Disapointed by Mickeys NSS Halloween Party Oct 12, 2012

My dh and I went to the MNSSHP in 2011 and had such a great time! We saved up our money to go again this year ( from Canada so its not cheap!lol) and we felt like we were ripped off. We found that it was twice as busy as last year, they must have sold tickets to capacity, wait times for rides were 40 mins during the day and we found the wait time during the party to be 50 mins for Matterhorn or Haunted Mansion to 90 mins for Space Mountain! I was dismayed that they also took away the Fast Passes for this event! Last year we were able to walk-on to most rides during this event. We didnt get to see the Villains, take pictures with the characters, see the parade or the fireworks as we were trying to make our way through the limited walking space from the trick or treat trail lines to get to any of it in time after being stuck in lines waiting for the rides. After we MISSED the fireworks and the parades my heart sunk. I feel like the night was a big money grab, we even dressed in costume this year and didnt get to get pictures with the characters/villains as the lines were way too long. I dont know if anyone else experienced the same as us this year, but I left at midnight with a bitter taste because we didnt get to have a fun Halloween experience as promised and an additional $64 each was not worth it.....

It was definitely overcrowded this year. The treat lines were much longer than usual as well. I'm not sure if it was due to the crowds alone or if there were less stations than usual. However, $46 is still worth the money to me for 8 hours of Disneyland time plus free candy.

I was there on Friday, but only as a regular park guest, so I had to leave at 7:00. Honestly, as I looked at it for a few minutes on Main Street, I was thinking to myself, "Why would someone pay that awfully high price for the same crowd levels and high wait times that you can get on any other busy day?" In my honest opinion, paying that kind of money for candy, special fireworks display, and meet n greets with rare characters, in additon to the crowds is just not worth it to me. Sure, the little kids like it, but you can go trick or treating for real in your own neighborhoods for free. With that being said, I am sorry you had to deal with that. It is depressing to know that Disney is still finding ways to grab peoples' money and giving them that kind of experience.

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Originally Posted by calsig31

However, $46 is still worth the money to me for 8 hours of Disneyland time plus free candy.

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The Friday night party on the 12th was $64. I too felt is was extremely crowded. It did thin out after fireworks. We stayed until the start of the second parade..

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Originally Posted by Malcon10t

The Friday night party on the 12th was $64. I too felt is was extremely crowded. It did thin out after fireworks. We stayed until the start of the second parade..

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That may be so, but I went on the two nights of the discount. As I stated I found both of the nights to be worth the $46. Would I pay $64? Not sure, but that is why I bought the tickets in advance so I wouldn't have to.

I'm kind of not looking forward to my Friday 10/19 visit. Honestly, I'm stuck at this point with non-refundable tickets. It's going to be hell and not worth the money, I'm expecting it at least.

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Originally Posted by Garthilk

I'm kind of not looking forward to my Friday 10/19 visit. Honestly, I'm stuck at this point with non-refundable tickets. It's going to be hell and not worth the money, I'm expecting it at least.

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I'm in the same boat to...I'm so disheartened by all the stories I'm hearing. But my mother bought my family the tickets as a gift so I hope that we at least get some of a good time.

@calsig31, there was no early discount for Friday night, we bought our tickets the day that the sales started. I am not trying to ruin someone's excitement over a future date either, you may still enjoy the experience, we just found this year it was too crowded for comfort for us and we didnt get to experience what we wanted.

This is what I wrote in another post. BTW just got back and had a great time at the party.

Here are a few MHP tips that will help you avoid the OPs mistakes.

1. All parties are busy, most sell out and the other come close to selling out, so pick the one that works with your schedule, not try to choose one to miss the unavoidable crowds at the party.

2. Do the rides like HMH and SMGG in the morning if there all day or on another day.

3. See the characters in the morning if there all day or on another day. Only see party exlusive characters at the party.

4. Eat before or after the party. Snack on the treats or get a quick drink or popcorn at the party if needed.

5. Stake out spots for the first parade and fireworks. Or if you do't want a good view for the fireworks(I wouldn't suggest that if you have never seen them), watch the second parade.

6. The Treat Stations can have very big lines but they move at a good pace. In the rear of the park are other treat stations that are less crowded. If the line looks long find another one.

@swampymarsh those are good tips which we did try to follow,but I feel as though my complaint is still rather valid. What I am talking about is we PAID extra for an experience that was supposed to be EXCLUSIVE, why did we pay to fight the large crowds to an obviously oversold event? I thought the party was supposed to have a limited amount of tickets sold, it seems as twice as many tickets were released compared to the year prior. (sorry if my previous post came out harsh)

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Originally Posted by mercedymouse

@swampymarsh please dont patronize me by saying we made "mistakes", I feel as though my complaint is rather valid. What I am talking about is we PAID extra for an experience that was supposed to be EXCLUSIVE, why did we pay to fight the large crowds to an obviously oversold event? I thought the party was supposed to have a limited amount of tickets sold, it seems as twice as many tickets were released compared to the year prior.

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Wow...that was harsh. I really don't think swampy was trying to be patronizing, but helpful.

swampymarsh, I actually THANK you for your advise and will most likely follow it especially:

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6. The Treat Stations can have very big lines but they move at a good pace. In the rear of the park are other treat stations that are less crowded. If the line looks long find another one.

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I thank you :)

I felt like it was a little hard to navigate some areas, like New Orleans Square, but I enjoyed myself over all. We found a perfect spot for the parade and fireworks, which did take up two hours, but I'm glad we did it. Most wait times were short, we walked on Big Thunder, and Star Tours was only 15 minutes. Space was only 30 minutes, but it broke when we were in line. Candy lines were really long at the beginning, but towards the end, there were only ten or so people in each of them. We waited barely at all the see Winnie the Pooh and friends, and waited about a half hour to see Captain Jack. So while it was crowded, I still felt like we were able to get things accomplished.

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Originally Posted by mercedymouse

@swampymarsh please dont patronize me by saying we made "mistakes", I feel as though my complaint is rather valid. What I am talking about is we PAID extra for an experience that was supposed to be EXCLUSIVE, why did we pay to fight the large crowds to an obviously oversold event? I thought the party was supposed to have a limited amount of tickets sold, it seems as twice as many tickets were released compared to the year prior.

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I think swampy copy and pasted their response to another thread, including the portion about "mistakes", so they weren't actually referring to your post...

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Originally Posted by KellyMcG86

I think swampy copy and pasted their response to another thread, including the portion about "mistakes", so they weren't actually referring to your post...

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I saw that afterwards..sorry!! :)

It seams that these events are hit or miss, depending of who you talk to. Sorry that you did have a good time.