MNSSHP extremely over crowded

[nace888]

If capacity is 20k-30k, then why not just cut that in half (say 15k in MK) for MNSSHP, by doing that, it's not as crowded, and allow those special characters to do meet and greets all Halloween season rather than just on party days? I want to say DL does that, and by doing that, the crowds are not only decreased a little, but they're still making their money.

I don't know MUCH about crowd handling, BUT they should know that if they want people to buy stuff or try stuff, they need to realize that the crowds need to be able to move around to do such things.

 

[nace888]

Double Post, Sorry...

I will say that my friend and I did a MNSSHP AND a MVMCP last year, and the crowds were a bit pushy. Ultimately everyone wants to see everything (hence the 2 parades and 2-3 castle shows) but wow.

 

[threvester]

We went sept 9th and it was much more crowded than years past.We also splurged and did the after hours event on the 20th..Iwas extremely disappointed with the crowds..20 minute wait for mine train and pan..With only 3 hours for the event i felt those waits were much too long

 

[ToTBellHop]

If capacity is 20k-30k, then why not just cut that in half (say 15k in MK) for MNSSHP, by doing that, it's not as crowded, and allow those special characters to do meet and greets all Halloween season rather than just on party days? I want to say DL does that, and by doing that, the crowds are not only decreased a little, but they're still making their money.

I don't know MUCH about crowd handling, BUT they should know that if they want people to buy stuff or try stuff, they need to realize that the crowds need to be able to move around to do such things.

No. Party capacity is roughly 25,000. A typical day in MK sees 50,000 guests. A busy day sees significantly more.

 

[The Pho]

I've done 3 parties this year so far. September 28 and 30, and October 14. The first ones crowds were great I thought. Longest we waited for a ride was 20 minutes and we didn't feel overcrowded for the fireworks, and didn't have to search hard for a prime parade spot. The second one was a little more crowded but ultimately not too bad and easily worth the cost to me. Last nights felt significantly more crowded than the first two. Firework crowd felt like a normal night, parade route was packed for both of them. And lines for characters and rides were far from ideal (and it didn't help that Space and Thunder both went down at the same time for a little bit). But even with the bigger crowd, I still got everything in, just took some proper timing.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

We get "early access" to the Halloween party now for being DVC members and so they let us in at 2. All it really means is you can not have to wait so long for Jack and Sally because all the rides will still be smoked by the general public guests that are already in there. The other thing that's actually really good about that is because the line of people coming in at 4 to get their wristbands just looks like a sea of humanity almost all the way back to the monorails. They do have a special entrance for DVC members and it's really awesome BUT once the party starts??? It's obviously every man for himself! We were there for it last Tuesday and the lines were worse than they've been through the years but Space Mtn was just like 30 to 40 min most of the time. If you want to ride stuff I always recommend doing it during the first parade and then actually watching the second one. When I met Jack and Sally a couple of years ago they were in the gazebo behind the Christmas store and were even there last Monday but they moved them to the Town Hall Theater now because the lines were so long. That's what's crazy is ALL the lines are long.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

I've done 3 parties this year so far. September 28 and 30, and October 14. The first ones crowds were great I thought. Longest we waited for a ride was 20 minutes and we didn't feel overcrowded for the fireworks, and didn't have to search hard for a prime parade spot. The second one was a little more crowded but ultimately not too bad and easily worth the cost to me. Last nights felt significantly more crowded than the first two. Firework crowd felt like a normal night, parade route was packed for both of them. And lines for characters and rides were far from ideal (and it didn't help that Space and Thunder both went down at the same time for a little bit). But even with the bigger crowd, I still got everything in, just took some proper timing.

Space Mtn in the total dark is absolutely phenomenal. I wish they would do that more often.

 

[The Pho]

Space Mtn in the total dark is absolutely phenomenal. I wish they would do that more often.

I did the third party solely for Space Mountain. I planned on just doing it for the full party but then it broke. I seriously love that ride.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

I did the third party solely for Space Mountain. I planned on just doing it for the full party but then it broke. I seriously love that ride.

Yeah I overheard multiple people talking about how awesome it is during the party and I've rode it a million times but that was great like that. What's funny is that literally just a few days before I done it during the party is that I was telling a CM that I thought it was too bright in there now and it just seemed like they had put in extra lights lately or something. She said different people have said that but then when I got to ride it during the party it totally redeemed itself.

 

[Maeryk]

Did something change about SM? I was there last Feb, and it was dark.. not quite pitch black, but much of the ride you have zero clue where you are going, just the odd red sensor light or "star" in the distance.

 

[The Pho]

Did something change about SM? I was there last Feb, and it was dark.. not quite pitch black, but much of the ride you have zero clue where you are going, just the odd red sensor light or "star" in the distance.

For the Not So Scary party they shut off ALL of the lights. It's incredible even though I've ridden at least 15,000 times.

Yeah I overheard multiple people talking about how awesome it is during the party and I've rode it a million times but that was great like that. What's funny is that literally just a few days before I done it during the party is that I was telling a CM that I thought it was too bright in there now and it just seemed like they had put in extra lights lately or something. She said different people have said that but then when I got to ride it during the party it totally redeemed itself.

It's almost too bright but not quite there yet, at least to me (unlike Disneyland's where you can see everything). I really hope they do this every year now, pitch black just made my whole trip which is why I roped in an extra party with a work trip.

 

[Raineman]

Sell as many MNSSHP tickets as people will buy ( no real cap) , make no promises and charge a premium for "limited edition" gear.
Kick out people early who paid for a full day. Charge them an extra premium to park hop to another park.
Charge for parking at the hotels where the parking lots have not changed since opening and are never at capacity.
Yeah!!
People will still come...and they'll do it again.
Repeat.

Yes, until they feel like they are not getting value for what they paid. Some people are at that point, but obviously many aren’t.

 

[thomas998]

It only makes sense that it will get more crowded as Halloween approaches. I went in late August and it was the best money I spent at Disney. It was about 50% the normal crowd.

Yes the closer you get to Halloween the worse the crowds get. We hit it in September one year and it was extremely light... In October it has only gotten worse and worse over the years. If you don't mind the heat the earlier you do the parties the better.... except it doesn't really feel like Halloween when its still officially summer.

 

[Maeryk]

Yes, until they feel like they are not getting value for what they paid. Some people are at that point, but obviously many aren’t.

The unique parade, fireworks, and meet and greets will always keep first timers coming in.

It's fun to do once every five years or so. But it's not the ERT it once was.. though one of my happiest memories is coming out the top of Splash to the first big fireworks of Hallowishes seemingly right in front of our faces.

 

[Raineman]

Yes the closer you get to Halloween the worse the crowds get. We hit it in September one year and it was extremely light... In October it has only gotten worse and worse over the years. If you don't mind the heat the earlier you do the parties the better.... except it doesn't really feel like Halloween when its still officially summer.

We went to the party last year on Halloween Night, for the first time, and I was expecting huge crowds, but it wasn’t too bad-nowhere near even a “normal” day at MK. Even HM was only a 15-20 minute wait. We still had lots of personal space while walking around, the lines for the party exclusive photo ops were manageable, the treat trail lines were fairly short, and we got a spot right on the curb in town square for the parade without having to camp out. We may have lucked out, but I’m glad we did. Going to be going to MVMCP next November,which will be one of the first Christmas parties of the year, and hoping for light crowds.

 

[thomas998]

We went to the party last year on Halloween Night, for the first time, and I was expecting huge crowds, but it wasn’t too bad-nowhere near even a “normal” day at MK. Even HM was only a 15-20 minute wait. We still had lots of personal space while walking around, the lines for the party exclusive photo ops were manageable, the treat trail lines were fairly short, and we got a spot right on the curb in town square for the parade without having to camp out. We may have lucked out, but I’m glad we did. Going to be going to MVMCP next November,which will be one of the first Christmas parties of the year, and hoping for light crowds.

You lucked out. Generally Halloween is always sold out and usually sold out very early compared to other nights of the party... Although I understand a lot of ticket scalpers buy up Halloween tickets in hopes of reselling them for a nice profit... I suppose scalpers might have gotten to greedy last year and ended up getting stuck with tickets that resulted in a lighter crowd... Who knows, but in the past Halloween was never a good night crowd wise.

 

[Raineman]

You lucked out. Generally Halloween is always sold out and usually sold out very early compared to other nights of the party... Although I understand a lot of ticket scalpers buy up Halloween tickets in hopes of reselling them for a nice profit... I suppose scalpers might have gotten to greedy last year and ended up getting stuck with tickets that resulted in a lighter crowd... Who knows, but in the past Halloween was never a good night crowd wise.

Who knows, maybe my perception of decent crowds is someone else's heavy crowds, but I've experienced busy days at MK and the party last year was definitely less than that. Even the few hours where the party guests and the regular crowd were at MK at the same time, crowds were't too bad. I am hoping that catching one of the first Christmas parties next year will result in low crowds, but I'm not counting on getting lucky twice.

 

[wdisney9000]

It is definitely interesting to see the mixed reviews. I can understand that going in Aug or September is going to be lighter crowds but to me, celebrating Halloween in September seems odd. I have not tried it though, so I cant knock it. To a child, I am sure it would make no difference though. It seems like its a crap shot depending on what day you visit if you go in early Oct.

Wife and I are heading down in December and want to attend MVMCP, but now we are not so sure. We have attended before so if there is a chance of huge crowds we would rather spend the money on a different event we have not tried or just a nice dinner.

 

[Disstevefan1]

My wife just returned from a trip w/ her mother and they attended MNSSHP on a weekday (Tuesday). My wife and I have attended MNSSHP many times over the years and it has always been enjoyable with crowd levels and wait times for attractions that were very tolerable. This year....not so much. She said the crowd was absolutely insane. Way more crowded than any normal day they visited MK. Walking from Frontierland to Liberty Square, she said the crowd was so thick that people were taking a few steps at a time then coming to a complete stop and waiting for the crowd to move. She said it was claustrophobic and quite dangerous had their been a panic and the crowd tried to rush out.

The line for Haunted Mansion stretched all the way to Liberty Square Riverboat entrance. They returned a few times and the line had not gotten much shorter. Long waits for the M&G's and most attractions and 80+ minute waits for the mountains and Peter Pan throughout the night, with the exception of BTMRR which they were able to ride. They also rode Pirates and IASW and that was it. And please keep in mind we understand MNSSHP is not about walking onto attractions by any means. And my wife is far from a complainer, but she has attended the party enough over the years to know the difference when its more crowded than normal. She said crowd levels matched a busy day during Spring Break or a Holiday. She said it was the type of crowd where you get to MK and just decide to leave and come back later or another day.

They did get half decent spot in near Frontierland to see the parade but no headless horseman. They had fun with the candy stations and seeing some really nice costumes but aside from that she said it was miserable. The only thing I could guess is that they are over selling the event or selling way more tickets than normal on some nights. Has anybody else attended the party this year and noticed a difference compared to years past? Or did they just pick a bad night to go? My wife absolutely loves MNSSHP but she said after this experience, she may be done with it.

I have read other posts that guests overheard cast members admit the events were indeed oversold. While this is unverified third hand information, I believe it.

 

[wdisney9000]

We went sept 9th and it was much more crowded than years past.We also splurged and did the after hours event on the 20th..Iwas extremely disappointed with the crowds..20 minute wait for mine train and pan..With only 3 hours for the event i felt those waits were much too long

We did the after hours event in July and were slightly disappointed with the same thing. We had a good time, but it did not live up to the expectations we had, or the sales pitch Disney gives, and especially the stories we heard of "riding Mine Train back to back without having to get out of the car". We didnt expect it to be perfect or to ride Mine Train all night either, but we also did not expect 20+ minute wait for Mine Train and at Space Mountain they only had one side open and it was also 20+ minute wait. Those two rides took up a big chunk of the 3 hours.

I would most likely attend the after hours even again because it felt worth the $75 dollar price w/ AP discount. It would be great if they added an extra hour or two. I would gladly pay more, for more time in the park.