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Disney should stop gatekeeping its fun treats behind Mickey’s Halloween Party

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Disney should stop gatekeeping its fun treats behind Mickey's Halloween Party

As a seasoned Disney World annual passholder and a Florida resident who’s made more trips to the parks than I care to count, I can’t help but feel a tad disappointed by the recent changes in their Halloween offerings.

Lately, I’ve come back from a trip to Walt Disney World, where I frequently visit due to being an annual passholder and living not far away. However, my family and I find that the autumn season adds a unique charm to these parks, making each trip during this time of year feel extra special.

Every year, we embark on an annual Halloween excursion. We might not get tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but we always visit Magic Kingdom to enjoy the spooktacular decorations and try to imagine Florida having seasons. Even with a Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew in hand, it can be challenging to ignore the 90-degree heat and high humidity. However, we manage to have a great time!

One of our preferred seasons is Halloween, as it offers a delightful occasion for us to visit the parks. The Mickey-themed Halloween wreaths adorning Main Street and the oversized pumpkin characters provide fantastic backdrops for memorable photos, and we often enjoy the festive treats they offer.

Lately, as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has grown in popularity, Disney seems to be reducing its Halloween celebrations during regular park hours. In essence, visiting the parks in September or October now feels much like any ordinary day of the year, with only Main Street decorations remaining.

Unlike Disneyland, Disney World doesn’t transform its entire park for Halloween with overlays, but it has consistently offered special treats that you can buy. Over the years, however, an increasing number of those treats have been made available only during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

At the Halloween Party, I’ve restricted certain unique food and drinks, with the intention of boosting ticket sales. However, it seems a bit excessive to me, particularly with offerings like the Graveyard Milk Shake and Cinnamon-Apple Sundae, which were previously accessible during regular park hours but are now only available at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Many other enjoyable items share this exclusivity too.

frankly, I can’t wrap my head around Disney’s decision. It seems unnecessary that they restrict these special treats for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party since people are likely to attend the event regardless. There doesn’t appear to be a compelling reason to make these exclusive snacks only available within this ticketed event.

It seems likely to me, based on my observations, that Disney might be missing out on significant profits by only offering these treats during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. While I don’t have access to their financial data, I believe there would be a high demand for these treats among regular park visitors as well. Restricting sales to the party guests appears to limit potential earnings.

It might be reasonable to assume that some of these goods require time for preparation, so it makes sense they’d have limited availability to prevent extended waiting periods. However, ready-to-eat options like pre-made cupcakes or refrigerated items seem straightforward enough to prepare and sell during regular business hours without causing an increase in wait times.

In my time, it was common for Disney to offer additional entertainment during different seasons, but nowadays, Main Street doesn’t snow unless you pay extra. I no longer anticipate seeing the Hocus Pocus stage show in broad daylight. I comprehend that Disney needs to make some experiences exclusive to ticketed events to boost attendance. However, it seems a bit excessive to me that most of the special treats are only available for those events.

This year, our family hadn’t budgeted for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party due to its high cost. Additionally, as there weren’t many appealing treats, we didn’t make any extra purchases at the parks. Essentially, Disney lost potential revenue from our visit.

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2024-10-08 18:27

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