Disney needs to seriously consider cutting capacity for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I’ve talked before about how frustrating the rising cost of these events has become, but what makes those price increases even harder to justify is how crowded the parties have become. Years ago, part of what made these events feel special was that you were paying extra for more than just exclusive entertainment, holiday decorations, and limited-time meet-and-greets. You were also paying for the opportunity to experience the Magic Kingdom with significantly lower crowds and much shorter wait times. That experience has become increasingly difficult to find.
The problem is that the holiday parties can now feel almost as crowded as a normal day in the Magic Kingdom. Wait times for popular attractions can reach levels you would expect to see during the middle of a busy day, rather than during a separately ticketed event that costs considerably more than regular park admission. Yes, you still get the exclusive entertainment, fireworks, parade and character opportunities, but the ability to walk onto several attractions or experience multiple rides throughout the night was once a major part of the value. When you are spending a premium price and then standing in long lines for much of the evening, it raises a pretty obvious question: what exactly are you paying extra for?
What makes this even more frustrating is what happens before the party actually begins. On party days, many regular guests without party tickets intentionally avoid the Magic Kingdom because they know the park will close early. That can make the hours leading up to the party some of the best times to visit. It is not unusual to see relatively short waits, and attractions like Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain can sometimes have extremely manageable wait times. Then the party begins, tens of thousands of additional guests enter the park, and suddenly the experience can feel completely different. It seems backward that the most expensive part of the day can also be the most crowded.
Of course, I understand why Disney continues to sell as many party tickets as it can. Reducing attendance would mean reducing revenue, and I don’t think Disney is going to voluntarily leave money on the table unless it believes the long-term value of improving the guest experience makes up for it. The alternative would likely be raising ticket prices even further to compensate for selling fewer tickets, which brings us right back to the same problem. That is why I don’t expect Disney to simply decide to cap these parties at a level where guests suddenly have a dramatically different experience. There is just too much money involved.
One potential solution could be expanding the holiday party concept to other parks. Disney has already started by adding Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios, and I think there is an opportunity to take that idea even further. Rather than simply adding another party on a different night, Disney could schedule a Hollywood Studios holiday event on the same nights as the Magic Kingdom parties and give guests another option. If enough people choose between the two events, it could help distribute some of the demand instead of continuing to cram more and more people into the Magic Kingdom. This also puts a heavier lift on EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I think you solve this by expanding their hours.
If these events are going to continue getting more expensive, Disney needs to find a way to make them feel special again. And for me, that starts with making sure the crowds don’t completely overwhelm the experience.
The post Disney’s Holiday Parties Are Losing What Made Them Special first appeared on The DIS.
