We attended on 10/4 as a party of 8 adults. DH and I have done a handful of parties in the past, but don't recall them well enough to remember if this felt different.
It was CROWDED, but in a weird way. There was an unpleasant number of bodies filling the streets, but lines for actual experiences seemed fair/reasonable for the most part. We wound up doing pretty much everything we wanted without too much hassle, but the overall feel in the park was unpleasantly congested. It's very strange.
Here's our timeline:
3:30 - DVC entry. Lines for general admission were dozens deep, but we were able to walk right in.
4:00 - Peter Pan w/FP. Used throwaway
MDE account to make FPs with party tickets so as not to risk other fastpasses.
4:20- Philharmagic standby, picked up candy bags, shopping, costume adjustments.
5:00 - Haunted Mansion w/FP
5:30 - Stopped by Casey's to wait for rest of group coming in. Food lines were medium long but seating was relatively easy to get.
6:00 - Met rest of the group back at front gate. They got through the tapstiles quickly but were held up a bit at wristband distribution. We all went through the bypass together (also congested) and took photos (queues at all photo spots).
6:30 - Crystal Palace dinner. We lucked out and were seated right as the characters appeared in our room, so they came around pretty quickly.
7:30 - Headed to POTC. Stated wait 20 min, actual wait 20 min. 2 live characters in line vaguely mentioning Gunpowder Pete and 1 live character in ride. It didn't really add much to our experience, but didn't ruin it either.
8:00 - BTMRR. Stated wait 15 min, actual wait almost 25 min. The area was very, very congested.
8:30 - We split from group to say hi to some friends also attending the party. They were at Pecos Bill's and it was pure chaos in there. The rest of the group went to ToT by Splash.
9:15 - Met back up with group. They had ridden IASW and we had gotten a soda at Friar's Nook (?) and relaxed. Lines were full with people buying and Instagramming Maleficent cones, but they moved tolerably well.
9:30 - Part of group did ToT at Philharmagic and Village Haus (double-dipped there) and then went to Under the Sea (walk on) and the ToT line, which stunk because you were trapped in the queue and couldn't see how long/slow it was. Rest of the group went to ride SDMT with a stated wait of 40 min.
10:00pm - Group reconvened in Fantasyland to watch fireworks. It's one of my favorite spots since it's always uncrowded and has great views. The SDMT crew made it before the show and we all watched together. Fireworks were AMAZING as always.
10:30 - Group headed toward Frontierland for 2nd parade. The first 2 to arrive held spots while the rest straggled in after pictures and shopping. We were able to get a spot outside Pecos Bills. We had to defend it pretty hard until everyone showed up, but it was a great spot for the parade.
11:15 - Headless Horseman and parade. We made room for another family's toddlers to sit right at the rope line in front of us and it was awesome because all the parade characters made a point to interact with them and we got to enjoy the close up looks. Instant karma FTW!
11:35 - Parade done. It was a warm and muggy night and we were all in desperate need of rehydration so we stopped at Aloha Isle for a round of water and a couple of communal Dole Whips. It totally didn't seem unreasonable that it was $40...
11:50 - Most of the group went to get spots for Hocus Pocus. They were able to secure pretty good spots near the railing at the top of the hub. I went to ride TTA and stopped by the Monsters Inc ToT. They were filling everyone's bags all the way to the top. It was awesome!
12:20 - Some folks wanted to shop at the Emporium. The rest of us pulled up a bench and watched the masses pour out.
1:00ish? - We finally left. The resort monorail was running and we were able to board the next train. The group headed to the bus stop for SSR was not so lucky. They couldn't fit a party of 6 on the departing bus and it took quite a while for the next bus to come. That wasn't the best ending to their night.
So, everyone felt like we did everything we wanted, expect for SM, which was down for a large part of the night. We had good spots for the fireworks/parades/shows without having to stake them out crazy early. We got tons of candy and everyone got the merchandise they wanted. Fortunately no one cared about characters.
On paper, it seems like it was great. But it really was very, very full and congested, which meant the overall atmosphere suffered. It didn't feel like a special or exclusive event. It pretty much felt like a regular park day with slightly different entertainment and candy. I don't regret it, but I'm not dying to do it again nor would I especially encourage others to do it.