Troubling Party Season Update

[deix15x8]

If Disney really wants to hit the right balance of guest satisfaction and revenue they will do like last year was. They need to bring some of the holiday entertainment into the day guest time and leave the premium time focused on a less crowded ride experience with more meet and greets and free goodies.

 

[JMcMahonEsq]

I’ve got a crazy idea.... how about you leave the parks open late for everyone! And during Holiday Seasons, you have special holiday decorations and entertainment.... for everyone!!!

Wait I have been during the Holidays, both pre-covid and post covid, I didn't realize they took down the special holiday decorations in place for Xmas and Halloween during the day, and put them up every night for only the after hour/holiday party events? Maybe they knew I had purchased the event tickets so that was why I was able to see them during the daytime hours.

 

[monykalyn]

Where they also have a super expensive after hours event?

HHN? Where for $129 I can go every night during september? Ride the open rides for little wait? Experience a truly premium holiday experience that includes 2 shows? And if I don't like waiting in lines fo4 $400 I can have express for houses and rides every night during september as well.

$160/person

Yikes! for ONE night for a few hours?
IF they had kept the same formula as years past I'd have considered a MNSSHP with early access to MK-instead I am going for more nights, RiP tour, UTH tour at universal. So instead of WDW even getting a fraction of my money now they have none. Wonder how many of us will be needed to tip that balance that WDW realizes maybe charging more for less isn't a great sustainable business model...

 

[Deadphish]

Seems to me that these reductions in party entertainment are just the beginning. In a few years it wouldn’t surprise me if they have this at all the parks everyday of the year. It won’t be a party anymore though, just two separate admission tickets, one for the day and one for the evening. Each guest will have to buy two tickets to experience a full day.

 

[mikeanabean]

We stopped going to these many years ago when the Kiddo grew out of it. The last one we went to was very crowded and that was 8 years ago Plus the cost was not worth it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I said the other day that I'd be happy if they kept the After Hours and price tag as the "new party" but they actually need to follow through with limiting the crowds.

And they have. All the live feeds from the BOOdahs show a crowd-free park with walk-ons for nearly all rides.

All the rending of garments of how Disney kept increasing the capacity turned out to be just dumb drama.

They should also bring back the stage shows. They would be more enjoyable without the over crowding.

If people want to watch a stage show but didn't want to pay the price tag or could not get a ticket due to the limited amount sold then they can watch it on youtube.

Stage shows are the hallmark of the Party Nights. These are After Hours nights that traditionally have not had stage shows except for the Villains After Hours nights in February. And that stage show was not well liked.

 

[MisterPenguin]

When we attended MNSSHP on Oct31st in 2019 it was crazy packed. Loved the parade and the headless horseman. At the time I didn’t even know lower crowds were something we were supposed to get. Bought for the fun of dressing up with my kids and to do something different. I even bought a day ticket to Magic kingdom thinking I needed both to go the night event! I don’t think we would have done a full day at the hotel anyway though. But now I wonder what I would do if I went to another night time event.

The Party Nights were supposed to have a capacity limit to ensure that the parks wouldn't feel mobbed. It was said the cap was 25K guests, about half the average number during the day.

For a while, they weren't selling out all Party Nights, and so, on those nights, people reported how they could just walk onto 7DMT and SM.

Over time, the Party Nights became more and more sold out. And everyone suspects that Disney increased capacity because some nights were very mobbed.

The DAH nights are specifically touted as low capacity (numbers mentioned any where from 5-12K). And the BOOdahs so far seem to be keeping to that.

 

[MisterPenguin]

All the defenders of 'this isn't a party, it's a DAH event...' can keep holding onto that meaningless distinction. This was the replacement product for the parties, and it's the new wave

You're seeminlgy contradicting yourself.

You're saying there's a meaningless distinction between Party Nights and DAHs. But then you say that "this" (the DAH) was a "replacement" for the parties. If it replaced the party, then it's a distinct, different thing, no?

 

[FantasiaMickey2000]

I have to say that I am very happy about this. I hated going in December and being kicked out of the Magic Kingdom at dinner several nights a week unless I paid another $80 for MVMCP. This past week was very nice being in the parks until 9 and not getting kicked out for MNSSHP. I think this is a great thing. Great for day guests and still gives those who want to pay an up charge an event to go to.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This is my issue- to host any “after hours event” you must close the park early- thus de-valuing any “day ticket” that someone may purchase… anyone feel like explaining how this is ok? I don’t understand how that is acceptable. Maybe if I could purchase a discounted ticket on days that after hour events will be hosted….
View attachment 586680

The Fall and Winter (school time) used to be dead times for WDW. They would regularly close weeknights at 6, 7, or 8p.

And Summers used to be the peak time, when they would stay open to midnight (after all, sundown was near 9:30p).

The Fall and Winter Party Nights were to attract guests from the peak times to the off-peak times. And that they did.

Kicking day-guests out at 6p with no fireworks for a Party Night was indeed painful and rightfully angering.

But the DAHs allow guests to stay to 9p and watch the fireworks. That's normal park operations. Consider that Universal Islands of Adventure closes at 6, 7, or 8p (depending on the night) in Sept and Oct.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I just got to thinking people keep complaining about Disney is not listening to guests but IMO they are.
-Guests want less "party" nights per week: Disney is doing that
-Guests want the "parties" to not interfere with park hours and offerings: Disney is doing that
-Guests want less crowds at the "parties": Disney is doing that.

One of the easiest ways for them to justify doing all of those things while still making a big profit is to double the price and I'm okay with it.

 

[flynnibus]

You're seeminlgy contradicting yourself.

You're saying there's a meaningless distinction between Party Nights and DAHs. But then you say that "this" (the DAH) was a "replacement" for the parties. If it replaced the party, then it's a distinct, different thing, no?

The comment was more directed at you and others that insisted that the two can't be compared and expectations should be thrown out because they aren't the same thing. Sure the event itself is not EXACTLY the same, but you also refused to acknowledge it was in effect the replacement for the seasonal party and now it seems that replacement is likely permanent.

So what line will you hold... that the parties are really gone? Or that there is a new party in town?

Personally I think we're gonna see AH events multiply like EPCOT 'festivals'...

 

[MisterPenguin]

View attachment 587207

The comment was more directed at you and others that insisted that the two can't be compared and expectations should be thrown out because they aren't the same thing. Sure the event itself is not EXACTLY the same, but you also refused to acknowledge it was in effect the replacement for the seasonal party and now it seems that replacement is likely permanent.

So what line will you hold... that the parties are really gone? Or that there is a new party in town?

Personally I think we're gonna see AH events multiply like EPCOT 'festivals'...

My take:

What we have are inherently DAHs. You pay for a reduced crowd, and that's what the BOOdahs have provided.

But WDW is creating a Franken-event by grafting onto the DAHs bits and pieces of the old Party Nights, making it look like a blend of the two. Which is confusing.

But in the end, the event happens after hours. And there is a very limited capacity. That's the heart of a DAH.

The extra entertainment is a bonus... that one is paying a lot more for, like for the Villains After Hours, but more.

 

[flynnibus]

But in the end, the event happens after hours. And there is a very limited capacity. That's the heart of a DAH.

That just happens to run for 20+ dates between Aug and Nov... where people always come looking for a certain form of entertainment.

What a Coinkydink!

And that's just it.. The AH event wasn't offered in a vacuum - it was offered IN LIEU OF the offer that had been run for 20+ years. And now that event is permanently (supposedly) replacing the offer.

No matter what kind of event they put on... when it's their regular Halloween ticketed event... it's going to get comparisons drawn.

 

[Chi84]

Is there a reliable source that's reporting this is intended as a permanent replacement - as in they will not go back to having Halloween and Christmas parties? If so, I may be okay with that for the reasons stated by @Queen of the WDW Scene.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Is there a reliable source that's reporting this is intended as a permanent replacement - as in they will not go back to having Halloween and Christmas parties? If so, I may be okay with that for the reasons stated by @Queen of the WDW Scene.

Yes, our own @MansionButler84 said that WDW didn't want Party Nights during the 50th anniversary (which will cover all of next year, too). And he did so before this was all announced. One big reason is that guests would expect the 50th Anniversary fireworks, and that conflicts with Party Nights.

So, for all of 2021 and 2022, there will be no Party Nights.

As for 2023, probably WDW doesn't know what they'll decide for that yet.

 

[Chi84]

Yes, our own @MansionButler84 said that WDW didn't want Party Nights during the 50th anniversary (which will cover all of next year, too). And he did so before this was all announced. One big reason is that guests would expect the 50th Anniversary fireworks, and that conflicts with Party Nights.

So, for all of 2021 and 2022, there will be no Party Nights.

As for 2023, probably WDW doesn't know what they'll decide for that yet.

That makes sense. I was wondering if there was some statement from Disney that I may have missed saying the former holiday parties would never return. Maybe they’ll return in a different format altogether.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, our own @MansionButler84 said that WDW didn't want Party Nights during the 50th anniversary (which will cover all of next year, too). And he did so before this was all announced. One big reason is that guests would expect the 50th Anniversary fireworks, and that conflicts with Party Nights.

So no other early closures for MK next year due to not waiting to disappoint people expecting the 50th fireworks?
And no mention of how the Christmas event is still managing to do both fireworks shows?

The whole 'because of the 50th' line never passed the sniff test and stunk of 'company line...' justification not actual constraints.

 

[prberk]

If Disney really wants to hit the right balance of guest satisfaction and revenue they will do like last year was. They need to bring some of the holiday entertainment into the day guest time and leave the premium time focused on a less crowded ride experience with more meet and greets and free goodies.

Or they would just go back to being open late (like midnight) for all guests and have a variety of seasonal entertainment and parades for different parts of the day, like they did for most of their 50 years of existence, accommodating a variety of people without gouging them.

Now that would be magical.

 

[themarchhare]

Where they also have a super expensive after hours event?

LOL bless your heart