Water Parks and More or MNSSHP

[FourBees]

It will be myself, DH and two DD's 13 & 15. If you had to choose either getting the Water Parks and More feature for length of your stay (7 nights) or going to MNSSHP which would you choose and why? TIA

 

[serene56]

for me-- the money I spent on a MNSSHP was the best money I ever spent on vacation.

I dont know if its because we were all dressed in characters. (grand daughter went as Cruella and we were the puppies) got tons of attention for her. Even Cruella. and the dance party where we were in there alone for about 30 minutes at the end of the night.

Rides were walk on. Collecting candy, meeting characters that are usually not out?

water parks>? we can do that at home-- and use the resort pool for swimming. MNSSHP is only available for certain nights of the year

 

[secretpantssam]

I love Love LOVE the halloween party! It is seriously some of the most fun I've ever had. Personally I would chose that over water parks in a second!

But I am also a HUGE fan of Halloween so I don't know if that has to do with it.

 

[mercydisney]

WIth the age of your kids I would do the waterparks. The halloween party is awesome but you are already going to the parks and I believe the ad on will give you an addtl. 7 days in the waterpark or Disney Quest.

 

[Shmily1]

I've gone with teens and they love the NMSSHP. They will get out there and dance with the characters like little kids too!

The question is how much time would you really have to use the WP&M option?

 

[kkwis2]

I'm going to give another vote for the water parks. We've done both. I personally found Mickey's Not So Scary to be one of the biggest wastes of money I've had at Disney. HOWEVER, we went right before Halloween, it was packed, and I had young kids who didn't stay up late. We went this summer and loved the water parks! That was one of the best parts of our trip. We would go to a park for rope drop, stay until 1 or 2, head back to our resort to chill for a bit and then spent the late afternoon/evening at a water park. Absolutely a highlight for us!

 

[SandrA9810]

Halloween party without a doubt.

Water Parks all depend on the weather, and which could be warm, could be cold. But it also depends on when you're going to Disney. They start the Parties in mid September all the way through to Halloween, they've even had them a day or two after if it's on the weekend. Like if 8/31 is Friday, they'll do a Saturday/Sunday party too.

I would also take it easy that morning, and change a park day for a party night. You can arrive as early as 4pm, and it closes at midnight, giving you 8hrs. If you go for a park day, you'd have from 9pm-7pm, giving you 10 hrs at the Magic Kingdom. Personally I'd rather spend it there at night during the party.

I guess it really depends if you and your kids want to get in on the fun. I love getting dressed up and doing all the "party only" things. Like the dance parties, pictures with the characters dressed up, Snow White and all seven dwarfs also come out, the stage shows, the parade. It's my all time favorite parade. Of course getting candy.

 

[FourBees]

Thanks for the replies so far. Some more information. We would be doing this on the last day which is Tuesday, Nov 1. Do you think the last day will be real busy or because it is during the week and the day after Halloween would it be slower? Also not sure if the girls will want to dress up or not but I heard they used to have face painting over in the Toon Town area but because Toon Town is closed will they still have it and if so where? We have reservations at 5:10 at O'Hanas so we would go right from there to Magic Kingdom.

 

[espana94]

Thanks for the replies so far. Some more information. We would be doing this on the last day which is Tuesday, Nov 1. Do you think the last day will be real busy or because it is during the week and the day after Halloween would it be slower? Also not sure if the girls will want to dress up or not but I heard they used to have face painting over in the Toon Town area but because Toon Town is closed will they still have it and if so where? We have reservations at 5:10 at O'Hanas so we would go right from there to Magic Kingdom.

How funny, we are having the exact same conversation at our house regarding the exact same date for MNSSHP. My DDs are 14 and 16 + my DD20 is working at WDW on the college program so we would be 5 total for MNSSHP.

November 1st is DDs 17th bday. She is trying to decide if that is how she wants to spend her Bday or if there is something else she would rather do...Harry Potter, Awesome meal ($$$) somewhere we usually don't eat when we are at WDW or lots of extras, like boating, water parking, mini golfing and the dolphin encounter.

I will be interested to hear what your family decides.

 

[FourBees]

Well I was going to make this a surprise for the girls but I decided to ask them what they would prefer and they said they would rather do Water Parks/Disney Quest. So I guess that is what we will do. Thanks for everyones replies. I hope they are happy with their decision, thats all that really matters to me!

 

[Dizneydaz]

Water parks for sure! We love the water parks and so 2, or 3 days there. We have done MNSSHP twice but I can't get my DM to do it again. Last time it poured (not Disney's fault) and it wasn't a great time. The first time we went we had more fun but we still enjoyed the waterparks, and more, more. Your 2 kids may really enjoy Disney Quest too! Great to go to in the evenings when the rest of the parks are closed.

My DD will be 12 this month and I'm sure if I asked her which she would prefer, Waterparks and more, or 1 evening at MNSSHP, it would be the waterparks and more.

 

[dbogen]

The last time we went I actually used MNSSHP as my day in the park. Like others have said you can get in at 4:00, once the park officially closes you can walk on almost everything.

If you get 6 days with the waterpark and more option, just save one of the "extra's" for the morning of the MNSSHP. That is what we did, spent the morning at typhoon lagoon then went and entered the park at 4. My thought was why pay twice for a day in the parks.

I hope that wasn't to confusing, let me know if I need to explain it better.

 

[FourBees]

No you explained it fine. I actually priced it out that way and it only saved me like $42 dollars or so. Switching out one for the other (meaning WPM for MNSSHP) was about the same money wise. But thank you for the suggestion.

 

[windycitymom]

We did the MNSSHP Halloween Party one year, and personally, I remember having more fun at the Water Parks. I'm not sure how the weather will be on November 1 though. The MK is now decorated for the Fall so you will still get to see and take pictures of the pumpkin decorations around the park.

 

[SandrA9810]

I skipped the parties for a few years, opting for something else special like dining at Chef Mickey's and what not. Then I started working there, got to see the parade preview, and of course a small discount on the tickets. After that first time, I was like "why didn't we do this before now, this is awesome."

It really is a personal preference, and you just have to experience both to find out what you like more. Both options are fun, but my preference is the Party. I've gone twice to a party on Nov 2, and while the crowds were still high, I didn't find it to be chaotic like it is the week leading up to Halloween night. Of course your average day guest attendance is about 45,000-55,000 during the day, and the max sell out for a party is 32,000. Overall max capacity is some where in the 80,000 range. Which is July 4th, Christmas, and New Years Eve.

I would also save a bit of money by cutting park days down a day or two. Since you can fill a day at the water parks. But it also depends if you want to go commando style in the parks, from open to close. Or do half park/half water park. Just remember, you can use two or more WPM entries in one day. So you could literally spend from 10am-4pm at Blizzard Beach, go have a round at WinterSummer Land. And cap the night off at Disney Quest.

Disney does heat the water to a lovely 80 degree temp, or somewhere around there. It's just getting out and having the cold air hit ya, that is not so much fun. Just keep an eye on the weather leading up to your trip. If it doesn't work out for swimming, you can just go to the party instead. I'd add the option to your ticket at check-in so you're not bound to it.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I love Love LOVE the halloween party! It is seriously some of the most fun I've ever had. Personally I would chose that over water parks in a second!

But I am also a HUGE fan of Halloween so I don't know if that has to do with it.

This is almost exactly what I was going to write. MNSSHP is AWESOME!!!!!!!