MNSSHP Waste of Money!

[letsdoitagain]

Just went to one of the MNSSHP last week. It was our first time and wow were we unimpressed! The parade was the same floats as the Christmas party, just re-themed. The lines for candy were insane, adults pushing kids, etc. Total waste of money and I would not do it again. Just my opinion.

[phlo8810]

We are going on Halloween for the first time. Hope they are more staffed that night as I assume the crowds/lines will be considerably more that night.

[Melanie]

I'm so sorry you were disappointed. MNSSHP is far and away my favorite after hours event at WDW. The parade you mention? LOVE! Certain elements (the Gravediggers, HM float) are some of my very favorite things in a Disney parade. I could be wrong, but I don't think they are re-themed for Christmas. :shrug:

I've been to at least 5 parties through the years (two last year) and I don't recall ever seeing pushing in the candy lines. Sorry you experienced that.

I love MNSSHP and would pick it any day of the week over MVMCP. That's what's so great about WDW - something for everyone! :mpumpkin: :santa:

[BrowncatP]

I went to MNSSHP two trips ago. I enjoyed it, but to me it was a, been there done that, kind of event. I liked the parade, and the headless horseman was great.

[buzznwoodysmom]

There are a few floats that are rethemed and used in both the Halloween and Christmas parades, but for the most part it's two different parades with different floats. Sorry OP felt they were too similar.

The one and only MNSSHP I've attended was on Halloween night and we did not see any pushy adults in the candy lines. Everyone was in great spirits and it was a very positive experience. I wouldn't hesitate to attend this party again.

OP sorry to hear your experience was not a good one.

[DizneyRox]

This is my fear as well. I have not been in a while, it was easily the. Best after. Hours party offered (Choices being Pirate and Princess, Halloween and Xmas). Unfortunately, with the direction of the parks (downhill) and the massive price hikes, I wouldn't go to another with high expectations. These reports further reinforce my concerns.

I have not witnessed any of which you speak, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm sure we'll go again in the future with the little one, but I wouldn't do it twice in a trip like we did before.

Same with Christmas, although they don't seem to have them round Xmas, which is when we'd go because of school vacations. Maybe we won't see one.

[amorillo]

Sorry you had such a bad experience... but this is definitely one of my favorite parties held at WDW. I absolutely love the parade & fireworks.

I've been to three different parties (on two different trips) and will be going twice next month. I've never seen any pushing.... but the year that we went on halloween night was rather packed (the party was sold out).

[JMTStone]

I'm sorry you were unimpressed. I LOVED MNSSHP and am looking forward to going to it again 4 weeks from today.

I liked it even better than MVMCP. The parade, hot cocoa, and Florida snow is all I remember from that holiday party while the Halloween party is something I remember fondly.

Hallowishes and the Halloween parades were my favorite. I have the Boo to You music playing on my iPod. I loved the Villans show and meet. DD 8 at the time was dressed as Jasmine. Aladdin and Jasmine made a deal of her in the parade and Jafar made a great photo op during the meet.

We didn't experience any of the pushing and bad behavior during the trick or treating. It wasn't very busy so we had some special time with the Mad Hatter and Alice who happened to be on the trail.

[Basket Mommy]

I prefer MNSSHP to MVMCP, but I won't be doing either one again. I had a similar experience to the OP's. We went in mid-October. The lines for candy were crazy, and honestly, the candy wasn't spectacular. Surely not worth the pushing, shoving & line breaking being done for it.

However, I LOVE the parade and Hallowishes. They were the highlight of the evening for us!

[Polynesian Dweller]

I went to MNSSHP two trips ago. I enjoyed it, but to me it was a, been there done that, kind of event. I liked the parade, and the headless horseman was great.

Pretty much our reaction. It was fine but nothing we're compelled to do again. Parts of the parade are great but the ending, if you can really call it an ending, with Goofy felt a bit flat in a kind o is that really the end kind of way. Oh yeah, there's the banner saying so.

The whole thing party is really just the parade, some trick or treating and the Villans Meet and Greet. Yeah there are other things but nothing that makes it a redo.

As for Hallowishes, actually prefer it from the Poly. The 180 degree portions work much better from there.

Perhaps if the price was lower it would feel like a better value, but at nearly $70 bucks it doesn't feel like good value.:mad:

[Dopey's Girl]

Sorry you had a bad time. That's never good!

I LOVE MNSSHP. So much so that I'm going twice in October (once with the Icot 15 group and once Halloween night)! I don't like anything scary (HM is about all I can take) but love the vibes in MK when it's all decked out in it's orange finest! I'll do a bit of trick or treating, but love the shows and parade. I've never experienced any lines for anything but pics with the characters and have always encountered people on their best behavior. Sorry you didn't get the same.

[Quadstriker]

Halloween party is the nuts. Can't wait to go on the 16th.

[Itchy]

You know its like the dining plan, either you love it or you don't.

My daughter and granddaughter did it last year and loved it. I decided not to go.

I love Disney but with the added crowds I decided not to do it. I am glad I didn't.

I think the worse part would be getting to the busses after the event ends unless you leave early.

Hope this helps...:mickey:

[Polynesian Dweller]

Perhaps if the price was lower it would feel like a better value, but at nearly $70 bucks it doesn't feel like good value.:mad:

Woops! The mad face shouldn't be there because I wasn't. Don't know how it got there, but finger must have grazed it on my iPad while typing. Sorry about that folks.

[Cinderelley]

I <3 MNSSHP. I'm sorry you had a bad time. Sounds like some people needed to get their priorities right.

[Dsnygirl]

I'm so sorry you didn't care for it... it is our absolute favorite, and would go every year! :mpumpkin:

We've been 3 times, and loved it every one... there is something unique about the atmosphere (in our opinion) that makes it really special to us. We love the Villains Mix & Mingle, think the fireworks are the best of what they do at MK & LOVE the parade... my girls and I find ourselves singing "Boo to You" all the time, esp. this time of year. ;) We've done MVMCP, as well, and have found our reaction to that to be identical to yours re: MNSSHP... funny how that can happen, but it's an "arguement" we have between ourselves here at work amongst Disney lovers, too. ;)

Hoping maybe you give it another try some other time... hoping was just an "off" night!!

[disneynarula]

Man... I hope we don't have the same experience. My MIL has never been to WDW and we have never been to the MNNSHP. We decided to try it with her because she wanted to experience WDW with the kids but we did not want to buy full price park hoppers since we are doing a week at disney later on.

Starting to freak out a little bit.:confused:

[Dsnygirl]

Man... I hope we don't have the same experience. My MIL has never been to WDW and we have never been to the MNNSHP. We decided to try it with her because she wanted to experience WDW with the kids but we did not want to buy full price park hoppers since we are doing a week at disney later on.

Starting to freak out a little bit.:confused:

No worries... read back through all the posts, and I think you'll find the overwhelming majority to be a big love of MNSSHP. ;) Not to say the OP isn't entitled to their opinion, they definitely are - everyone's experience is their own, and things I love at Disney plenty of others don't - but if you read back, it does seem that most really enjoy it, and find it to be one of their favorite fall experiences. I hope it works that way for you!! :mpumpkin:

[Melanie]

Man... I hope we don't have the same experience. My MIL has never been to WDW and we have never been to the MNNSHP. We decided to try it with her because she wanted to experience WDW with the kids but we did not want to buy full price park hoppers since we are doing a week at disney later on.

Starting to freak out a little bit.:confused:

Please don't freak out! I think you can see from this thread that MNSSHP is a favorite of many. Give it a chance for yourself. :mpumpkin:

My recommendation is to prepare beforehand and have a plan for you and your family. Look here (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=194507) for the official 2012 guide map.

Are characters your thing? Is trick or treating and the treat trails priority with the kids? Main reason for going the Boo to You Parade and HalloWishes? Or do you all just like to go with the flow and take things as they come? Check out the map and become familiar with how the party is set up.

Regarding the candy someone mentioned before - apparently a few years ago there was a time when the candy was a bit....shall we say, undesirable. ;) Happy to report that the good stuff is definitely being offered this year.

Christine attended the party earlier this month on media night on behalf of INTERCOT and did an awesome review with pictures here (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=194693). :pumpkin:

[joonyer]

We have attended MNSSHP several times in past years, and we have always had a great time. But while I wouldn't say it is a waste of money, at current prices ($65.00 or $260 for a family of four), it's getting very hard to justify the expense of going. If we were going to WDW this fall, we wouldn't have been able to justify that extra expense.

[DNS]

I went to MNSSHP two trips ago. I enjoyed it, but to me it was a, been there done that, kind of event. I liked the parade, and the headless horseman was great.

Same for us. It was worth the money only to experience it once. DH would same the same about the Christmas party, but that one I love!

[figgie]

WOW, so sorry you had a bad experience. Guess it's like everything else, you can't please everbody all the time.

We however love both MNSSHP and MVMCP! Go every year and would really miss them if we didn't. I love being there at night with all the extra atmosphere. Don't really trick or treat much, just stop by the stations when they are not too crowded. Last year and I hope this year(haven't been yet) they really upgraded their candy. I enjoy the parade and show at the castle. But mostly, I love to watch the people! Very inovative costumes out there and so much joy. Happily going to a party soon...not telling my costume, it's a surprise!:magic:

[MyDisneyworld]

We really enjoy MNSSHP and are going back in a few weeks. For us just the theme of the park, lower crowds when we attended last, parade, fireworks, picture ops and candy was a bonus. Kids love dressing up and seeing all the other cool costumes. I would rather trick or treat at Disney World then at home. Will we go every trip? probably not but every few years is enjoyable for us.

[joanna71985]

Aw, I'm sorry you had a bad experience! I love MNSSHP, and go every year (I attended the second party this year). Boo to You is one of my favorite parades ever!

[CanadaLovesDisney]

Sorry to hear that!

We loved the halloween party last time!

[JoDisney]

We went to the party last night, September 28 and I can honestly say it was not the same for us, anymore. I do not know if it is because we have attended the MNSSHP so many times over the years and it is "enough is enough." We thought it did not have the same excitement. We even left the line at Casey's because the line was not moving at all. I do not know if they did not have the hot dogs ready or what. We just left the line after waiting awhile. We need to take a long break from going to this party - a long break. We did like that they had two Dumbo rides in the new Fantasyland area. The rides looked lovely with the water sparkling with the color lights as it streamed out of bottom of the ride.

[TheVBs]

Really sorry about your bad experience. :( That's an awful feeling.

We went for the first time last fall and loved it! :mickey: We also did the Haunted Carriage ride at FW and loved that too. Both very special experiences for us. I would happily do either again, but after we get some other experiences under our belts.

[Gator]

Yeah, coulda told you that was coming. I can't see the worth in spening that much money for the Christmas show - the Halloween show can't be close to the Christmas show. I did it once and decided it was never worth it to go to a party ever again. That is, unless my kids are much older and I'm much richer.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Just went to one of the MNSSHP last week. It was our first time and wow were we unimpressed! The parade was the same floats as the Christmas party, just re-themed. The lines for candy were insane, adults pushing kids, etc. Total waste of money and I would not do it again. Just my opinion.

Sorry you had such a bad time... The first few times I did MNSSHP I loved it... Then, it became same ole same ole... Not to mention some of the cuts they did to the party while increasing the price year after year... Last year I refused to buy a ticket to the party... I figured I needed a break from it for a while since it is the same thing year after year...

I would recommend people who haven't seen it yet to go see it, but seeing it yearly, well, just got boring...

[tjstrike]

MNSSHP was a great offer about 5 years ago when it was half the price it is now. Its appeal and value (IMO) has gone the way of the dinosaurs. :beat:

[mom2morgan]

We went on the 21st, and enjoyed it quite a lot, EXCEPT for the fact that it was absolutely POURING rain for the first several hours (causing them to cancel the first parade). Of course, I've never been to the Christmas party so the floats were all new to me, but I found the lines for the candy moved pretty quick, and most rides were very easy to get on to. I would have had a lot of fun if I wasn't dripping and trying to peer in the dark through my rain streaked glasses, LOL


Just went to one of the MNSSHP last week. It was our first time and wow were we unimpressed! The parade was the same floats as the Christmas party, just re-themed. The lines for candy were insane, adults pushing kids, etc. Total waste of money and I would not do it again. Just my opinion.

[texas211]

MNSSHP was a great offer about 5 years ago when it was half the price it is now. Its appeal and value (IMO) has gone the way of the dinosaurs. :beat:

You mean the way of the Yeti. :mickey:

[Disney Doll]

Man, I hate to hear that. MNSSHP is one of my favorites. I love fall and I love Halloween so maybe that's a big part of it for me, but I've honestly never felt it was a waste of money.

I love the music, the decor, the trick or treating is fun and in 3 years we've never seen any pushy behavior in trick or treat lines. In fact we hardly see lines at all. The parade and fireworks make the night for me. Those are both so well done and just perfect for the occasion.

[PrincessJadesMom]

That's really too bad that you didn't enjoy yourselves. MNSSHP is definitely one of our favorite things at Disney World! We actually had a Disney cruise booked for next October, but we are going to postpone that so that we can go to Disney World to the MNSSHP. That is our favorite time of the year to be at WDW! We really love the Halloween parade. I really don't care about any of the other parades, but I LOVE that one!:bat::mpumpkin::pumpkin::ghost::blackcat:

[MrPeetrie]

Sorry you had a bad experience. MNSSHP is one of our favorite events at WDW. We attended it again this year and had another great experience. Moreover, the crowd was very well behaved.

I will say the price is getting out of hand and we will re-think if we want to do it next trip as we've done it several times already.

[disneydeb]

I love the Halloween party, but it used to be much better. There were more grave diggers, HM characters and cowboy dancers in the parade. :confused:

[GBBT]

Last time we went was 2004,the price then was $24.95 or $29.95,can't remember.$69 is just TOO much to pay now.That price does give you the mindset of "been there ,done that....don't need to do it again".

[MrPeetrie]

That price does give you the mindset of "been there ,done that....don't need to do it again".

That is exactly what we've been thinking after this last trip.

[joonyer]

Last time we went was 2004,the price then was $24.95 or $29.95,can't remember.$69 is just TOO much to pay now.That price does give you the mindset of "been there ,done that....don't need to do it again".

The price in 2002 was $27.95 (adult advance purchase)and $29.95 (day-of). Now 10 years later the price is double that, while the party is basically the same, with no added attractions or benefits. I know that inflation applies to everything, but a 100%+ increase is extreme. Using the average annual inflation rate a $27.95 ticket should cost just $35.95 in 2012. Disney is ripping off its customers on this one.

I'd have to pass on purchasing party tickets if we were going to WDW this year. I don't expect that we'll ever see prices any lower though. I'm glad we did this several years ago when we could afford it.

[disneynarula]

How were the rides for the lines?

We are not really interested in candy. We can't eat that much on our trip and I am not taking it back with me. I really don't want the kids to have that much sugar anwway. Both of my DSs seem to have a low tolerance for sugar. DS has a bunch of food allergies and I don't want to have to deal with trading it in. I am going to let them get some candy but I want to mainly focus on the rides and parade.

Can you avoid the Trick or Treat areas or is that impossible?

[joanna71985]

How were the rides for the lines?

We are not really interested in candy. We can't eat that much on our trip and I am not taking it back with me. I really don't want the kids to have that much sugar anwway. Both of my DSs seem to have a low tolerance for sugar. DS has a bunch of food allergies and I don't want to have to deal with trading it in. I am going to let them get some candy but I want to mainly focus on the rides and parade.

Can you avoid the Trick or Treat areas or is that impossible?

You can avoid them

[nfrustaci]

Really ???? I love that party !!!! we were there in nov of 2010 for the xmas and then the following year we went for the halloween pty. It is by far my fav !!! loved the parade, loved the dance party in tomorrow land. enjoyed that emensely. we didn't do the trick or treating because it's just candy. oh and the villian show was great. the fireworks show was by far the best I have ever seen disney do. So sorry you didn't enjoy it. perhaps it was just a very crowded party when u were there.

[Chaos]

DH and I went to MNSSHP on our honeymoon in 2007 and we loved it!

DH doesn't think that DD will be able to stay awake long enough to get our money's worth out of the party for our trip next year. So I'll be going on my own and I'm so excited!

It will be the first time that I've been to the park by myself, which will be interesting. Plus I love the parade and fireworks. And I love costumes, so I'm trying to figure out a good costume that I can wear easily on rides.

[BigRedDad]

To the OP: Do you think it is worth it if you get in for free?

I have gone twice and paid both times. I have seen as many people without bands as there are with bands. WDW does a decent job the first few minutes, but after that, it is too crowded and no one cares except those that paid.

To me, $60 for a private event where there is no policing of the rules is a waste of my money. I will just head to Boardwalk, Epcot, or MGM during the parties.

[epceddie]

I have to say that MNSSHP is one of our all-time favorite things to do at WDW. We love the parade, the fireworks are outstanding, and the atmosphere is too cool. The Haunted Mansion is outstanding!!!!! We like to go during the week, usually on a Tuesday, early in October. We've never had to deal with large crowds or wait times for the rides. The park has never felt crowded and we feel that we've gotten our money's worth going from 4 p.m. to about 11 p.m.
We're going to MVMCP for the first time in December and we can't wait to see the snow falling on Main Street and the Castle all lit up for the holidays.

[Goes4FastPass]

I think both MNSSHP and MVMCP are tough buys for guests who are already at a WDW resort and using MYW admission media. A family already spending thousands on a vacation is asked to spend hundreds more to attend an event at the Magic Kingdom.

Also, the Disney Company schedules so MANY partie nights Sep through Dec there are a lot of 7pm close days at the MK, the park that cut it's evening EMH by a hour this year.

I think it's important to participate in the party if you're there, characters, parade and fireworks.

We'll go and have a great time and tell ouyrselves again, the kids will only be young for a short time.

PS: It's a REAL bummer when you have dated no refund or exchange party tickets on a RAINY night.

[mom2morgan]

Jeez - I HOPE that isn't why it felt so packed, but you might be right! We got asked for our wristband every 2 minutes at the very beginning....but I don't recall it really being checked later in the evening!



To the OP: Do you think it is worth it if you get in for free?

I have gone twice and paid both times. I have seen as many people without bands as there are with bands. WDW does a decent job the first few minutes, but after that, it is too crowded and no one cares except those that paid.

To me, $60 for a private event where there is no policing of the rules is a waste of my money. I will just head to Boardwalk, Epcot, or MGM during the parties.

[JMTStone]

Jeez - I HOPE that isn't why it felt so packed, but you might be right! We got asked for our wristband every 2 minutes at the very beginning....but I don't recall it really being checked later in the evening!

I've heard the opposite. A CM in Frontier land found girls ducking CMs and waited for them to come out of the bathroom to check for their bands. They weren't mean about it. But they looked like they were followed out to make sure they didn't stay.

I just love MNSSHP. We last went in 2009. The parade is awesome. Fireworks phenomenal. When we went we just walked onto rides no wait. We only did the trick or treating between OLD Toontown and Space Mountain. There were so few people there my DD 7 at the time got to have a nice LONG chat with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

We stood in line and met Jafar. The little one was dressed as Jasmine. A great photo op... if you remember the movie, Jafar tips Jasmine's head up. Jafar at WDW did the same to my little girl in Jasmine costume. Great picture.

Aladdin also gave her hand a shake when they passed. Then he brought Jasmine over. She blew Mackenzie a kiss. I think she almost passed out.

I'll put on my Minnie Witch Ears hat and the little one is going to be a pirate (saved her costume from the cruise).

[mom2morgan]

that's good. I guess I don't really KNOW if they were "checking" for my wrist band because we were both in short sleeves, so it was probably pretty obvious. I really would hate to pay all that money and then have "cheaters" taking advantage of it. Don't I sound prim? LOL - must be getting old ;-)

[disneynarula]

that's good. I guess I don't really KNOW if they were "checking" for my wrist band because we were both in short sleeves, so it was probably pretty obvious. I really would hate to pay all that money and then have "cheaters" taking advantage of it. Don't I sound prim? LOL - must be getting old ;-)

I must be getting old too because this would annoy me too. I will be on the lookout for "cheaters" on our party night.

[lawgirl]

We went 2 weeks ago, and we loved it. The mood was so festive, and I loved all the costumes!

We don't eat candy, so we skipped the trick or treat trails. The lines for everything seemed really short, and we didn't witness any crazy behavior or anything like that.

I did notice throughout the night that CMs were checking for wristbands...not just at the beginning, but it seemed like even around 9ish they were checking wrists.

I really enjoyed it. It's so hard to say if someone else would think its a waste of money. It totally depends on each person. I can definitely understand why someone would not like it or feel like spending that much money on it. I think you should try it once, and judge for yourself. We went last year as well, and I don't know that I saw any huge difference this year. Of course, we didn't get candy, so I can't comment on that. But the fireworks were just amazing. I think its the best fireworks at MK.

Im sorry the OP had a bad experience. It's a shame that a few people can ruin the party for others. I've been trying to overlook things like that lately. I know its hard, and it used to really, really bother me. But I've tried to just chalk it up to them being ignorant, rude, and just obnoxious, and try not to let it bring me down! It always amazes the low levels that people will stoop to!

But I am very sorry it bothered you.