There should have been a schedule for the villains meet and greets. They were a fiasco. Frollo, Shadowman, Big Bad Wolf, Radcliffe and Cruella were only taking photos on the dance floor in front of Hades Hang Out and trying to get to them was a nightmare. I manager to hip check my way to Facilier but after him I gave up. I have to admit though, watching Frollo break it down to the DJ’s music was really funny!
The other villains were set up in an awful queue. Guests waited in a line to get to a cast member who asked them which villain they wanted to see. Once they chose, they moved to another line where they would meet the villain they wanted OR the villain who was switching out with them…ummm no guarantee that I would meet a specific villain, I don’t think so!! The pairs were Maleficent OR Bowler Hat Guy, Oogie Boogie OR Jafar, and Shan Yu OR Evil Queen. It was a mess and there was no knowing who you were going to see.
I got in the line around 11:30 hoping to meet Maleficent and was told by a cast member around 11:45 that I was wasting my time and I would not meet the characters. At first they were handing out the cards with the email address to send an email to to get an autographed photo of whoever you wanted to see…however, they ran out of those too. So I walked away empty handed to enjoy the rest of the show at Hades Hangout. There should have been a line similar to the Princesses in Town Square Theatre where the villains were all in one area and you moved through a queue to meet a bunch of them. There could even have been two of them, anything to make it more efficient.
And forget about asking a cast member for help, there was a huge disconnect between the cast members and the information, NO ONE knew what was going on, there should have been more meetings or something to make sure everyone had accurate information. Honestly, I felt very sorry for those working the event.
Merchandise was totally sold out before the event even got started. Any of the exclusive merchandise that was supposed to start being sold at 8pm when the party began was being sold beforehand and there was no chance of getting my hands on any of it. Luckily, it will be on Disneystore.com this week and for a few weeks to come.
It all boils down to the level of unpreparedness for the event. Disney did not anticipate the event being this popular or crowded. They have always underestimated the fandom for the villains. Villains fans are devoted because the villains are hard to come by and an event created just for them was the chance of a lifetime for villains fans and they should have anticipated the popularity of the event.
All in all, a wicked night and a great concept! I recommend Disney do it again, but make it a ticketed event and spend much more time ensuring that it is organized.
I totally agree. My friends and I went out last night and it was ridiculous. I was stunned by it actually, as it wasn’t anywhere near the level of organization that we associate with Disney. The fact that the parking lot reached capacity around 6, then people were being told to park at Epcot and get bussed over was beyond ignorant. Hollywood studios was not built to have nearly as many people in it as it did last night…and the poor cast members that had to work were beyond frustrated as well. (Also I didn’t see you mention him, but, the Sheriff of Nottingham was there as well. I think it was Hades plus 13 others, at least that’s what I counted last night)
We couldn’t even get in.. Damn traffic, Damn parking… and we were so looking forward to it. 🙁
My son (who is disabled) and I arrived at 3pm, and were able to park adjacent to the handicapped parking, and took the tram in. We were able to see a few shows, and have dinner. Approaching 8 o’clock, most of the park shut down, and access to restrooms were also restricted to only those closest to where the party was being held, and the Fantasmic show (which was also past capacity). It was truly frightening and dangerous for parents with young children, and people with disabilities, who were being pushed and shoved by the mob around the event. Disney had a dangerous situation on its hands. I will never trust going to a limited time magic event again.
California Disneyland was the same. This event was so unorganized from start to finish!!!! It was wall to wall people. You couldn’t get in, or out of any area. Oh, and the line for the limited t-shirt was outrageous!!!! I think they should have a pre-party for pass holders as well. We pay around $700 a year for the premium not to be thrown around like rag dolls in Disney.
Considering the majority of the people trying to get in were cardholders I was blown away by the horrible traffic jams trying to get in we drove 45 mins to get there waited in traffic for about an hour tried to go to downtown Disney instead and parking lot there was insane also so we just left. I was very disappointed and so we’re my children.
My husband & are annual passholders & live 10 mintues from DHS. We left our house @ 6:30pm & waited in traffic for 3 hours only to be turned away @ 9:30pm! Disney should have taken more effort on traffic control & since I find out now they closed the parking lot @ 7:30pm they should have had a way to notify cars waiting either with Dinsey staff or police. We have been coming to WDW for over 25 years & have NEVER encountered such a nightmare traffic congestion. Years ago Disney had a radio station you could turn to get updates on – they should still have that so cars can me made aware of park shutdowns. Disney also should have either charged a extra fee for the event or hold this event over a series of weekends so as to prevent such crowds. We will NEVER attend another event like this! I’m almost happy now we didn’t make into the park since I’m hearing what chaos that was!
I really appreciate the honest review!! It’s important, accurate information I would like to know. Thanks for providing it!
To be honest, the only park truly able to host an event like this is Magic Kingdom. Ticketed or not, it would have been handled so much better at Magic Kingdom because the cast members there know how to deal with parties and crowds. They shouldn’t have even considered hosting something of this magnitude in another park