Pirates & Princesses Party - Don't bother!!

[NewEnglandCamper]

The Pirates and Princesses Party that we attened on 2/9 was a big let down and in my opinion a BIG WASTE OF $$$. We arrived at 645PM to be bomb-barded by the regular crown leaving main street. It took us a good 1/2 hour to fight the crowds to get anywhere useful. We felt that Disney should have cleared out the park prior to this "private event". We stayed tonight (2/14) quite by accident and wasn't told to leave until 730PM.

Furthermore, I was extremely disappointed that the lines for both the rides and character greetings were still VERY LONG (30 minutes is a long time for 1 attraction when the whole event is only 5 hours), especially for the amount of $$$ you pay (about $50 per person). The EMH the next night was easier to get on rides.

In the past I heard Disney was passing out candy. Not the case for the 2/9 party. They only had "cheap" plastic jewelery. I'm not sure where they were hiding the princesses. I didn't see one all night (except for in the parade).

Even my wife said Disney didn't go all out with the decorations and special events for this party. Not what she expected.

The good points is if you want to wait 45 minutes you can get Jack Sparrow to sign your autograph book.

Overall this party needed more princesses, more time, more decorations, less people, and a lot more pizzaz.

 

[kaabost]

I have never attended any of the parties but I have never really felt a huge urge to do so. I think that I have been afraid of what you have just described. Thanks for the "heads-up!"

 

[DisneyDadof3]

The Pirates and Princesses Party that we attened on 2/9 was a big let down and in my opinion a BIG WASTE OF $$$. We arrived at 645PM to be bomb-barded by the regular crown leaving main street. It took us a good 1/2 hour to fight the crowds to get anywhere useful. We felt that Disney should have cleared out the park prior to this "private event". We stayed tonight (2/14) quite by accident and wasn't told to leave until 730PM.

Furthermore, I was extremely disappointed that the lines for both the rides and character greetings were still VERY LONG (30 minutes is a long time for 1 attraction when the whole event is only 5 hours), especially for the amount of $$$ you pay (about $50 per person). The EMH the next night was easier to get on rides.

In the past I heard Disney was passing out candy. Not the case for the 2/9 party. They only had "cheap" plastic jewelery. I'm not sure where they were hiding the princesses. I didn't see one all night (except for in the parade).

Even my wife said Disney didn't go all out with the decorations and special events for this party. Not what she expected.

The good points is if you want to wait 45 minutes you can get Jack Sparrow to sign your autograph book.

Overall this party needed more princesses, more time, more decorations, less people, and a lot more pizzaz.

I guess a little light reading on these boards could have helped you. They start letting you in for the party at 4:00 so you didn't need to fight any crowds leaving. We did this last year for MNSSHP and there were very few people at the rides and characters at 7:00. There were long lines trying to get their bracelets at 7:00

There are typically princesses in the princess room in Toontown - this include but are not limited to Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora with their princess. Also, Ariel (at least last year) was in her grotto with her prince. In Toontown, you can also get Daisy and Minnie in their princess garb. Behind the Christmas Shoppe, you can find Pocahontas with John Smith. Jack Sparrow - you found. You can get Jasmine by the Magic carpets.

Sorry you had an unpleasant experience. Disney with a plan and a little education goes a long way.

 

[DisneyDadof3]

We just went Saturday night, and it was WONDERFUL...

THe "loot" bags leave a little to be desired, but the kids like em.
We did not wait in a single line, and rode them 2-3x without getting off.

Would definately do it again.

Here is another quote from a person that went the same night as you. Guess you guys didn't try to ride the same things

 

[TLSnell1981]

Looking forward to P&PP. I'm disappointed Hershey pulled out as the candy sponsor, but I can deal with 30 min. lines.

 

[Joanna71985]

I think the P&P parties are a lot of fun. I have been to 3, and plan on going to more in May/June. I like it that party attenders can get in with the party ticket at 4pm (so you don't have to fight to get in when the party starts).

 

[Mr. Stitch]

We attended on 01/29 and were alos let down. There was not enough pizazz and in comparison to the Halloween party this was a dismal party. The parade was not "special" enough for the party. We did not have crowds. But agree the treat bags were not worth it. We found all the characters but overall did not feel the fun and magic like we do when we attend the Halloween party. It was lack lustre.

 

[praline3001]

I did go Feb2. All in all I have to agree with the OP.
Yes, i did read up and yes I was educated and yes I was in the park for 4pm.

I did see the line for SM as 30 minutes the entire night.

Peter pan was 10-20 minutes the night. Most other stuff was 5-10 minute waits.

It was a lot more crowded than I was let on to believe!!!
Not regular opening hours crowd level crowded but still pretty packed.

I agree the treats were really dumb. Even my DD6 didn't want to chase the X after she saw the prize at the first 2.

The decorations were lackluster and just thrown together.... I would have expected more themed decorations... they rename all the lands but fail to live up to the themed names.

The parade was good but we were 5 people deep and it was hard to see.

The fireworks were REALLY good.

I did not see any of the princesses but did get to see Jack
All of the characters we did see had a 30 minute or more line and there were very few we saw. there was the Fab 5 and Capt hook along with Jack... walking the entire park that night, those are the only ones I saw. I am sure there were more but they must have been hidden in some dark corner

With all of that said... we did have fun. We were able to ride many rides that night that would have be been too crowded during the day.

Would we do PPP again? Probably not. The tickets were $50 and an extra day with park hopper on our package would have cost us a lot less.
Except for getting to ride a few more rides than we would have during park hours, I didn't see anything even close to worth my $50 a head.

Also it is EXTREMELY hard to find snacks and drinks in the park. All of the stands close down... there are places opened but counter services and far and few between. With the crowd levels we experienced, there was a long line for a drink and a bag of popcorn ha ha

 

[AnnaTink]

Sorry it was such a let down for you.

My parents and I went on Feb 5th (their wedding anniversary lol) and had an excellent time. We arrived at about 5:45 and got in with no bother at all, we went and had something to eat so we could make the most of the party once it started.

We had little to no lines all night, we even stayed on BTRR for a second go as there was no one waiting! Really enjoyed the parade as it was the first different parade we had seen for a few years and LOVED the fireworks, really thought they were excellent.

Value for money? Depends what you are looking for your value from. As we were three (supposed) adults, we weren't too bothered about the treats although we did collect some necklaces to take home to my neice who loved them. For us it was a chance to see a different parade, fireworks and do as many rides as possible and as that night it was pretty empty, for us it was good value

 

[theparsons]

The Pirates and Princesses Party that we attened on 2/9 was a big let down and in my opinion a BIG WASTE OF $$$. We arrived at 645PM to be bomb-barded by the regular crown leaving main street. It took us a good 1/2 hour to fight the crowds to get anywhere useful. We felt that Disney should have cleared out the park prior to this "private event". We stayed tonight (2/14) quite by accident and wasn't told to leave until 730PM.

Furthermore, I was extremely disappointed that the lines for both the rides and character greetings were still VERY LONG (30 minutes is a long time for 1 attraction when the whole event is only 5 hours), especially for the amount of $$$ you pay (about $50 per person). The EMH the next night was easier to get on rides.

In the past I heard Disney was passing out candy. Not the case for the 2/9 party. They only had "cheap" plastic jewelery. I'm not sure where they were hiding the princesses. I didn't see one all night (except for in the parade).

Even my wife said Disney didn't go all out with the decorations and special events for this party. Not what she expected.

The good points is if you want to wait 45 minutes you can get Jack Sparrow to sign your autograph book.

Overall this party needed more princesses, more time, more decorations, less people, and a lot more pizzaz.

We were there on 2/9 as well, and had quite a different experience than you.

The Princesses were in Toontown, along with Minnie and Daisy dressed as Princesses. Ariel was in her grotto. I was disappointed that they had their regular gowns on, so we didn't wait in line for them as we already had been there done that.

The lines....well, gosh, the only line we saw all night was for Space Mountain and it said 10 minutes! For Pirates of Carb. we walked right through the que not stopping until we got onto our boat...the boat in front of and behind us was empty and we were the only three passengers in our boat. Haunted Mansion we walked all the way into the elevator as the "talk" had just started....while it still said to move in so others could fit too, there was no need it was about half empty.

We didn't go on Peter Pan nor Dumbo, but there was very little wait for those (and considering that during the day they're hour long waits, we were surprised).

The longest lines we saw, and endured, were character signings.

Yes...the "treasure" was all fake jewels and plastic necklaces.....see OrientalTrading.com if you want to buy some, We collected a few only because there was literally never a line for them....the CMs in a few places were not in their little roped off line area, but out in the walkway handing them out! I had read about the chocolates from last year, but also read the earlier PP&P reports that said they weren't being passed out so we hadn't expected them. I also read here that the reason was because the chocolate melted and made messes last summer....well, duh, yeah, it was summer, hello? Although the weather was wonderful for 2/9, I doubt that chocolate would have melted until it hit my mouth!

I've said it on a few other threads....but my biggest disappointment was that there were no Prince Charming, Prince Eric, etc sightings except on the parade. I don't quite get that....if they were already in the park for the parade why weren't they out wandering around or at least in Toontown with their ladies for pics? That we'd have stood in line for an hour for!

I was also disappointed that I had saved this for our last weekend.....if we had it to do over again we would have gone to TWO of these events....one to do the characters and treasures and dance party etc....and then another time to hit all the rides over and over. Five hours was definitely not enough time to do both though! We're hoping to go again at the holidays and we'll probably do two of the MVMCP's because it sounds like it's the same type of event, just different themeing. I'll probably buy tickets in advance for one night, and then buy them at the park for a second night if it turns out to be the same feeling.

I am always surprised how two families can be at the same place at the same time and have such totally different experiences. While I had some disappointments, we still had a grand time and it's one of many highlights of our month long trip. Never occured to me to think of it as a waste of money, and I'm definitely a tightwad who would be unhappy to have wasted money! Only thing I can think of to explain the lines you had for rides that we didn't have.....is you must have started on the other side of the park from us and everyone else must have been over there with you, We started in Tomorrowland, went through Fantasyland and spent way too much time there, went rushing through Liberty Square, stopping only for HM, and then went through Frontierland without stopping, to Adventureland where we ended the evening. Perhaps because the high interest for many people was the pirates they all started out at Adventureland so it was crowded and they made their way around the park opposite us, so we were against the crowd instead of in it??

Another thing was that we didn't pay nearly as much as you......we bought our tickets in advance in October when they first went on sale....they had that special pre-purchase offer through early December so we paid $28 each with the AP discount and pre-purchase discount. Kids were less, but my girls are 11 so they had adult tickets.

 

[momof3girls6712]

We went on 1/29 and had a great time. We thought the decor and shows were outstanding, however this is the first "private party" we have attended at Disney. The kids are still talking about riding BTM 7 times without exiting. We did not do the treasure searches, however if we walked by we picked up some beads. Having all girls they were thrilled with the beads. We are planning to go again in May and hope that have a great time again.

 

[labdogs42]

Hmmm...I was at the P&P party on 1/29 and I saw both princes and princesses. They were all by Cinderella's Carousel in Fantasyland when I saw them. I was more into the pirate thing, so I didn't get in line to greet any of them, but they were there! I had a blast at the P&P party. Sorry it didn't work out as well for you!

 

[Luv4Disney]

With any special event like that we don't even bother with the rides. We go for all the special shows and stuff that is not the norm.

 

[jenb1023]

We had a great time at the P&PP party on 1/29 and would go again in a heartbeat! Sorry you did not have that experience.

All of the rides were a walk-on or a wait of minutes. We loved the parade and fireworks. DD (4) loved the treasure hunt and the dance parties. The character lines did seem pretty long.

 

[disnut8]

Just a note for someone who was at Magic Kingdom on February 9th but did NOT attend the party. During the day, the place was deserted. Well, not deserted but very manageable. My husband and I don't go to the Magic Kingdom very often because of the crowds but decided to suck it up for one day. We honestly did not know what to do with all the space we had to walk around in. Space Mountain was a 60 minute wait and Peter Pan was a 40 minute wait but everything else was a walk on, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Splash Mountain is closed right now).

So if you are not attending a Party or even if you are, try going to the Magic Kingdom during the day of a Party. We had a lot more fun doing what we did and it didn't cost us an extra dime.

 

[wilderness01]

We went 2-5 and I have to say I agree with some of what the OP stated.

We did have a good time and am glad we went, but I don't think we would go again. I felt the same way about MVMCP though, so to each his own.

We waited in line 1 hour to meet Captain Jack. To me that was way too long, but the time stated said 30 minutes and by the time we were at 20 minutes we were "too far into it" to back out, plus my little guy really wanted to see him.

I didn't think the parade was anything special, except for the pirates floats. Other than that the "regular" floats were the same old, same old without the ball around them, in my opinion.

We did get to go on most of the rides without a wait, so that wasn't a problem.

I agree about the loot. We went to 2 spots and then didn't want anymore jewels, but again, to each their own. It was Mardi Gras that day so we were already getting plenty of beads without having to hunt any down.

All in all we had a great time, and I did research so I knew the food stands wouldn't be plentiful, and the chocolate was gone. But it didn't seem like this party had the decorations or thought put into it as the others.

It really is brilliant of Disney though to put on these parties to collect the extra revenue.

They do get an A for effort in their marketing department!

 

[chip007]

We went to the P&PP last year and again earlier this month (2/2). I think it's a blast.

It's one of the few times adults can go in in costume to WDW. It also has some great activities for the little ones. DD is now 4, and both times we spent most of our time at the dance party with Sebastian and Flounder. (I admit to doing a conga line with a giant crab and some really fabulous fish. )

The lines are much shorter than during the day, and get shorter and shorter as the night goes on. Just before the fireworks DD had Meeko all to herself for about 10 minutes. They played and played -- he stole some of her treasure and she chased him around trying to get it back. She hasn't stopped talking about it. (DD made it all the way to midnight before she fell asleep in the stroller on the way back to the boat.)

As for the decorations, I'm impressed that they are able to do anything considering how quick the transition is. I admit that the "treasure" is not expensive, but her excitement when we found another treasure spot was priceless.

 

[IMDORY]

Sorry for your disappointment.

We went last August. We loved it-and hope they have the party again when we are there this August.

I made a plan ahead of time to be sure to get there about a half an hour before the party started to get right in the Jack Sparrow line-we were surprised that after about 10 minutes Disney started the meet-and-greet early. So maybe we waited about 20 minutes to see Jack.

We also decided that since this was a special party, we would concentrate our time doing the things you can only do at the party-so we made a point to get to the various shows. We watched the fireworks right in front of the castle-we thought the show was awesome. We had seen the fireworks from the Poly a few nights before and they were really cool-but to see and hear the audio right at the party was sooo much better. We also watched the Mickey Mouse and friends show in front of the castle and watched the entire parade.

After we saw the shows etc., we then turned our attentions to treasure spots, Character meets and the dance parties. I really could have cared less about the treasure spots and especially the candy-we really didn't eat any of it anyway. My son had fun doing the pirate games in Tomorrowland.

Even after doing ALL this-we managed to walk in a store or two to shop and we rode pretty much all the rides with little to no wait. At the end of the night DS walked on Dumbo with absolutly no wait at all. We then went to Flounder's Dance party for a bit. And ended the night with a Dole whip from Adventureland and slowly made our way down Main Street-and we still left the park before the party was officially over.

The best part of it all to us was just the total party vibe in MK-the music up loud, the special lighting... I originally thought it would be like a night where MK was open with a few special shows-when we were there I felt like I was at a huge party. The CMs seemed to even be having a blast too.

I can't believe how much we were able to do in such a short amount of time. I debated before if it was worth the $$$-I didn't think it would be-but afterward I thought it was and we hope to go again this year.

 

[labdogs42]

During the day, the place was deserted. Well, not deserted but very manageable. .

I can say that I went to Epcot on a day of the party and it was PACKED! I think everyone had the same idea I did -- avoid MK because it is closing early today. Going to the MK would have been a MUCH better idea! you're right!

 

[IMDORY]

I can say that I went to Epcot on a day of the party and it was PACKED! I think everyone had the same idea I did -- avoid MK because it is closing early today. Going to the MK would have been a MUCH better idea! you're right!

I agree in August the P&PP days in MK seemed a bit thinner. (I was there for 3 P&PP dates)