Disney's Villainous Halloween Party Tactic

For those that lose site of the fact that Disney is a corporation with shareholders that needs to make as much money for their shareholders as possible, I hope this post will awaken you to that fact.

Disney today is not the Disney that Walt dreamed of and created and nurtured.  In fact...most of Walt's family is long gone and has little to do with anything going on within the Disney corporation.  I think we all thought that Walt's vision would forever be passed down from generation to generation regardless of being an employed blood relative or not.  That was our hope anyways.  But recent moves by Disney have constantly shown that Disney is a BIG business...a VERY BIG business and their first responsibility is to their shareholders, like any corporation.

Many of us have watched the "magic" seem to dwindle more and more each year that passes.  New cast members come onboard and it seems that the magic is slowly but surely seeping out of some of the corporate cracks.  You can now occasionally run into some cast members who just don't seem that happy which carries over into the guests, whether at one of the parks or at one of their resorts.  Some bus drivers smile less and on occasion get snarky in public.  Some problems are now being met with, "I am sorry there is nothing we can do," when there was plenty that could have been done.  If you are a first time visitor within the past 2 years or so, you may not notice as much, but for those who have been patrons for years, those are the ones that can attest to the slow and subtle changes that are zapping some of the "happy" away from what used to be hands down, "The Happiest Place on Earth."

But that is not what I am meaning to address in this post.  To me, the magical leakage is a result of a corporation slowly moving all of its focus to the dollar and away from the customer.  This week's announcement of Disney's new "ticket within a ticket" plan for an event within Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" has made me somewhat disgusted at their attempt to earn more and more and take more and more away from the families that have to sometimes save for years before they can let their children experience Walt's vision.  For those that may not know what I am referring to...Disney has this special party every fall that runs for a few weeks and we refer to it as MNSSHP for short.  You pay for an extra ticket to attend this party.  On certain nights during the week, Disney closes the Magic Kingdom early for the MNSSHP event.  Those who have paid extra for the ticket get to stay for the event.  Those with just regular park tickets have to leave usually around 7pm.  Those tickets can cost a family of 4 an extra @$250.  That is in addition to the tickets they have already purchased to visit the 4 main parks that make up Walt Disney World.  The event has a special parade, an awesome fireworks show, some additional dancing and singing shows during the night and trick or treating opportunities for everyone.  It is a party I have attended and have recommended to my clients because it is a lot of fun.

Well Disney announced this week that they are going to offer another special ticket for those already attending the MNSSHP where guests can attend a special "villain event."  For those that want to be a part of this special event, you are going to have to fork over an additional $99 per person.  That's right...an additional $99 per.  HELLO!!  Tap tap tap, is this thing on??  Did you get that?  So the party that already is not cheap to attend is going to try to milk another $400 out of a family of 4 so they can do the following:

"Set within the majestic halls of Cinderella’s Royal Table, this special ticketed event allows guests to meet a menagerie of malevolent special guests while they indulge in decadent desserts and specialty non-alcoholic beverages. Guests also will receive preferred viewing for the 8:15 p.m. performance of Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade, as well as preferred viewing for the Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Spectacular."

So you are really paying $100 per person ($99 to be exact) extra to be inside of Cinderella's castle, snack on some goodies and meet some special villains.  You can see the fireworks and parade without any special seating needed.  So the goodies better have come straight from a 5-star restaurant for me to want to pay that much for characters and snacks.  For the love of Pete...a full meal inside the castle will cost you the same or less depending on the time of year.  So this party plus the event is going to end up costing a family of 4 @$650 by the time it is all said and done.  $650!!  A blogger I follow (Theme Park Insider) asked the question, "Does this sound like a good value to get a better experience at Disney, or does this sound like a plan that only a villain could love?"  My answer...it is simply villainous.

Disney...I hope you wake up soon before too much of the pixie dust escapes and you find yourselves on the list of "what used to be one of the happiest places on earth."  You keep raising prices.  You keep adding events that cost more money.  You keep increasing your more aggressive marketing and sales tactics.  You are a large corporation..we get that.  But I hope your "boardship" will stop and remember why these parks were created and the vision behind it all when the first piece of ground was broke.  When will you remember these simple words...

I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.

-Walt Disney

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2013 Review

Orlando is packed full of things to do during the months of September and October, especially if you are a fan of Halloween.  The two biggies, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, put on some incredible events starting near the end of September.

If being scared out of your wits is your thing, Universal Orlando puts on one of the most famous wet-your-pants, hurl-your-flaming-Moe, shindigs found anywhere.  Their Halloween Horror Nights 23 took things to a new level this year by adding more effects such as the smells of death and decomposition.  No...we did not attend this event during our 10 day stay in Orlando.  Part of me wanted to, but I also knew that we were headed to WDW after our Universal stay and I had planned on buying event tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which I will from now on refer to as MNSSHP.  Plus...I am not sure nasty smelling zombies jumping out at me is my thing anymore at the ripe old age of forty...uh never mind.

So let's move on to MNSSHP which we did attend on Friday the 27th.  This event is equally as popular as Universal's shindig, but offers a much less frightening experience which appeals to everyone in the family (especially since Universal's party is for adults only). We had already attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) back in December of last year so I wanted to compare the value between the two events since both require an extra ticket besides just your normal park ticket.  If a family is going to spend upwards of an additional $60+ per person for a single night, they need to know what they get for the money.

Now I know some will disagree with me on this, but I am going to say it anyways; MNSSHP is a much better bang for your buck event than MVMCP.  Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed both events.  Both are magical in their own way.  But just looking at what you get for the extra ticket that others won't get if they don't pony up the extra cash, MNSSHP comes out on top.  For example...everyone who attends the Magic Kingdom during the Christmas season will have a chance to see Wishes, their awesome nighttime fireworks show.  Those that attend MVMCP pretty much get the same fireworks show as everyone else.  During MNSSHP, you get a fireworks show (HalloWishes) that is only for those who attend the event and it is FAR different than the normal Wishes show that is put on for other guests.  And is possibly one of the best fireworks shows I have ever seen.

Both events have special parades, but the addition of the Headless Horseman riding down Main Street during "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade" makes it uber special in my opinion (see attached video).

Both events have special treats offered to guests.  MVMCP has stations set up where guests are treated to cookies and hot chocolate.  MNSSHP has trick or treat candy stations set up all around the park which gives the kids an early pre-halloween candy advantage over their friends back at home.

Both events have a lot of attractions open for guests who attend and most had VERY short queue lines which allowed us to get off and right back on some attractions had we wanted to.

But one of the other differences I noted that makes MNSSHP better in my opinion is how they are able to transform Liberty Square into an entirely different feeling area of the park during the party.  The music at the start of the video in this post is the same music that you hear during the party as you walk through Liberty Square.  But the best part is how they also bring the Haunted Mansion to life during the party.  The colors, the fog, the music and even some changes to the cast members make it an awesome thing to see during party hours.

One more added benefit to the MNSSHP is the attendees to the party.  Guests get to dress up which makes the party one gigantic costume party.  It was fun seeing the creativeness put into some of the costume designs. The atmosphere overall was one of a huge, fun family-friendly party.

So to sum it up...yes my wife and I spent over $120 to attend this event.  But would I spend that money to attend the MVMCP again?  Maybe not.  Would I spend it again to attend MNSSHP?  Absolutely yes.

Have you been to one of both?  If you have been to both, what is your overall opinion of the two parties?  Would you do one or both of them again?  I would love to get your feedback.