Boy do they oversell this Halloween party!!!

[ClapYourHands]

Not if you stay at their three main onsite resorts. You get unlimited express with your room.

I'd call them their three premium resorts, rather than main resorts. Sapphire Falls, Cabana Bay, Aventura are all onsite, and do not offer express pass. So, while the price is much lower than Disney Deluxe, staying at Universal's premium resorts is a way of paying for the express passes.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For my family of 5, we can get a room at one of the 3 resorts for $300 or less, and you get 2 days of express passes. That's nearly $1000 in express passes for a room I'd need anyway.

For sure, that's why people say compare the costs. It's going to depend on the make up of the traveling party (# of adults vs # of kids if any), when you're going, how many days you'll want to spend at the parks and how many days you'll be staying onsite at Universal, traveling style in terms of park touring, etc.

But I will say Express Pass varies in terms of costs depending on how many parks and when you go. If you're calculating the $1,000 off of two days worth of Express Passes I can understand your math.

Also one has to consider rack rate vs discounted rate and rate based on the number of nights you stay (which Universal utilizes that). Your $300 rate may be with a discount, may be with a rate based on the number of nights you stay, etc.

It's simply why one needs to do the math for each of their own trips to see if it makes sense to stay at the 3 that get the Unlimited Express Pass included or to buy it separately or to not buy it at all

 

[anomamatt]

Why do some of you always have to go to “empty”?

No one on this thread is suggesting the parks should be “empty.” They are saying the parties shouldn’t be significantly more crowded than regular park days.

The parties are less crowded than average park days. Look at wait times. They don’t go up when the party starts. Are you suggesting the wait for 7dmt at even the most crowded party this year is even close to the average daily wait?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I've said this before, but the idea that parties should be empty comes from places like here and not from Disney.

I do think that most people don't expect empty but I also think because crowd experience differs from person to person it can create differing definitions of less people.

I think when it comes to parties it's also an issue of why the person is at the parties. Someone who is mainly there for rides may have a completely different opinion than someone who is mainly there for meet and greets and candy and they may have a different opinion than someone who is mainly there for the parade, Hocus Pocus show and fireworks show. Someone who is trying to experience a good portion of all that combined will likely find it difficult if there's a lot of people milling about crowding up the walkways, a lot of people in line for candy and meet and greets and higher wait times for rides.

Someone who is trying to experience rides but finds themselves with 45min+ waits for enough rides will run out of time at the party to experience attractions to be had at MK. Someone who is trying to experience meet and greets and get candy may run out of time to experience enough of those if the lines are too long at every turn. Someone who is there for the parade and fireworks show may find they run out of time waiting for the parade, hocus pocus and fireworks show in terms of securing a spot as well as keeping an eye on the weather since rain can take certain features out of either one or cancel a performance.

I don't think it's all able to be done even in the best of nights (though someone can def. correct me if it is possible) but in terms of satisfaction of the paid special event how successful one was able to be with what they wanted to do will def. weigh in on how they feel about crowds.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I went to MNSSHP October 2nd 2016. I really enjoyed it. The crowds were not awful except for a few of the character meet and greets - those got long. The candy was plentiful and I grabbed a parade spot at the last minute and didn't have an issue seeing anything. It seems like something must have happened - increased ticket limits or increased demand - to make it such a different experience 2 years later. It's sad because I really enjoyed it and was looking forward to booking a Halloween time trip again.

 

[agavegirl1]

It has been four years since my last WDW trip and my 2018 trip has been postponed until 2019 for health reasons (surgery..me). My last trip I seriously debated adding MNSSHP and decided not to. Now it seems like they have increased the available tickets and therefore guests. I won't now. I wish I had then.

 

[momof2n2]

But we all keep on going...and apparently more and more of us all of the time. So we're sending a loud and clear message back to WDW that we are perfectly okay with all of this.

We don't all keep going. I can't imagine the circumstances that would take me back to WDW... (Though DLR has won my heart recently.)

 

[Nancyg56]

I refuse to go to anything with "low expectations" when a ticket cost $75/person. I am surprised by how many people expect to pay a lot of money at Disney and NOT expect much in return.

I agree. I know that character M&G will be dependant on how many people want to meeet any give character, however I expect that I am going to be able to get onto attractions, and see the shows and parades without experienceing a 10 feel. I am shocked that people honestly do not have some measurable way to determine if Disney gave them what they paid for.

Why do some of you always have to go to “empty”?

No one on this thread is suggesting the parks should be “empty.” They are saying the parties shouldn’t be significantly more crowded than regular park days.

It is "all or nothing" for some. Most reasonable people know that somewhere between horrifically crowded and empty lies the spot that we were sold.

 

[RachaelA]

I refuse to go to anything with "low expectations" when a ticket cost $75/person. I am surprised by how many people expect to pay a lot of money at Disney and NOT expect much in return.

I think there is a difference between going in not expecting to be able to do everything (therefore low expectations) vs going in expecting to do everything and see everything with no waits. Even with lower crowds you won’t get to walk right up to the parade and fireworks and get a perfect spot 2 minutes before they start nor will the exclusive characters have absolutely no waits.

Plus most of us have already bought tickets. We have to make do with what we are given at this point. It’ll definitely effect if I buy tickets next year but this year is already happening so I have to roll with it.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think there is a difference between going in not expecting to be able to do everything (therefore low expectations) vs going in expecting to do everything and see everything with no waits. Even with lower crowds you won’t get to walk right up to the parade and fireworks and get a perfect spot 2 minutes before they start nor will the exclusive characters have absolutely no waits.

Plus most of us have already bought tickets. We have to make do with what we are given at this point. It’ll definitely effect if I buy tickets next year but this year is already happening so I have to roll with it.

Perhaps we should use the phrase reasonable expectations. I expect that there will be a wait for some activities, and I have always had to wait in lines for M&G, however I think that there would be the expectation that the level of the experience will be greater than a normal park ticket. Walk on? No, I do not expect that. hour long waits? Not so much

 

[WIll C]

We found it not worth the price. Went on Oct 2nd (a Tuesday). We loved the events (parade, fireworks and show) but it was crowded, esp. around these events and didn't seem worth the $90 price each. We had come in before the party started and the park wasn't too crowded which helped but things afterwards was a bit more than we cared here. We had a better time the next night when we had extended hours in the evening. That was far better and the crowds were a lot lower (as expected). Of course, we'll never go again this time of year due to the heat. We'll stick to winter where our Seattle blood can deal better.

 

[Anabelletoronto]

If the crowds are bigger - why don’t they offer fast passes during the party? Then everyone would at least get to do 3 (they could even just do 2) things during the party with a minimal wait.
Last year we went to Disney and we didn’t mind the long waits for some rides because we had shorter waits for other rides/meet-greets

Someone upthread said the wait times don’t change between the day and the evening. If the capacity changes from 100K to 30k - shouldn’t the wait times drop a little? Especially because there are also more options for people - more characters/candy stations/more shows etc.

 

[Love Tink]

The parties are less crowded than average park days. Look at wait times. They don’t go up when the party starts. Are you suggesting the wait for 7dmt at even the most crowded party this year is even close to the average daily wait?

I don’t have to look at the wait times. I was there.

I was there for two weeks in the first half of August and I was there for a party. The party was BY FAR the most crowded we saw MK.

Are you suggesting that the wait time for the Mine Train is the only or most useful way to measure party crowds? Bizarre.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don’t have to look at the wait times. I was there.

I was there for two weeks in the first half of August and I was there for a party. The party was BY FAR the most crowded we saw MK.

Are you suggesting that the wait time for the Mine Train is the only or most useful way to measure party crowds? Bizarre.

I think that the attractions are only one of the points we should look at in terms of measuring the crowds at a party. The sale of these tickets includes trick or treating, special shows, rare characters, party specific merchandise, parades and fireworks. If the wait times for attractions and shows exceeds a "regular" park day, and the "feel" is such that one is shoulder to shoulder with 30,000 of their new best friends, there is something quite wrong. The last party I attended was in 2012, and it was a good balance of crowds feel, ability to enjoy the attractions in a "reasonable" time frame, etc. I am not a difficult person, so after having followed the increase in either crowd levels or decrease in appropriate staffing, I have opted out of party tickets. For my crew the cost is between 700 and 900 for one party. At that cost, I would become persnickety if my value would have been better during the day in the MK.

 

[anomamatt]

Are you suggesting that the wait time for the Mine Train is the only or most useful way to measure party crowds? Bizarre.

Wait times are how touring plans quantifies crowd levels. If it’s good enough for them...

 

[billyjobobb]

I don’t have to look at the wait times. I was there.

I was there for two weeks in the first half of August and I was there for a party. The party was BY FAR the most crowded we saw MK.

Are you suggesting that the wait time for the Mine Train is the only or most useful way to measure party crowds? Bizarre.

exactly! The most crowded we saw any park the entire time we were there was on the party night that we paid extra for. Also, if jack and sally or 7 dwarfs is on your list, a 2 or 3 hour wait for anything is unacceptable. Throw in that the hub is nonstop action with 2 parades, 3 or 4 stage shows plus fireworks. It got ridiculous there.

 

[sharadoc]

This is another example of Disney's catering to the first time guest. The ones that don't know the difference in crowd levels will not be disappointed or make any comparisons. And as PPs have said, the wait times are still not bad compared to a busy day, so there is still some advantage. The issue is with the fireworks and parade. Either they need to run them 3 times each, or they can't sell as many tickets. Folks waiting two hours for a parade seems like such a waste of money to me.

 

[dlavender]

The issue is with the fireworks and parade. Either they need to run them 3 times each, or they can't sell as many tickets. Folks waiting two hours for a parade seems like such a waste of money to me.

But then, who is paying $70 on top of the $90 ticket to get a good view and some cupcakes?

#Upsellception

 

[maxiesmom]

This is another example of Disney's catering to the first time guest. The ones that don't know the difference in crowd levels will not be disappointed or make any comparisons. And as PPs have said, the wait times are still not bad compared to a busy day, so there is still some advantage. The issue is with the fireworks and parade. Either they need to run them 3 times each, or they can't sell as many tickets. Folks waiting two hours for a parade seems like such a waste of money to me.

If it is a waste of money to you, don't do it. I've been to many of the parties, and some of my best memories are of me and my dad hanging out, waiting for the parade to start. Dad loves to people watch, so for us it is not a waste of money.

And it isn't necessary to wait for 2 hours either. You can get a good view 30 minutes ahead in frontier land.

 

[Richard M Nixon]

I'd be happy to see a few of the nights sell tickets that are 2.5x the cost with 0.5x the capacity, so we could pay more for the short ride queues perk or pay normal price just for the experience.