HalloweenTime at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #3

[figment_jii]

I know that there are 3 villains out at a time for the party. Does a line form for each one separately, or if you wait in one line do you get to meet all 3 that are out? I want to meet Hades and Dr. Facilier, so just trying to figure out my strategy.

There is a single line for all three villains. You won't know which three are there until you get to the front of the line because the villains rotate out. On both Tues (10/8) and Fri (10/11), Facilier and Cruella were paired together and Malificient and the Evil Queen were the other pair (they swapped every 45-minutes). Jafar and Hades swapped out (I don't remember how often), but it wasn't on the same schedule as the face characters.

 

[WestMom2two]

Are you kidding me! We leave Sunday and I have a full blown cold with headache and body ache. I've read other people posting the same thing on this bored right before their trip and I prayed it would never happen to me and BAM!
The good news I may be able to kick this before Sunday with 4-5 days left and it could have happened next week on our trip instead. The bad news is I am terrified of giving it to anyone else in my house because it would surely hit them right on our trip. Send good thoughts my way I cleared Whole Foods out of every natural remedy I could find lol

 

[dnamertz]

Does the first running of the parade during the MHP start at the IASW end?

Also, are there any rides that add any extra ambiance only during the MHP? Do the Jungle Cruise captains make their schtick more Halloween-like, or anything like that?

 

[figment_jii]

Does the first running of the parade during the MHP start at the IASW end?

Yes, the first Cavalcade starts at Small World and heads to Main Street. The second Cavalcade goes from MS to IaSW.

 

[rosanab1031]

Are you kidding me! We leave Sunday and I have a full blown cold with headache and body ache. I've read other people posting the same thing on this bored right before their trip and I prayed it would never happen to me and BAM!
The good news I may be able to kick this before Sunday with 4-5 days left and it could have happened next week on our trip instead. The bad news is I am terrified of giving it to anyone else in my house because it would surely hit them right on our trip. Send good thoughts my way I cleared Whole Foods out of every natural remedy I could find lol

Three words! Wheat grass shots!

If you get them from Jamba Juice they give you an orange wedge and at Juice it Up they give you a choice of juice as a chaser I like to choose apple juice because it helps with phlegm

Then get a smoothie with a boost that will help your immune system. Pineapple is good because it is actually higher in Vitamin C than oranges.

Good luck and I hope you feel better before your trip!

 

[pharmama]

I'm trying to strategize for our first MHP in one week- yay! It will be me, MIL, DD8 and DD4.

I've read some of this thread (sorry, its overwhelming) and others but I'm not totally clear on a few things and hoping y'all can help

-Trick or Treat trails- are these really just about candy? Like CMs just standing there handing out candy or what? I've read some have characters? If so which ones? If you were going to do just 2 or maybe 3 trails which would you recommend?

-What happens in Toontown 'preparty' (will this be 5-7pm for a 6pm party?)? Anything other than trick or treat trails?

-What time will villains M&G start for a 6pm party? Right at 6pm or? I will be dressed as Maleficent and would really like to get a photo with the real thing too. Bonus if we can catch Jafar for DD8 (who will be dressed as Jasmine) and even Lady Tremaine for DD4 (who will be dressed as Cinderella)

-What goes on in the Festival area during MHP? Different than during the day (Halloween Carnival)? We will be there for several days post-party (and are AP holders) so I don't want to waste MHP time on stuff we can do during the day.

Thanks all!

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

-Trick or Treat trails- are these really just about candy? Like CMs just standing there handing out candy or what? I've read some have characters? If so which ones? If you were going to do just 2 or maybe 3 trails which would you recommend?

We went to MHP on 9/27 and the treat trails were just candy. Both sides open with CM's handing out candy. Characters had their own lines. The Golden Horseshoe moved really fast and the Big Thunder Ranch was quick too. IMO the most disorganized one was the one thats started in New Orleans Square and meandered back to Splash Mountain.


-What goes on in the Festival area during MHP? Different than during the day (Halloween Carnival)? We will be there for several days post-party (and are AP holders) so I don't want to waste MHP time on stuff we can do during the day.

When we were there Thunder Ranch was always quiet during the day (non MHP days, I mean) ~ very empty considering. I don't know if more people have discovered it now. The only thing with consistent lines that I noticed was the Conjure a Villain tent. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Chip and Dale in Halloween costumes were wandering back there and had hardly any lines. I noticed that when at the Ranch Mickey and Minnie wore purple costumes and the night of the MHP their costumes were orange. Also Pirate League is back there, The Haunted Billy Hills, crafts.

Thanks all!

That's all I can answer!

 

[WestMom2two]

Three words! Wheat grass shots!

If you get them from Jamba Juice they give you an orange wedge and at Juice it Up they give you a choice of juice as a chaser I like to choose apple juice because it helps with phlegm

Then get a smoothie with a boost that will help your immune system. Pineapple is good because it is actually higher in Vitamin C than oranges.

Good luck and I hope you feel better before your trip!

Headed to Jamba juice today to give it a try! Thanks!

 

[figment_jii]

-Trick or Treat trails- are these really just about candy? Like CMs just standing there handing out candy or what? I've read some have characters? If so which ones? If you were going to do just 2 or maybe 3 trails which would you recommend?

Yes, the treat-trails are about candy. Some also have apple slices, carrots, Cliff Z bars, and other "healthy" alternatives. Each trail usually has multiple stations (3 to 4), where the CMs are handing out candy (usually three pieces per station/CM). There are no characters in the treat-trail lines.

If I was only going to do 2 or 3 trails, I'd probably do the one at Town Square (it's the only one that has the Werther's Caramel Apple candies), the one in the Golden Horseshoe (cool decor), and Mickey and Minnie's house trail in Toontown (9 stations!).

What happens in Toontown 'preparty' (will this be 5-7pm for a 6pm party?)? Anything other than trick or treat trails?

Yes, for a party that starts at 6:00 pm, the Toontown event runs from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. There are four treat trails, plus several character meet and greets. I saw Clarabelle, Roger Rabbit, Goofy (Halloween costume), and Chip & Dale (Halloween costume) last week.

-What time will villains M&G start for a 6pm party? Right at 6pm or? I will be dressed as Maleficent and would really like to get a photo with the real thing too. Bonus if we can catch Jafar for DD8 (who will be dressed as Jasmine) and even Lady Tremaine for DD4 (who will be dressed as Cinderella)

I assume it starts at 6:00 pm. The "face" villains switch out every 45-minutes. At both parties last week, I saw Maleficent and the Evil Queen as one pair and Dr. Facilier and Cruella as the other pair. The "head" characters (like Jafar and Hades) switched out on a different schedule (I don't know recall exactly).

Last Tuesday, at the 7:30 pm switch, Maleficent and the Evil Queen left and Facilier and Cruella arrived. So, assume the same schedule, I'd guess Facilier and Cruella started the party.

Lady Tremaine and her stepdaughters come out with the carriage (when the "face" characters switch out). They follow behind it and you can try to grab a quick photo at that point, but it's not a traditional meet and greet.

-What goes on in the Festival area during MHP? Different than during the day (Halloween Carnival)? We will be there for several days post-party (and are AP holders) so I don't want to waste MHP time on stuff we can do during the day.

I can't remember for sure, but I think the ranch is closed during the party.

 

[MadMim]

So Ive spent months planning our trip to MHP, and just as Im ready to finalize everything, I cant find the info that I need. Can someone please help jog my memory or point me to a website?

I need a time frame. What time will they allow us in for the party? We plan to spend the day in the park, then return to the hotel to change into costumes around 2. I'd like to be back at the park, costumed, by 3. I think this may be too early. Is that too early? Also, will we be able to walk freely in costume, or will we need to go straight to Toontown? And what time does the pre-party officially end? Has anyone noticed crowd trends, like does everyone head out of the pre-party and go straight for Tomorrowland, or NOS? Im expecting monster (ha!) crowds for the first few hours, so Im trying to find ways to avoid them as much as possible, but also be present and enjoy the party.

The hotel is booked, tickets bought, costumes are almost finished..we even added another person to our party. Ive been waiting all year for this, and Im about as excited as it gets!!

 

[figment_jii]

I need a time frame. What time will they allow us in for the party? We plan to spend the day in the park, then return to the hotel to change into costumes around 2. I'd like to be back at the park, costumed, by 3. I think this may be too early. Is that too early? Also, will we be able to walk freely in costume, or will we need to go straight to Toontown? And what time does the pre-party officially end? Has anyone noticed crowd trends, like does everyone head out of the pre-party and go straight for Tomorrowland, or NOS? Im expecting monster (ha!) crowds for the first few hours, so Im trying to find ways to avoid them as much as possible, but also be present and enjoy the party.

It depends on what time the party starts...the special event ticket will allow you in 3 hours before the official start of the party. So if the party starts at 6:00 pm, they'll let you in at 3:00 pm. If the party starts at 7:00 pm, they'll let you in at 4:00 pm. From what you've said, you will already be in the park that morning, so you can always re-enter Disneyland using your regular ticket and get the wristband at the Frontierland location later. That might be faster than waiting in the lines at the Esplanade.

The Toontown event won't start until 1 hour before the party. Once inside the park, the crowds pretty disperse out, so it's crowded everywhere. Some folks head to NOS and Tomorrowland, but just as many head to Fantasyland. You can do whatever you want; I doubt anyone really heads straight to Toontown to wait for two hours. The Toontown events starts one hour before the party and ends one hour after the party (so if the party starts at 7:00 pm, the event runs from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm).

 

[crystal1313]

You can go in 3 hours before the party starts, so if the party starts at 7PM, you can get in at 4PM. It should say on your ticket.

We freely walked around in costume without issues. We made a reservation at the Carnation and ate there around 5 because we had heard not all the restaurants are open during the party and we didn't want to be wandering around looking for food.

ToonTown party was great because it started earlier then the MHP so it gave us something to do in that time frame. We got a ton of candy there. After that we headed to Tomorrowland and it didn't seem too crowded to me. I expected huge crowds too and really didn't encounter any, so it was much better then I thought!

Pharmama, in the Frontierland trick or treat trail that goes through the Zocalo, we saw Donald and Goofy in there. They were kinda in the middle and were coming up behind guest doing funny things and taking photos with people in line for candy. Goofy gave my boys high fives I agree with figment about the Toontown trails, tons of treat stations! And lines moved fast. We never ventured to the Big Thunder Ranch, so I'm not sure if it was open or not.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

Big Thunder Ranch was open during 9/27 MHP but not very active with the exception of the treat trail. There was a Mickey and Minnie M&G right outside the ranch too that night.

 

[Kilala]

Thank you for the info on TT. I will let my friends know.

 

[Lucrezia]

Only five days left for us! I'm a little apprehensive about MHP now. Okay, a lot. I've already given DF The Speech about how there might be crowds, how he needs to hang in there and go with it... lol. I'll be giving the same Speech to my nieces tonight. I hope they'll understand because I really don't want to be dealing with two complaining kids during what should've been a great vacation lol. I checked a 10-day forecast today to find out what the weather will be like (this one's for you, Sherry). It's slightly warmer than I would've liked---upper-70s, lower 80s---but I guess that's not such a huge deal. And anyway, weather is unpredictable so it could always change... right??? Being the anal person I am, I've been preparing for our trip for the last week and a half and making an embarrassing number of checklists... I think I've finally gotten a solid outline of an MHP plan, thank God. Eat dinner beforehand. Take advantage of any shorter lines for attractions. Stay away from NOS and Main Street during the busiest window of time---roughly 4-7. Don't trick-or-treat until later in the night---for my nieces' sake... I could skip the trick-or-treating entirely because I rarely eat candy and need to stay trim for my career, even when I'm on vacation---and see the parade/fireworks at least once. Think I may've bitten off more than I could chew in buying tickets for three (!!!) different MHPs. Luckily, my fiancé and I have already agreed that if we hate the party, we won't make ourselves go to the others just to get our money's worth. Yes, it's expensive and a perfect waste, but if the crowds are seriously that bad, than we might as well head over to DCA and take the loss. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that, though! Lol

 

[crystal1313]

Lucrezia, I was freaking out just like you before our party last week on 10/11....and we had a blast! I didn't think it was that crowded at all! We went in thinking the worst and were pleasantly surprised =) We went in a little after 4 and ate dinner right away, then headed to Toon Town which I think helped. Yes, there were lines, but it was pretty organized and moved fast! DH and DS5 walked on Star Tours. Autopia had a 20 minute wait. Overall, it was much better then we thought and we plan on going next year too!

 

[Caroline94501]

We went to the Friday Oct 11 party and had a fabulous time. We decided it was well worth the extra cost because we got a total of 8 hours in the park.

The crowd was alot less then I expected from what I've been reading. Tomorrowland and Main Street were crazy, so we just stayed away from there. Both Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion posted 35 minutes waits. Space Mountain was acurate only because they had technical problem that delay us 15 minutes. We only waited 15 minutes for Haunted Mansion. We've never been on it set up for the holidays and we LOVED the Nightmare Before Christmans theme.

We did most of the trick or treat lines. The longest one was in Tomorrowland, I think we waited about 15 minutes, but it was also the best line. We were so sick of chocolate after about the 3rd line that we were begging for the carrots and crackers.

The parade was fun, we walked up right when it was starting and got a prime spot. We were standing by River of America when the fireworks started and watched from there. We had a good standing spot, but we were watching them from the side so we didn't get the full effect. It's best to watch in front of the castle.

We loved watching everyone in costume. I was actually surprised the vast majority of people were in costume. I was dressed as Tigger and DH was Jack Sparrow.

Best part of the entertainment was an acapella group on the River of America. They was GREAT!! Not sure what they were called. They were on a small boat being pulled up and down the river.

The parks were packed the rest of the weekend. We usually go the weekend after Labor Day and were not used to the long lines. Most of the popular rides had 75 to 90 minutes waits posted. Pirates of the Carribean had 40 minute waits most of the time. This girl is getting too old to wait in lines. We got all the really big rides in on Friday night.

All in all we had a fabulous night and are looking forward to going to the party in Disneyworld next year for our 15 year anniversary.

Caroline

 

[figment_jii]

Luckily, my fiancé and I have already agreed that if we hate the party, we won't make ourselves go to the others just to get our money's worth. Yes, it's expensive and a perfect waste, but if the crowds are seriously that bad, than we might as well head over to DCA and take the loss. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that, though! Lol

I agree with Crystal1313 that it's a matter of perspective and what you hope to accomplish during the party. There will be crowds, but what is a "mob" to one person, might be manageable to another. Like Crystal1313 I didn't find the crowds to be horrendous on either the 8th or 11th and both parties were sell outs. Rides were generally not "walk-on" (especially not HMH), but it wasn't wall-to-wall people either. I heartily second the recommendation to see the Cavalcade and fireworks, along with the Villains change over. Trick-or-treating is fun and the lines do move pretty quickly. The Cadaver Dans were fun to listen to.

Overall, I don't think you'll gain much by heading to DCA. Remember that lots of folks who aren't going to MHP have that same plan and head to DCA. So you'll see a bump in attendance at that park as well. While I didn't go there during the party, I do recall seeing a steady stream of folks heading across the Esplanade to DCA.

 

[MadMim]

Thank you!! I think I have it now.

 

[dnamertz]

The parade was fun, we walked up right when it was starting and got a prime spot. We were standing by River of America when the fireworks started and watched from there. We had a good standing spot, but we were watching them from the side so we didn't get the full effect. It's best to watch in front of the castle.

Maybe you can answer this question. During the MHP fireworks, did they project images on spraying water on the Rivers of America, kind of like they do during Fantasmic?