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

I recently returned from my latest visit to Walt Disney World. As an annual passholder who lives just a few hours away, me and fam make quite a few trips throughout the year, but there's something about the Fall that makes the parks feel quite special.

Each year we do an annual "Halloween" trip. We don't necessarily purchase the tickets to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but we still go to Magic Kingdom to take in all the fun decorations and attempt to trick ourselves into thinking there are seasons in Florida. Despite my attempts of walking down Main Street with a Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew in my hand, it's hard to completely ignore the 90 degree heat with unbearable humidity. But we make the most of it.

Halloween is one of our favorite times of year to go to the parks. We love the Mickey Halloween Wreaths that line Main Street and the massive pumpkin characters that make for great photo opportunities, and usually the fun treats they have.

It seems lately though, as Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has become more popular, Disney has sought more ways to scale back on its Halloween festivities during the normal park hours. In fact, aside from the Main Street decorations, going to the parks in September or October just feel like any other day throughout the year.

Now Disney World doesn't do Halloween overlays like Disneyland, and they've never really decorated the full park, but they've always had special treats you could purchase. More and more though, these treats are becoming exclusive to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

I understand limited some of the special food drinks to the Halloween Party to encourage people to purchase tickets, but it feels a little overboard. The Graveyard Milk Shake, for example, which was reportedly available during regular park hours, is now exclusively to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, as is the Cinnamon-Apple Sundae, and many more fun items.

And honestly, I don't really understand why Disney is doing it. People are going to want to attend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party regardless of the exclusive snacks. There's no reason to gatekeep all of them behind this extra ticketed event.

I'd even wager to bet that Disney is losing money by doing this. I don't have access to the same financials as the ones making the decisions, but I'm fairly certain that Disney would sell a ton of these treats during regular park operating hours and still sell out Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Why limit it to the small number of guests who pay?

Now, it's possible that some of these items take a while to prepare and maybe they limit it to avoid long wait times — that's totally understandable. But a pre-made cupcake that you can just store in a refrigerator? Or the Mickey-shaped Cheesecake? These feel like simple items that you could sell during regular hours and not see any increase in wait.

I'm from a time when I'm used to Disney providing extra entertainment during the seasons, but I realize things have changed. It no longer snows on Main Street unless you pay extra. I don't expect to see the Hocus Pocus stage show during the day. I understand that Disney needs to keep some things exclusive to the paid ticketed events in order to encourage people to attend. But all — or most — of the special treats? That feels a little overboard.

I was never planning on doing Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween with the family this year, it's too expensive. And since there were no fun treats available, I didn't spend any additional money at the parks. This is revenue that Disney missed out on.