First MNSSHP - Oversold?

[JEH33]

Too many people is too many people. Whether we call it lack of low crowds, or lines that were too long to allow for reasonable enjoyment of party activities, or character M&G, or whatever. Disney may never allow hard numbers to be released, and Disney may never really tell you what the promised experience is, however if a family shells out in excess of $600.00 or for my crew over $800.00, there is an expectation of some sort of value. You hit the nail on the head when you say " this party was too busy to provide a quality experience to the party guests."
I know I would be taking that walk to GS to express my dissatisfaction.



I am not in agreement with you, however I think if most people who are buying the tickets and are okay with the crowd levels then Disney will not need to make any adjustments in how they run the parties. They will not need to have more kiosks open, manage their attractions queues, or offer additional M&G for characters interactions.



I cannot argue with you, however I also do not agree. The message may not be in writing, but the marketing is pretty convincing.

They don't expressly state there will be low crowds, but they do advertise that there are limited tickets sold for the special event, and they don't allow you to book Fast Passes during party time, so I think it's reasonable to infer that they want you to believe there will not be a huge crowd.

 

[Erik the Red]

I'm confident people here know the difference between busy (which is to be expected) and SO busy where it can have a detrimental impact on your enjoyment level.

This is my first trip to Disney. If nothing else, I wish I would have waited until it was closer to my trip before i bought my ticket just to see how the crowd levels play out.

For now, things don't look too promising.

 

[Farro]

I'm confident people here know the difference between busy (which is to be expected) and SO busy where it can have a detrimental impact on your enjoyment level.

This is my first trip to Disney. If nothing else, I wish I would have waited until it was closer to my trip before i bought my ticket just to see how the crowd levels play out.

For now, things don't look too promising.

Honestly - I'm not sure people know the difference! Not necessarily on this thread, but I think people expect it to be empty. It won't be.

And I think people's expectations are out of line. That first party sounds like an absolute mess, but it was somewhat expected as that's been the norm the past couple years, unfortunate for those that didn't know.

Otherwise I think some complaints from last year are because people expected no crowds at all and then were disappointed when they got there and a lot of other people were there!
I read reports from the night I was there about horrendous crowds. Trust me, there were no horrendous crowds. It was markedly less crowded than a normal evening at MK.
There were lines for characters, but pretty much everything else had lower to no waits at all.

Sigh, I'm bummed not to be going this year.

 

[SarahC97]

A friend who is a cast member told me that a sold out party is around 26,000 people. From what I can tell from a quick search, MK averages about 56,000 people per day - so roughly half. Interesting to have some numbers on it, if they're accurate. Who knows.

 

[billyjobobb]

you can complain about the crowds without having expected no crowds. yes, I expect lines. I do not expect long lines......

you can have an expectation of a big crowd and then be overwhelmed by a massive crowd.

 

[Farro]

you can complain about the crowds without having expected no crowds. yes, I expect lines. I do not expect long lines......

you can have an expectation of a big crowd and then be overwhelmed by a massive crowd.

What do you consider a long line? The lines for characters have been over 2 hours for YEARS.

Candy lines come and go.

Ride lines are mostly never long - maybe Mine Train and Haunted Mansion can get up to 20 minutes at times.

Again, not using the first party as an example - it sounded really bad.

(also, I can't control myself when people want to argue semantics, it's a sickness...)

 

[hiroMYhero]

A friend who is a cast member told me that a sold out party is around 26,000 people. From what I can tell from a quick search, MK averages about 56,000 people per day - so roughly half. Interesting to have some numbers on it, if they're accurate. Who knows.

That CM gave you outdated info.

Party crowds are close to 35,000 guests and MK at full capacity is close to 100,000.

 

[bethbuchall]

What do you consider a long line? The lines for characters have been over 2 hours for YEARS.

Candy lines come and go.

Ride lines are mostly never long - maybe Mine Train and Haunted Mansion can get up to 20 minutes at times.

Again, not using the first party as an example - it sounded really bad.

Maybe because it was the first party, but it was far more crowded than the party I attended last year. There were places that you could barely move around. We didn’t care about characters or ride lines or even candy lines. But it was so packed that you really couldn’t enjoy the ambience that night.

 

[Farro]

Maybe because it was the first party, but it was far more crowded than the party I attended last year. There were places that you could barely move around. We didn’t care about characters or ride lines or even candy lines. But it was so packed that you really couldn’t enjoy the ambience that night.

Yeah, the description sounds bad. Last year it was the same. I'm thinking (just like others said) - combination first party, in August, bloggers, etc. - a recipe for disaster!

 

[Malestrom Troll]

The same people that complain about party crowds I'm guessing are the same that complain about Disney raising hard ticket prices. If you want a low crowd (in your view) capacity, Disney would have to increase the ticket prices to like $300 to make it profitable.

 

[SarahC97]

That CM gave you outdated info.

Party crowds are close to 35,000 guests and MK at full capacity is close to 100,000.

Oh, OK. But still - 35,000 for a party doesn't seem terrible. And I wasn't suggesting 56,000 was capacity - I found that number as average attendance at MK on any given day.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

I give up on convincing people that the goal in attending the Halloween party wasn’t low crowds or some desire for short ride lines. I used 28 fastpasses at the MK on Tuesday. Ride lines are not the issue.

Agreed. We were there. We know what it was like. For Pete to mention it on the Dis Daily Fix, shows it was not the norm. I just relistened to it and he said they had heard from multiple sources it was oversold. He also didn't complain about the heat. He only said, it was hot...which it was.

 

[sharonabe]

I give up on convincing people that the goal in attending the Halloween party wasn’t low crowds or some desire for short ride lines. I used 28 fastpasses at the MK on Tuesday. Ride lines are not the issue.

Okay, so what was your goal? And what was your expectation?

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

It's just confusing because your entire first post was a complaint about the crowds.

But the point is you were unhappy and that's that.

Because he wasn't complaining about NOT having low crowds, we are talking about excessive crowds. Crowds where it is difficult to move, crowds where you can't buy water because the line is 30 minutes long. I had to change my son's diaper in a handicapped stall because the line for the changing table was 5 people long (which can take a long time). Fortunately he's a toddler and I can change his diaper with him standing up. And this was the 3rd restroom we tried. It was THAT packed.

 

[Farro]

Because he wasn't complaining about NOT having low crowds, we are talking about excessive crowds. Crowds where it is difficult to move, crowds where you can't buy water because the line is 30 minutes long. I had to change my son's diaper in a handicapped stall because the line for the changing table was 5 people long (which can take a long time). Fortunately he's a toddler and I can change his diaper with him standing up. And this was the 3rd restroom we tried. It was THAT packed.

Yes, I addressed later in the thread the first party seemed out of bounds.

 

[inyoureyes]

Just giving my 2 cents. We attended the first party. I had high expectations and I have never attended MNSSHP before. It left such a bad taste in my mouth. Every single Halloween activity had such long lines, it was insane. We tried to line up to meet Moana. We got there around 6:30pm and quickly gave up. The stifling heat also made it very difficult to get in the Halloween spirit. I have NEVER seen a Disney World bathroom as dirty as the bathroom by Cosmic Ray's was that night. Absolutely disgusting. The crowds on Main Street to see Boo-to-You were also a real downer. My kids couldn't see anything. Also (this is probably an unpopular opinion) they really need to update Hallowishes. After seeing Happily Ever After earlier in the week, I was so disappointed with Hallowishes. It was boring. I will never do that party again. It felt less crowded in Magic Kingdom when I was there the Sunday before the party. A disappointing end to an otherwise wonderful trip.

 

[OneinThree]

I disagree. If you read through the description of the party on Disney's website NOWHERE does it mention or infer low crowds. They do advertise the special entertainment, trick or treating, unique characters, special magic shots, etc...but nothing about crowd levels. The expectation of low crowds comes from non-Disney sources and perhaps the assumption that an "exclusive" (read: expensive) ticketed event will mean less people. I have yet to see Disney imply in any media source that the parties will have low crowds.

If you are marketing a hard-ticket event at a high premium which has always included an attendance cap, then yes, I don't expect the same sort of crowds I experience at MK otherwise. Disney is moving the goal posts no matter how you slice it.

 

[cab0ad]

It's better not be crazy busy because i will be there too!

My date too. It is looking crazier and crazier!

 

[StacyStrong]

Okay - who is Pete and why does everyone put so much stock into what one guy has to say?

Lol, I mean, pardon my ignorance, I guess?

 

[whiporee]

WDW should just triple the price. That will solve the problem of overselling.

As long as it's affordable, crowds will come. If they limit numbers to a greater extent, people will add it to the complaints about having to plan 60 or 180 days out. So they should use the controlling factor they have -- the price -- to reduce the numbers of people who want to come.

Or they could DAH it -- make it so you're not allowed in at 4, but at 6 or 6:30. That would make the current price much less attractive and would cut down on the numbers of people who want to attend, making it a special event that requires extra sacrifice rather than just exchanging it for a MK day. But the people who would be willing to spend a hundred bucks for it, it might be much more pleasant.