Park crowds for those who are NOT attending MHP

[Athenaa]

Hi everyone! I've never been in the parks when Mickey's Halloween Party is going on, and I'm trying to plan my trip around it. We'll be at DLR from October 24th to the 28th. MHP will be happening on Sunday the 25th and Tuesday the 27th (which happens to be our Magic morning.) We do not have tickets for MHP.

Do crowds tend to be lower or higher in DL or DCA in the morning/early afternoon before MHP? I'm trying to figure out where we should spend our time on those days. Usually I just base mornings on alternate early entry days for resort guests and evenings around available shows, but it doesn't seem that simple now.

We'll definitely spend the first couple of hours in DL on Tuesday, due to our magic morning, but I'm looking to take advantage of the lowest crowds possible the rest of the time on MHP days.

ALso, is it right to assume that DCA is packed on MHP nights, or do a lot of people with park hoppers pay extra for the party and stay in DL?

Thanks!
Cher

 

[Bud Ice]

Monday thru Thursday are bestest. Locals at work. Might catch a convention or two.

 

[MychaelP]

I would skip the parks on party days. Especially Disneyland. Last year they were letting party guests in early than the stated time and the lines became HUGE! As a passholder I felt bad for the various tourists who did not know why the park filled up. At the gate it is clear there will be a party, but no signage indicating they let the party guests in early. We stayed to view the costumes, but otherwise it was miserable. DCA was a bit better, but not much since many who were in Disneyland for the day would then migrate there, VERY crowded.
We've marked out home calendars for all the party days to stay away.
If you must go, go early, leave by 3pm, or if you stay beyond 3pm, do shows and shopping at that time. Or use fastpasses if you already have them. By 5pm, they were all gone, for just about every attraction.

 

[figment_jii]

They allow guests with MHP tickets to enter the park three hours before the start of the party (so at 3:00 pm on days when the party starts at 6:00 pm and at 4:00 pm on days when the party starts at 7:00 pm). They have been doing this for years and it's printed on the MHP tickets themselves. I've found that DL is noticeably busier during the overlap period (when both day guests and MHP guests are in the parks). If any attractions still have FPs, they tend to run out quickly at that point (they don't offer FPs during the party, so the last time windows end at either 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm). Prior to that (so mornings through mid-afternoon), I haven't really noticed that much of a difference in the park attendance between MHP-days and non-MHP-days.

 

[Imdboss]

I've attended MHP 3 times and also been there are days of MHP when we didn't attend. DL will be super busy during the 3 hour overlap period that figment stated and DCA will be crazy busy once the party starts and all those people with PH go from DL to DCA. What I'd do on MHP days is start my morning in DL, then late morning or early afternoon I'd head over to DCA. I would be sure to get out of DL before the party goers can get in. This way you can enjoy DCA before it gets packed plus get some FP for in the evening before they are all gone thus avoiding the long lines that'll be there in the evening from all the added DL guests.

 

[valiamo]

Was there last Halloween, and the DLR was quiet during the morning and early afternoon, and started picking up at 3 PM. Security started moving non party guests out around 6, and we hopped over to DCA.....

I have never seen that park (DCA) so packed, it was wall to wall guest , and wait times for all the rides were well over 60 minutes. We left the park after a couple of hours, and not a single ride taken, and watched the fireworks from the esplanade.

In contrast the DLR crowds, during the party were quite manageable, we stopped treating around 8, and rode all the big rides, with minimal wait times. Other than the Haunted mansion, it was walk on for all the rest of the rides.

 

[bcwife76]

We're gong to be at the parks the first week of October, during which there will be one MHP (Oct 2nd) and we are not attending. Our plan is to start the day at DL and move over to DCA by 2pm. We already have dinner reservations over at DCA (Wine Country Trattoria) because we anticipate larger crowds and longer wait times every where there that night.