Should WDW have a scarier Halloween Party?

[Wayne]

I voted no because I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with Disney just being Disney!

Honestly I don't think WDW needs to have an older themed Halloween event. Every other park has more horror themed events (some even adult specific), but the draw for me at MNSSHP is the innocence of it.

I agree.

[glenpreece]

I'd love something a bit more scary at Disney. But HHN is waaaaaay too much for me just watching youtube vids of it freaks me out.

[Aggie97]

I think it would be cool if they operated the WDW Railroad after dark and did a Haunted Train ride which would appeal to the older crowd and teens.

I don't know that I would want a scarier party, but I do really like this idea of a slightly scary Haunted Train ride.

[mainemajor]

Disney is all about good family fun and adventure and as it is now MNSSHP is GREAT. It is sooooo much fun. If people want scarry halloween, there are always places to go, but Disney should not be the place.

[AnnetteFan]

I think people make the false assumption that MNSSHP is aimed at children and soley children. Yes it's tame and child friendly but that doesn't mean it's just for children. I very rarely see parents looking miserable during the event or even older kids or teens not enjoying it. It's fun for the whole family. The problem with a scarier party would be that it wouldn't be fun for the whole family. Especially if you had an age requirement, then it would cause a split, families with both teens and younger children would have to seperate.
Also it doesn't seem like Disney would have much material to go on aside from their regular villians who could still be considered kind of kiddie.

[Daisy'sMom]

NO, NO, NO!
If you want scarier, go to Universal! Leave MNSSHP the way it is, for families. If our children want scarier (the teenagers), they go to Bush Gardens HowlOScream. We think there is to much gore at Universal.

["SULLEY "RULES!!]

I agree!!!! Go to Universal if you want SCARY!!!! Disney should stay kid/grownup oriented in a fun way!!!!

[Ppufi]

I think it would be neat to have an all villian party for people over 13.

[AnnetteFan]

^But the problem with that would be that most families don't only have children in one age range. Say a family has a ten year old and a thirteen year old, what would they do with the ten year old if they wanted to attend the party? One parent would have to skip the party to go elsewhere with the children too young which doesn't really sound like the best plan to me.

[ChipDale2708]

I don't know that I would want a scarier party, but I do really like this idea of a slightly scary Haunted Train ride.

I voted no since we just attended our first MNSSHP last week and LOVED it. I agree w/ a haunted train ride though. The parade and fireworks were terrific. I'm planning a video viewing at our house on Halloween so our neighbors can see it. (we only get a couple trick-or-treaters). For some reason I get spooked/creeped-out easily so MNSSHP was perfect for me. I'm a big chicken!

[DDuck66]

As a 40+ year old big kid along with my DW, I voted no. We live close by and I have not had any interest to go to HHN or the one at Busch Gardens. That beeing said, I think it would be okay to have an area or attaction that was a little scarier during the MNSSHP. They could even have real scary tales narrated by one of the villains in an enclosed area away from the rest of the children.

[thrillme]

My DS has always LOVED scarey. His favorite book as a toddler was "Ghost Train" about some ghosts who had to leave their castle and eventually resided in an old amusement park haunted house ride.

We've gone to SeaWorld's Halloscream every year since he was almost 2. He had one year that he didn't want to do it so we didn't push it. The following year he was all for it and every year after that. It's a traditon.

I don't think it would hurt to beef a few things up a bit in some places...maybe have a few more "villians" running around. Maybe Donald in a ghosty suit or a vampire Mickey....Alas perhaps not as scarey as Universal (we're planning on doing that party in another year or two when Harry Potter world opens).

High tech would be to have some holograms of friendly spooks throughout the park.

Disney is for ALL ages...not just tiny ones.

[Ppufi]

^But the problem with that would be that most families don't only have children in one age range. Say a family has a ten year old and a thirteen year old, what would they do with the ten year old if they wanted to attend the party? One parent would have to skip the party to go elsewhere with the children too young which doesn't really sound like the best plan to me.

Good point. Maybe then, in a different park they could have a slightly spookier party for anyone who felt brave enough to attend? I know some pretty hard-shelling 5-year olds who love scariness.

[3Cabsfan]

I think we have our slice of the pie and do it quite well. Families want a place to take their children and having a "scary" party isn't going to fit in with Disney very well.

[brad192]

The old adage applies here: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Disney does quite well with MNSSHP. It's well attended, people for the most part enjoy it, and it's very "family friendly".

Disney figured this one out a long time ago when they produced Alien Encounter. As a PP said, a lot of parents assumed that, because it was Disney, the attraction couldn't be all that scary. WRONG! Apparently, many, many complaints were made about the scariness of the attraction by parents of kids who were absolutely terrified. That's why we have Stitch there now. Disney knows their demographics & what works. If you want scares & gore, go to that other park.

[Puppy Mom]

I voted yes because frankly I thought MNSSHP was a huge bore. I can get giant bags of candy at home and I could see the Halloween decorations every night without the party. The only good part was the limited crowd that allowed for walking on most of the rides.

As someone hinted at earlier, I am tired of "families" being defined ONLY as people with little ones. There are thousands of families and other configurations of people who love Disney and would love something based more on the villians or with a little more BOO factor.

As I have said before, there is PLENTY for families with young children to do. One party a week for six or 8 weeks at the studios would not seriously impair families with little ones' ability to enjoy the full Disney experience, but would add a LOT to the older family's enjoyment. I would not propose this party INSTEAD of the MNSSHP, only in ADDITION. What would parents of a 10 year old and a 13 year old do? DON'T GO! Not everything has to be perfectly appropriate for every person. Why is it OK to bore a 12 year old to tears dragging them along with a 3 and 5 year old, but not to have something for families who don't HAVE tiny ones?

I think it is bit off to bring up Walt's "original idea" to squash any idea that appeals to adults or older children, as is often done.

Haven't you seen Walt's "original idea" for EPCOT vs. what was built? The two have almost NOTHING in common. Half of what there is at Disney now would not fall into Walt's "original idea".

As for parents who apparently can't read, I don't know what to say. Disney posts WARNINGS for the scary rides that are quite prominent. PAY ATTENTION PARENTS. Why must the rest of the population be denied a great thing because some folks don't seem to have the sense God gave a stump?

A Halloween party for the teen and older set is a FABULOUS idea.

[AnnetteFan]

There are no young children in my family, no children at all if you want to get technical, and yet we still love MNSSHP. I don't think it's meant to only appeal to children or families with children. If you're bored during MNSSHP, are you bored with MK in general? There are plenty of things for older kids and grown-ups to do, all the major attractions are running and plus the parade and fireworks. If an adult or older child can't enjoy MNSSHP it makes me wonder if they can even enjoy MK at all.

To me the problem with having seperate parties is that families don't usually just consist of only younger children or only older children. Usually there's a bit of a range. So it would make the scarier party with the age requirement only available to a small group which doesn't seem like the best bussiness strategy for Disney. I don't think a halloween party has to be scary for older kids or grown ups to enjoy it. Just like not all rides have to be thrill rides for adults or teens to like them. I think MNSSHP not appealing to you or your kids has nothing to do with age, just your personal preferences.

[Puppy Mom]

"To me the problem with having seperate parties is that families don't usually just consist of only younger children or only older children. Usually there's a bit of a range. So it would make the scarier party with the age requirement only available to a small group which doesn't seem like the best bussiness strategy for Disney."

It isn't "separate" parties, it is MORE parties. All the same people who love the existing party could go to it and all the people that would love a slightly scarier experience could go to the other party in addition or instead.

I think some people underestimate the number of families or groups of friends that do not have ANY young kids. I do not think the number of people attending would be that small. There are a LOT of people that go to Disney without kids at all or with older kids. These people may not even go to MK at all. they may spend all their time in the other parks.

When I said that I found the MNSSHP boring I meant that there was not that much extra of interest to it that was not already part of the Magic Kingdom.

I really don't understand why there is so much resistance to something being provided for older kids and adults. This would not affect the Magic Kingdom parties at all. It would probably just mean closing the Studios to the general public a little bit earlier than it would be closing anyway.

We aren't talking about putting in bars and clubs, just something a little bit more exciting for people to do a few nights of the year.

[IloveDisney71]

I have never had the chance to attend the MNSSHP but I hope that one day I'll finally get the chance. From everything i've ever read or seen about the MNSSHP I don't think Disney should change a thing. I think in order for all family members young to old to have a good time, it should not be made scarier. Little ones are often very sensitive to scary things and parents should feel comfortable knowing that Disney is just providing a fun Halloween experience for families.

[AnnetteFan]

I don't so much think the problem is that Disney would be targeting older kids or adults, it's just that people are failing to realize that things like MNSSHP aren't only meant for children, they're meant for everyone. Lots of families without children or families with older children really enjoy the parties. CM's go all the time. Things don't have to be more intense or scarier for them to appeal to an older crowd. Attendence has never dropped for MNSSHP and people haven't been complaining so I don't see any reason for them to add a second party when one seems to be doing the job just fine. I certainly don't think it would be a bad idea to add more villians or something scarier here and there, but another party doesn't seem like the answer.