since it's family style. I know we were done in about 50 minutes tops with our party.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I was there until a few minutes after 7pm without a wrist band.

The only part I found annoying was the herding out that started BEFORE 7 pm. That was insulting. I wanted a particular picture before leaving and they wouldn't let us walk through the park "the other way." I knew we were getting kicked out and that was fine - but I expected to have free rein of the park until 7pm. That's my only complaint. We did pay for park admission that day and I expected to be able to walk around freely until then.

That said - we were at about Casey's at the top of Main Street at about 7 pm - and it was clear we were going to only be allowed ONE way - which was fine because that's what we were expecting. But they weren't too pushy at that point, probably because we really were just watching the crowd and not one of the many still trying to jump around the person barricade. They did stop me from entering a store at that time, but they did allow me into a restroom - but there was definitely no backtracking at that point. We continue to watch the crowd pour into the park for the party from the area by Guest Relations until maybe 7:10 - and then left. There were still alot of folks not attending the party leaving, we were far from the last. It was a beautiful evening, the Halloween lights where on the castle, and those coming to the party were all decked out in costume. We got a "feel" for the party.

So - they are firm about it. If you aren't attending the party - expect to get ordered which way you are allowed to walk and which way you can't go as the witching hour approaches. They have ALOT of cast members making that exit happen. Some are more bossy than others, but all are there to enforce the rules. You won't feel welcome. And well, after 7pm - you shouldn't.

I did attend the party a week later in Disneyland. We saw quite a few people without wristbands milling around after the party start time - more than I expected. But as the evening got later, those numbers went down!

All very understandable, thanks.

 

[dawgsgirl]

Gee, they must really have changed things in the past couple of years. I quit going to both parties because of the number of guests on Main St. without wristbands. It was just too much for me and Disney just did not seem to care. Glad they have dealt with the problem!

 

[wvulion]

This all sounds similar to what I experienced last year--I attended on a Thursday and a Saturday night. We spent the first night taking pictures with all the neat characters, and had such fun, we bought tickets for it again Saturday so we could trick or treat and ride attractions. I would cancel the dinner reservation too, eat a late lunch outside the park, and head in at 4pm for the party. If you have little people a nap would probably help them get in on the fun later! We dressed up and had a ball. I remember the CM's being very stringent at the Alice in Wonderland treat path, and steering people without bands away very firmly. Perhaps this is in response to the crowding issues, idk. I noticed the same thing at the MVMCP the year before. That said, you can see and hear Hallowishes at the California Grill atop the Contemporary as well.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

So tecnically if you hung out in the park, possibly for dinner, you could still be in the park and see Hallowishes? That would be really great! Please no flames I'm just wondering.

If you want to see Hallowishes, after leaving the park headto the beach at the Poly. Don't be surprised if you eat at LTT and they take you out backstage. Especially if you dilly dally and are still there at parade time.

 

[Pig Pen]

Our experience...we were sitting outside the ice cream store on the corner of Main Street having a snack and watching the arrival of party-goers in full costumes. It was not quite 7:00 and a CM approached us and asked if we had party tix (no) and politely said we would have to exit the park soon. I totally understand..but, hello, we are still eating!

Anyway... we exited the park and found a bench out near the ferry dock and sat for at least an hour just to watch the great costumes! We vowed to buy tix next time we are at WDW in the autumn. It appears to be much more fun than the Xmas party.

 

[Jerseymomof2]

We have gone to the party the past 2 years and I have never seen them escort anyone out. Then again I wasn't really watching for it either.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I don't care what anyone says I'm gonna stay in the park... I know I can make our own braceletts! Does anyone have pics of what the bracelettes look like? Whay should I pay to MNSSHP if I can sneek in for free? We will just eat dinner reeeeeeely slooooooow... and then dilly dally and watch the parade and pretend we are leaveing the park buy walk reeeeeely sloooooow and watch HalloWishes and do some trick or treating too... and then we will hide somewhere till morning and not pay for admission the following day! We will use other peoples fastpasses, and then we will go pool hopping and refill our mugs we bought 7 years ago at a different resort than the one we're staying at....

 

[mesaboy2]

I don't care what anyone says I'm gonna stay in the park... I know I can make our own braceletts! Does anyone have pics of what the bracelettes look like? Whay should I pay to MNSSHP if I can sneek in for free? We will just eat dinner reeeeeeely slooooooow... and then dilly dally and watch the parade and pretend we are leaveing the park buy walk reeeeeely sloooooow and watch HalloWishes and do some trick or treating too... and then we will hide somewhere till morning and not pay for admission the following day! We will use other peoples fastpasses, and then we will go pool hopping and refill our mugs we bought 7 years ago at a different resort than the one we're staying at....

Been readin' the my-kid-is-4-but-I'm-an-ignorant-DVC-owner-who-thought-they-were-free-until-5-so-I'm-gonna-lie thread, huh?

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Been readin' the my-kid-is-4-but-I'm-an-ignorant-DVC-owner-who-thought-they-were-free-until-5-so-I'm-gonna-lie thread, huh?

Someone's got it...

 

[CTmommyx3]

I did not realize they would start making you leave before 7. glad we have never been there for a party night. I would be really mad if at 6:30 I was not allowed to enter a ride line or finish eating my ice cream or snack.
If I was there on a party night i would assume i could do any park activities or take whatever pictures I wanted till 7 not 6:30!

 

[mesaboy2]

I did not realize they would start making you leave before 7. glad we have never been there for a party night. I would be really mad if at 6:30 I was not allowed to enter a ride line or finish eating my ice cream or snack.
If I was there on a party night i would assume i could do any park activities or take whatever pictures I wanted till 7 not 6:30!

And rightly so IMO. I hope that poster's experience is the exception and not the norm.

 

[AustinTink]

So tecnically if you hung out in the park, possibly for dinner, you could still be in the park and see Hallowishes? That would be really great! Please no flames I'm just wondering.

Seeing how I just spent $222 on three MNSSHP tickets, I sure hope this is not true. That would be very unfair to ticket holders.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Seeing how I just spent $222 on three MNSSHP tickets, I sure hope this is not true. That would be very unfair to ticket holders.

Sounds pretty fair on my end... I thinking saving $222 sounds very fair...

 

[AustinTink]

Sounds pretty fair on my end... I thinking saving $222 sounds very fair...

Just read your other posts and figured out you're screwing around. Nevermind!

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Just read your other posts and figured out you're screwing around. Nevermind!

Yeah, sorry not meaning to be an It's true it would be unfair but thats why I wondered how you could be in the park, I always thought they closed the park and reopened for MNSSHP.

 

[stargazertechie]

Yeah, sorry not meaning to be an It's true it would be unfair but thats why I wondered how you could be in the park, I always thought they closed the park and reopened for MNSSHP.

I believe they used to, but changed to the new method (park guests can begin to enter at 4PM, day guests are ushered out at 7PM) for crowd control reasons.

 

[POOHsie]

I was heading to the bathrooms near the fire house and there was a CM posted who asked to see my wristband. I had one, but I always wondered what would have happened if I didn't. If you gotta go, you gotta go...